BMW announced back in February that its sub-brand of environmentally friendly vehicles would be given the 'i' moniker. Also announced by BMW in February was the establishment called i Ventures, a venture capital company charged with developing mobility solutions for big cities. The firm is moving fast to get the project off the ground, starting with the announcement of a leader.

BMW i Ventures announced that it has named 32-year BMW Group veteran Edward Robinson as its first President. The company also announced its Advisory Board, naming Josh Rubin, Founder of Cool Hunting, as its first member.

Robinson points out that populations in mega cities continue to grow, adding "the goal of BMW i Ventures is to develop and leverage technology to further the freedom of mobility." Besides acting as president of BMW i Ventures, Robinson will also continue to serve as President of BMW Financial Services.

BMW i Ventures has already backed MyCityWay, which developed location-aware apps that give users information on public transportation, parking availability and entertainment. The apps were named one of the winners of New York City's inaugural BigApps competition, which BMW is also very involved with and has announced it will double the prize money given to any of the winners.


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