Good ideas need sustainable funding

Tue, 01.06.2021, 17:00

In 2015, Energie 360° was the first – and is still the only – energy company in Switzerland to set up a fund to promote innovation in the energy sector: the Smart Energy Innovation Fund. A good idea with a lasting effect.

Metin Zerman (2nd from r.), Investment Manager, and Ruth Happersberger, founder of the Smart Energy Innovation Fund give start-ups new perspectives.

Innovative strategies, clever ideas and new technologies are needed for Switzerland and the world to take the step towards a sustainable energy future. This is precisely where the Smart Energy Innovation Fund comes in. Through this fund, Energie 360° is a capital provider for selected start-ups. The company does not see itself as a mere donor, but rather as a partner, advisor and coach. The start-ups also benefit from the expertise, personal commitment and top-class network provided by the investment committee. Some of the start-ups are given the opportunity to carry out a project with Energie 360° in order to scale it up afterwards. This leads to a win-win situation.
 
Close collaboration with start-ups is beneficial to the development of Energie 360°. Innovative power is brought into the company in the shape of open innovation. The Smart Energy Innovation Fund gives Energie 360° access to new business models and technologies. This far-sighted strategy not only benefits customers, employees and the principal owner of Energie 360°, the City of Zurich, but also the environment. The investments contribute to the company's success and are among the drivers of Energie 360°'s innovative strength.
 
When selecting start-ups, the Smart Energy Innovation Fund follows clearly defined investment criteria. The focus is on young, promising companies from the cleantech, energy, smart cities and mobility segments. The investment team searches for and finds start-ups with disruptive technologies and promising business models throughout Europe – with a focus on the DACH region. The crucial factor is that the founders already have a wealth of experience and have an impressive approach that includes a clear strategy and plenty of commitment.

The latest addition to the portfolio of the Smart Energy Innovation Fund is the Munich-based start-up Stabl Energy GmbH. Thanks to its technology, the company enables different battery modules to be combined within one storage unit and second-life batteries to be re-used easily. This is also a good idea for a sustainable future.

The start-ups in the Smart Energy Innovation Fund portfolio have been logging numerous successes since 2015. For example, the start-up Distran has developed an ultrasound camera that detects gas leaks in real time and from a safe distance. The start-up was selected by a jury of professional investors and experts as a member of the Swiss national start-up team, beating numerous competitors. Distran was then able to present itself to top-class investors and potential customers at a roadshow in Silicon Valley and to push ahead with its international expansion. In December 2020, a dream came true: NASA transported a Distran ultrasound camera to the International Space Station (ISS). The high-tech camera allows leaks in the space station to be detected quickly in order to reduce nitrogen consumption in space.

Another success story is the start-up Enersis, which is building a digital platform for planning and simulating the energy transition. Enersis employs an innovative Big Data approach to support energy suppliers, cities, municipalities and companies in the efficient implementation of their decarbonisation strategies. Among other things, this enables customers to present the complex process of the energy transition in urban areas clearly. Thanks to this approach, Enersis has already been able to implement significant projects, including for Energie 360°.

These two examples clearly illustrate the strengths of the Smart Energy Innovation Fund. The selected start-ups tackle very different topics – from cleantech to smart cities, energy and mobility. What unites them is a passion for solving a pressing problem and thus making the world a little better. There is a call not for lofty visions, but concrete solutions that question previous approaches and set new standards with innovative technologies.

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