Skunkworks

Startup Skunkworks is a hands-on competitive program that brings together developers, designers and entrepreneurs to create and prototype solutions for real world problems in different industries. Multi-disciplinary teams work with real world customers and organizations to develop prototypes and make pitches to a panel of judges. Winning teams then advance to the next round where products are refined and implemented through actual customer pilot programs.

What kinds of startups are you looking for?

Early-stage: Your startup/team is just forming, with a technology product/concept needing further market validation.

Ready-to-go: You have a viable product or service ready for business application. Product must have been publicly launched or is in beta ready for immediate launch.

Is this a contest?

Skunkworks is an open request for proposals. It aims to encourage small media and technology startups, helping them demonstrate and realize their innovations and ideas, gaining access to large companies and their customers and partners, along with industry mentors. Prizes will also be awarded to the finalists.

What are the benefits for startups to participate?

Skunkworks allows our corporate partners to create strategic business partnerships with local startups, giving them access to their brands and customers, along with the opportunity to accelerate their business and share ideas and solutions. It’s a great way for startups to gain unparalleled experience, access and visibility for new technology products with a major customer that can help propel them beyond the pilot into global markets and raising funding.

What are the benefits for Skunkworks partners?

Working with emerging and innovative startups helps our corporate partners stay at the cutting edge of consumer engagement. It’s a unique way for large companies to tap into outside innovation, harness the emerging technology and startup landscape to cultivate the next generation of high growth companies in our community.

How long with the partnerships last?

Our Skunkworks partners commit to running a pilot with selected startups within one year’s time. The length of the partnership depends on the specific pilot program.

Are you investing in my company?

No, our corporate partners engage Skunkworks startups to implement pilot programs for ‘ready-to-go’ consumer technologies. There is no guarantee that participation in the program will lead to future engagements with our corporate partners or investment. No equity in the chosen startups is taken, ensuring that you maintain complete ownership, and approach the program in the spirit of partnership investing resources to maximize the pilot programs.

Skunkworks I: Alberta Motor Association

Program Dates: October 29, 2011 to March 31, 2012

The Opportunity: Real-Time Traveller Information
The real-time traveller information market includes information on road conditions, daily traffic, incidents, weather, road construction, trucking routes, and road projects. This information allows people to make better decisions regarding the scheduling and routing of their trips to increase safety and reduce stress. In addition to providing users with information, the data stemming from real-time information applications can be utilized internally and allow agencies to improve their systems operations and performance. How real-time data is used can influence quality requirements and thresholds, availability, coverage and cost.

Key Factors

  • Emerging technologies and applications – Technologies that support real-time information collection, communication, aggregation, and dissemination are evolving. For example, improved sensor technology is creating new opportunities and business models. More robust deployments are providing the opportunity to collect more accurate data. Increases in the proliferation of wireless communications and in-vehicle telematics are providing new opportunities for connectivity.
  • Real-time data coverage – Coverage of real-time systems has expanded over the last decade, due largely to the availability of technology, declining cost of communications, and broader communications availability, as well as expanded business models of the private sector.
  • Proliferation of wireless devices – New wireless technologies are allowing more customers to connect to real-time information on a regular basis. The penetration of cell phone usage has exploded in recent years to the extend that there are now a number of households without landlines and a number of young people who are only familiar with cell phones. 3G and 4G wireless networks have facilitated faster and large data transfers using cellular technology, allowing Smartphones to quickly access real-time information.
  • In-vehicle telematics – In-vehicle telematics that provide two-way connection devices will become increasingly common. This will enable drivers to receive more information and entertainment in their vehicles, including the integration of navigation systems that display real-time information. New devices like in-vehicle telematics and smartphones are providing a variety of real-time information including more robust incident, congestion, weather, transit services, parking space location and reservation, and gas prices.

Market Opportunity

An opportunity exists for new innovations and technologies that can address the growing demand from consumers, infrastructure and transportation agencies, and media and news organizations, for real-time data and traveler information. The goal of this Skunkworks program is to provide startups access to the expertise and resources of the Alberta Motor Association and its’ AMA Road Reports® platform/service to create and develop new customer-facing interfaces and applications for web and mobile that address this growing market opportunity.

  • Providing travellers with situational awareness information, not just corridor or route-specific information.
  • Real-time data collection generated from consumer devices and applications.
  • Improved sensors that enable real-time parking information.
  • Substantial growth in subscribers to real-time traffic services.
  • Expected implementation of real-time system management and information.
  • Development of integrated multimodal information (e.g. transit data combined with parking data).
  • Social networking and user-generated content for traveler information.
  • Developing systems that do not cause distraction while travellers are obtaining and processing information.
  • Uses for real-time data beyond traveller information.

Program Partner: Alberta Motor Association
For more than 80 years, AMA Road Reports® have kept pace with the needs of Albertans, the development of the province’s highway system, and the introduction of new technology. Today there are new opportunities to improve the service and meet the changing needs of commuters and travellers. Today, AMA Road Reports® are only a call or a click away. Information available includes: road conditions provided by Alberta Transportation highway contractors; air temperature, pavement temperature, wind speed and photos from 83 highway cameras, weather conditions via Environment Canada as well as links to Calgary, Edmonton and other jurisdiction websites.

AMA Road Reports® are highly valued by AMA members, partners and the Alberta public alike. Its popularity is evident from these facts:

  • AMA Road Reports® receives significant amount of traffic, averaging 31.5 million page views over the last three years. Of these, 18.5 million are camera images.
  • Last year in 2010, there were 23 million visits and 31 million page views.
  • Over 400 websites currently link to AMA Road Reports®
  • The Weather Network broadcasts AMA Road Reports® to the Alberta public every 20 minutes during the winter reporting season.
  • The AMA Member Awareness and Usage survey in 2010 shows a high level of awareness (92%) and usage (62%). It also remains one of the most valued services offered.

How to Enter
This Skunkworks challenge begins on October 29, 2011 and ends March 31, 2012.

  • Kick-off (Stage 1): Introductory Q&A event where teams and AMA staff connect and plan. Startup teams then work on product concepts and pitch ready prototypes.
  • Presentations (Stage 2): After a pre-screening process, up to ten (10) Participants will be invited to present their Application which they have developed before the judging panel. The panel will select up to three (3) Applications to move onto the next stage.
  • Sessions (Stage 3): Finalist teams will then be involved in two work sessions where they’ll work closely with AMA staff to refine the prototypes and prepare them for beta/pilot testing.
  • Pilot (Stage 4): First release and beta testing with AMA customers/users.

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