“The city that plays together, stays together.” – The Guardian, Cities
Danish startup Hubbster activates urban spaces with an innovative solution that combines games and state-of-the-art technology. Recently, Hubbster was matched in BLOXHUB with a major Swiss developer, who then awarded the startup an innovation award. The two companies are now in dialogue for a partnership around a residential project in Lausanne, Switzerland.
As cities grow denser, the need to build strong communities becomes more urgent. This was the founding philosophy when Danish startup Hubbster was launched in 2016.
Hubbster activates people in the public space by using games, training equipment and technology to connect people. The solution is called a hub, a piece of outdoor furniture, that gives access to objects such as pétanque, beach volley ball or ping-pong paddles and balls, on site 24/7. Hubbster wants to turn urban spaces into open, communal playgrounds and engage citizens across neighborhoods. Ultimately creating more playful and stronger cities, says founding partner Peter Just:
“The more connected we have become through technology, the harder it seems to be for us to connect as human beings. We want to create spaces that make it easy for people to meet and interact.”
Hubbster uses technology to create “live” meetings and interaction between people. The Hubbster app works as a digital key that notifies the user about nearby hubs and allows them to access games and training equipments. An important aspect of the app is that it also allows the user to meet new people by inviting them into the game or asking to join a game already in play.
Going global
In 2018, BLOXHUB launched the program “Global Match” to assist Danish companies in mapping relevant export opportunities and match with the right global partners. Global Match was created after a survey among BLOXHUB members showed that many companies in the field of construction and urban development need help to enter the right partnerships, build a presence abroad, and scale in the global market.
Hubbster was among the first companies to receive assistance through the Global Match program.
After a presentation in BLOXHUB to one of Switzerland’s biggest real estate developers, the company was invited to apply in their innovation competition, where they won an award. Hubbster is now in discussion with the company to help them activate shared spaces for a major residential project.
“As a startup, there is a limit to your global reach. The match process in BLOXHUB has been crucial for our business,” says founding partner Peter Just. “BLOXHUB is the ideal matchmaker for the built environment and as a co-working space, it is more than a community. It is a space for co-creation.”
Read more about Hubbster: https://www.hubbster.dk/
Read more about Global Match: https://bloxhub.org/calendar/match/
