Today in the Connected Economy: Porsche Launches Connected Car ‘Data Cup’

Today in the connected economy, Porsche hosts the Porsche Data Cup, a contest open to developers from other companies designed to find new use cases for data generated by connected cars.

Also, Global payments provider Blackhawk Network expands its partnership with Kroger, and Red Bull launches a new partnership with the Indian B2B eCommerce platform Solv.

Porsche Enlists Developers to Find New Use Cases for Connected Cars’ Data

In an effort to seek new uses cases for the data generated by connected cars and solve problems faced by drivers, Porsche Cars North America (PCNA) is hosting a competition open to developer teams from other companies.

Dubbed the Porsche Data Cup, the contest is modeled after a similar event held in Europe last year. It invites contestants to create business models for smart home, financial and e-mobility applications. Porsche will give the players access to a car emulator that lets them test their applications in a simulation that mirrors real life, together with realistic vehicle data.

The winning teams will get the opportunity to further develop their prototypes with Porsche experts and access a Porsche program that helps third-party providers develop new services based on vehicle data.

Blackhawk Expands Partnership With Kroger for More B2B Gift Cards

Global payments provider Blackhawk Network is extending its partnership with grocery giant Kroger to offer bulk prepaid Mastercard and Visa cards through its Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)-based Velocity B2B gift card service.

The companies say the offering will help boost Kroger’s growth in the B2B gift card space, offering businesses a new way to reward employees. The Kroger cards are available within the U.S. and can be used any place that accepts Mastercard or Visa, either in-store or online.

“With the overall growth in demand for gift cards over the last year, the business-to-business gift card market represents a tremendous growth opportunity for our business, and we’re always looking for additional ways to enhance our offerings,” said Kate Ward, president, Kroger Personal Finance.

Red Bull Partners With B2B Marketplace Solv

Red Bull is hoping a partnership with India’s B2B marketplace Solv will give the energy drink maker wings in that country.

The collaboration is designed to help Red Bull expand its reach through the 150,000 buyers using the Solv platform.

The two companies say the partnership will give retailers, restaurants and other small businesses on Solv one-click access to Red Bull products at competitive prices, with assured delivery and flexible payment terms, with no disruption to Red Bull’s distribution channels.

A Connected Economy Requires Connected Risk Management

Cybercriminals don’t keep 9-5 hours. While you and your employees sleep, they’re hard at work.

“So from that perspective, you need to have a solution that, if there is something that goes bump in the middle of the night, it can pick up on it, and it can make adjustments,” John Winstel, senior director of Fraud Product at FIS, told PYMNTS.

Among those solutions is artificial intelligence (AI), which can spot payments risks by picking up on anomalies. To do that, the AI tools need data. The AI tools can then pick up on anomalies, evaluate the data, and then adjust the fraud management strategies.

In doing so, they save people from the tedious process of going through reported fraud and suspicious activity, letting them to focus on other components of fraud management.