AusNet Services has joined with seven leading international energy companies to search for start-ups to participate in the second annual round of Free Electrons, a global energy start-
up accelerator program.
The global energy starter accelerator program will select twelve start-ups who will work closely with mentors, local accelerators, and utilities to jump-start their business.
The global winner will receive US$200,000 – one of the largest prizes of its kind in the World.
In 2018, the top dozen start-ups will be invited to participate in workshops in Sydney, Melbourne, Silicon Valley and Berlin, providing exposure to some of the world’s leading minds in innovation, energy and clean-tech.
Among the nine key areas of interest are innovative ideas in clean energy, smart grids, energy efficiency, energy management, energy access, E-mobility, customer solutions, business models, innovation, and the Internet of Things and digitisation.
The 2017 program resulted in a number of the participating start-ups receiving trial agreements or participation in negotiations for further investment.
AusNet Services is pursuing opportunities with three promising groups:
- Driivz – an operator of electric vehicle charging network
- Aperio – who offer systems providing defence against cyber threats
- DataGlen – a provider of next generation, high-performance solar monitoring systems
Applications for the 2018 Free Electrons program are now open at www.freetheelectron.com, and close on 28 February 2018.
