- Through Energy Start program, the energy multinational is looking for new investment projects or strategic commercial partnerships;
- Selected startups can get up to 1.5 million Brazilian reais and also participate in an immersion in Enel Innovation Hub in San Francisco
Niterói, August 1st 2017 – Enel launches today in Brazil an open call for startups. The initiative aims to develop partnerships with companies that create innovative products and services targeting Enel’s areas of interest: Digitalisation (IoT), Renewable Energy and Storage, Social Development, Energy Efficiency, Fintech, Smart Cities and E-Mobility. Interested startups can visit www.enel.com.br and submit projects through www.energystart.com.br until September 30th 2017.
“The energy sector is undergoing a transformation and we want to be lead actors in this process. We want to expand our portfolio, implement new business models in all segments in which we operate. The bet on startups is part of Enel’s Open Power positioning. We are open to new partnerships to stand up to these changes,” says Enel Brasil Head of Innovation Bruno Cecchetti.
The company will invest up to 1.5 million Brazilian reais through R&D resources in each selected startup. The initiatives will be evaluated by a consulting council and, according to the results, they can even take part in an immersion in Enel’s Innovation Hub in San Francisco and establish global or local partnerships with the Enel Group.
Selection
Enel and strategic partners will form the consulting council that will evaluate criteria such as business model, team composition, project development stage and the company’s growth potential.
After the triage, registered startups will be classified in four categories: Research & Development (R&D), Innovation Hub, Commercial Partnership or Acceleration.
In the R&D category, the company will invest in each selected startup for the development of a joint project. In the Innovation Hub category, startups will go through an international committee and, after that, an immersion in San Francisco, in Enel’s Innovation Hub in Berkeley, to undergo a specialisation course according to each startup’s needs as well as getting exposure to local networking. Meanwhile, in the Commercial Partnership category, they will be nominated for a commercial partnership or to become an Enel supplier in Brazil or abroad. The startups can also qualify in the Acceleration category, where they will receive ACE monitoring – one of the largest startup accelerator in Latin America – and Enel investment, in addition to taking part in mentoring sessions with specialists from Enel and Google.
Energy Start
Energy Start is the first programme in Latin America dedicated to the accelerate and develop partnerships with startups related to the Energy Sector, and was created by Enel together with ACE in 2015. In total Enel has already selected 16 startups (of over 1,000 evaluated) that developed innovative products or services in several fields, as well as establishing partnership with 11 startups. Enel believes in the Open Innovation management model, where innovation within the organisation is built in an open manner based on partnerships, promoting opportunities for new business or new solutions through open processes and research, with the ultimate goal of offering better services for our customers.
About Enel in Brazil
Enel operates in Brazil through its subsidiaries Enel Brasil S.A and Enel Green Power Brasil, both headquartered in Niterói (RJ). Enel Brasil holding has operations in the states of Rio de Janeiro, Ceará, Goiás and Rio Grande do Sul, in the distribution, generation, transmission and energy solutions segments. In distribution, the company has around 10 million customers serviced by Enel Distribuição Rio (RJ), Enel Distribuição Ceará (CE) and Celg (GO). In generation, the group has the Enel Geração Fortaleza plant (CE), and in transmission, Enel Cien (RS). The group also has an energy solutions company, Enel Soluções.
In Brazil, the Enel Group, through its subsidiaries EGPB and Enel Brasil, has a total installed renewable capacity of 1,659 MW, of which 490 MW from wind power, 279 MW from solar PV and 890 MW from hydropower, as well as close to 900 MW of capacity currently in construction, of which 352 MW from wind and 541 MW from solar power.
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