This past week we took a short detour south of Brooklyn to sunny and beautiful Mexico City.
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We were invited among 6 finalists to theĀ FIA Smart Cities Global Start-Up Contest.
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Chosen from 108 applicants from around the world, we were in great company with startups like CityFlag and Urbvan creating networked solutions for a more equitable future of our cities
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Poray bikes, one of the largest bike-rentals in Mexico City had loaned us a bike as a prop for our presentation. And it turned out to be a great moment and a testament to CLIPās design when ourĀ Alpha prototypeĀ fit the rental bike easily and without a fuss.
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The impressive panel, comprised of leading global actors in the smart cities & clean urban-mobility space; most notablyĀ Felipe CalderĆ³nĀ | President of Mexico 2006ā2012.Ā Credited for the creation of 16 Protected Natural Areas in Mexico, among the present 182.
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Suffice to say it was an honor and absolute pleasure to converse with a leader of this beautiful country who was gracious enough to compliment us by sayingĀ he could see himself using CLIP.
On Feb 16, we had a wonderful opportunity to talk to and interact with some of the local residents of Mexico city.Ā CLIPās mission resonated clearly -The average person here spends 3 hours a day commuting, thatās almost 2 months a year stuck in traffic!
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We feel rejuvenated from the incredible show of love and support from everyone who visited our stand and spoke with us.
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Gracias & Hasta luego Mexico!Ā We canāt wait to bring CLIP to you soon.
Thanks to theĀ FIAĀ andĀ Mobility For AllĀ for the tickets, we got to witness the unbelievably close Formula-E race with LucadiGrassi clinching the win a mere half a car length at the finish line. š±Ā (highly recommend watching the finish captured in the video below)
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Last but not least, we spent our last day in the city at the Palacio Nacional admiring and trying to decode Diego Riveraās brilliantly stunning and controversial mural. Packed with secret tongue-in-cheek symbols ā like this childās toy subtly hinting the Mayas independent knowledge of the wheel around the same time as the Mesopotamians.
TouchƩ !