Velo-city 2025
Gdańsk
10-13 June 2025

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Smart Pedal Pitch is back – insights from Telraam on how to succeed in Velo-city’s innovation competition

The Smart Pedal Pitch is back at Velo-city, inviting the most innovative and market-ready cycle tech solutions to shape the future of cycling in cities. Are you a start-up, micro or small enterprise seeking to expand your business? Keep reading to learn from Telraam, last year’s winner, why participating in the Smart Pedal Pitch competition is advantageous and how you can prepare for success.

Smart Pedal Pitch is the innovation competition taking place at Velo-city. It provides a unique opportunity for start-ups, micro and small enterprises to showcase their innovative solutions to the global cycling community. This year’s competition is organized by the City of Ghent and imec, in cooperation with the European Cyclists’ Federation and Cycling Industries Europe. The winner of the Smart Pedal Pitch will have the chance to conduct a pilot project on the streets of Ghent!  

From nervousness on the plenary stage to winning the votes of an audience comprising over 1,500 international advocates, industry leaders, researchers and representatives of governments. Who better to give you insights on what it is like to participate in the Smart Pedal Pitch than last year’s winner? We interviewed Telraam about their innovative yet simple solution, pitch preparations and overall experience at Velo-city 2023.  


How would you describe Telraam to someone in two or three sentences? 
Telraam aims to become an ever-growing international platform that empowers and educates citizens to become the future technicians and traffic engineers of their communities, who can bring local knowledge to the table and become a driving force in conversations and debates on urban mobility policies that affect their neighborhoods. We want to provide affordable solutions to connect citizens and their local governments and facilitate the shift towards a more human-focused, multimodal traffic culture. 
 
Why did Telraam decide to take part in the Smart Pedal pitch last year? 
Velo-city is a great platform for us. It is a large conference with an audience that will likely understand best what Telraam is about. 

What was the solution/innovation that you pitched to the jury and Velo-citizens?  
We pitched our new traffic counting sensor: a low-cost device allowing citizens to count cars, bikes and pedestrians on their streets. 
 
What was the best aspect of your participation in the competition? Besides winning of course! 
To be given the platform to talk about Telraam for such a large audience. It's hard to get noticed, but the Smart Pedal Pitch gave us great visibility. People expressed their interest in live chats during the event as well as through emails and LinkedIn afterwards.

 

Cycling innovations being discussed at Velo-city 2023 Leipzig


Telraam won the chance to undertake a pilot trial with the city of Leipzig. How is that shaping up? What does the city intend to do with Telraam's solution? 
We will deploy a small network of Telraam sensors in the vicinity of schools and conduct some data-analysis. The data can be used to understand the impact of interventions to make school environments safer in terms of traffic. 
 
Would you recommend applying for the Smart Pedal Pitch to other companies/start-ups? What types of organisations do you think stand to benefit the most from their participation? 
Absolutely! We've applied for a few prizes in the past, but the Smart Pedal Pitch has been the best. The exposure to a large, but specific audience is really helpful for a small starting company like ours. I would recommend it to any organisation that is doing something completely new in the domain of active travel. 

Any plans for future editions of Velo-city?  
Of course! We'll have a booth at the next conference in Ghent.

Finally, what words of advice would you give to someone who wants to go all the way and win the big prize?  
Make sure you have a compelling and clear message and be well prepared! I was supported by my communication colleagues to make a clear story, I had a colleague there to relax me when needed and a bunch of colleagues at home as mental support. The feedback session with the innovator consultant was very helpful too for getting the message clear.  
 

Excited to showcase your innovation and compete in the Smart Pedal Pitch? Find more information about the application conditions, prizes and practicalities here. The deadline for application is 1 May 2024, so be sure to fine-tune your pitch and get ready to apply!