The energy company Naturgy has launched a new edition of its Connecting Energy entrepreneur support program, an open innovation initiative aimed at promoting the development of innovative solutions that contribute to advancing the energy transition.
With this call, Naturgy seeks to identify entrepreneurial projects capable of providing new answers to challenges related to areas such as energy efficiency, renewable gases, the circular economy, sustainable mobility, digitalization or the optimization of energy processes, among others.
For the Director of Innovation at Naturgy, Jesus Chapado «The energy transition requires new ideas, new technologies and forms of collaboration. Connecting Energy allows us to work together with the entrepreneurial ecosystem to identify solutions with the potential to transform the energy sector and generate a positive impact on society.
Through Connecting Energy, Naturgy accompanies startups and entrepreneurial teams in the initial stages of development through a mentoring and specialized training program in which professionals from different areas of the company participate. For six months, participants receive advice to strengthen their business model, validate their value proposition and accelerate the development of their solutions.
In addition, the energy company offers financial support of 25,000 euros to one of the participating projects to validate its solution through the development of a pilot within the company. Likewise, a second prize of 5,000 euros will be awarded to the startup with the best evolution throughout the program.
Consolidated program
Since its launch, Connecting Energy has established itself as one of Naturgy’s main open innovation initiatives. The program has helped accelerate more than 50 startups through a team made up of more than 70 mentors and specialists with experience in all areas of the energy sector value chain. Thanks to this support, entrepreneurs have been able to develop business plans, create proofs of concept and prototype their solutions to bring them closer to the market.
The participating initiatives have addressed innovative solutions in areas as diverse as artificial intelligence applied to energy, the production and management of renewable gases, sustainable mobility, carbon capture, the digitalization of operations or the improvement of industrial efficiency.
In addition to the incubation process, the program seeks to promote the connection between entrepreneurial talent and the experience of Naturgy professionals, generating collaboration opportunities that allow innovation to be transferred to the market and the entire energy system.
Recognized projects
Connecting Energy has contributed to promoting very diverse initiatives, from technologies aimed at improving operational efficiency to solutions linked to sustainable mobility, the circular economy or the digitalization of the energy sector.
In the first edition, the winning project was Clevergy, a platform for marketers and installers that improves the relationship with customers and centralizes management operations. In the second edition, the recognition went to Evorgy, a digital platform aimed at operations and maintenance for installers in the solar sector.
In the third edition, the award went to the startup Calpech, for its project to develop iron nanoparticles applied to environmental decontamination and energy recovery. In the fourth edition, the winners were the Sevillian startup Biomixing, an initiative that emerged in 2022 as a spin-off of the Department of Aerospace Engineering and Fluid Mechanics of the University of Seville, and which is dedicated to the optimization of bioreactors. Subsequently, in the fifth and last edition, Ravenwits was the winner due to the solidity of its technological proposal, its fit with Naturgy’s strategic challenges and its potential for energy prediction and optimization.
Each and every one of them has been able to pilot their technologies at Naturgy, subsequently raising great interest among investors and clients.
Innovation
Connecting Energy is part of Naturgy’s innovation strategy to promote the development of new technologies, business models and solutions that contribute to building a more sustainable, resilient and efficient energy system.
The company thus maintains its commitment to collaboration with startups, research centers, universities and technology companies to accelerate applied innovation and respond to the challenges posed by the decarbonization of the economy.