Delft Hyperloop, the Delft University’s student team effort that won Elon Musk’s SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Competition, is spinning-off as Hardt. The startup got a 600.000 euro investment from proof-of-concept fund UNIIQ and the Dutch railway company NS (300.000 euro each) in their ‘homecoming’ party.
Four students of the original team will continue to work at Hardt. The money allows the team to further develop new prototypes. It isn’t nearly enough to create a whole new pod though, so the startup will eventually look for follow-up investments.
Within four years Hardt expects to have build a fully operating test trajectory, says CEO Tim Houter in a press release.
NS and UNIIQ
For NS, it’s a strategic investment aimed at the future: the railway company hopes the vacuum/magnetic/solar technology will be available to their trains someday.
UNIIQ is a proof-of-concept fund, initiated by regional development fund InnovationQuarter and three local universities. It has been very active in the last months.
Minister of Economic Affairs Henk Kamp has stated the ministry will support Hardt in its quest, however not stating exactly how.