Today at HxGN LIVE Global 2023, Hexagon’s Manufacturing Intelligence division announced the call for startups to apply to participate in its third Sixth Sense cohort, which will tackle challenges around manufacturing sustainability and digital reality. Startups with innovative technologies reducing manufacturing’s CO2 emissions, eliminating waste, and optimizing collaborative design are encouraged to apply from now until the September 6, 2023 application deadline. The Sixth Sense team, program advisors, and judges will narrow applicants to a cohort of around ten companies following a pitching competition among shortlisted companies in late September.
Then, cohort companies will be accelerated through a rigorous 10-week session by the Sixth Sense open innovation platform and rapid accelerator program in order to inform and improve their offering with Hexagon’s market insights. After a demo day in December, up to three winners from the cohort will be chosen to scale their businesses with Hexagon’s globalization resources, including potential investment, access to global office space, and use of the complete range of Hexagon’s goods and services. Additionally, Hexagon’s open digital reality platform for manufacturing, Nexus, will connect them and publish them, giving clients from renowned firms like Microsoft, Boeing, and Audi access.
Hexagon, the market leader in industrial software, established Sixth Sense in January 2022 to support manufacturing startups using Hexagon resources. Hexagon’s technology is used to build 90% of aircraft, 75% of smartphones, and 95% of all automobiles made globally. The winners of its first cohort were announced in June 2022, and the winner of its second cohort, US-based Gelsight, a producer of 3D tactile sensors that give robots a sensation of touch, was announced in February of this year.
The challenge topics for Cohort 3 expand on Hexagon’s ambition to accelerate innovation and spearhead the transition to a more sustainable operating model on a global scale. Sixth Sense is particularly keen to welcome diverse entrepreneurs from all over the world, especially from under-represented areas – based on gender, geography, and ethnicity. The third cohort’s innovation focus will be on cutting-edge technologies like eco-design, the use of materials and pre-processes, collaborative digital reality, analytics, artificial intelligence, generative design, and non-destructive tests (NDT)/non-destructive examinations (NDE).
According to Josh Weiss, President of Hexagon’s Manufacturing Intelligence division, “the manufacturing sector accounts for one-fifth of global carbon emissions, and a product’s design can determine up to 80% of its environmental impact.” “As industry 4.0 is ushered in, we are looking for new innovations that can increase the insight makers have at their fingertips, increase autonomy, and empower sustainable product design so that tomorrow’s manufacturing leaders can lead the net-zero transition,” the statement reads.
According to Milan Koci, Head of Sixth Sense at Hexagon, “Sixth Sense is proud to be open to innovators from around the world tackling some of the earth’s biggest problems.” “Through our first two cohorts, we’ve seen how the innovation from startups can enable manufacturing leaders to meet society’s future challenges. We are looking forward to welcoming a new cohort with diverse backgrounds and solutions to these latest challenges in September.”
The selection criteria for Sixth Sense include:
- $3M or less in revenue
- 1-5 years in existence
- Post seed, Series A, Series A+
- Proven traction and product-market fit
- Propensity to scale
Preferred qualities:
- Validation of investment from third party
- IP & licenses
About Sixth Sense
Hexagon technologies are used to manufacture 90% of aircraft, 75% of smartphones, and 95% of every automobile produced worldwide. It has the scale, the network, and the ambition to make a difference. As we enter the era of Industry 4.0, Sixth Sense was launched to discover smart and efficient solutions that will boost performance and benefit people and the planet. By inviting the next generation of innovators to the table, Hexagon aims to share its resources and make connections that accelerate progress – pushing the boundaries of design, manufacturing, and engineering and starting to imagine a better future for the benefit of everyone. To follow Sixth Sense, and learn about the ecosystem and opportunities for participation, visit sixthsense.hexagon.com.
Click on the following link Metrologically Speaking to read more such news about the Metrology Industry.
