Techstars Energy Accelerator, a partnership between Techstars, Statoil, Kongsberg, and McKinsey, is looking for 10 innovative start-ups to develop energy platforms for the future.
“Statoil’s vision is to shape the future of energy. To succeed, collaboration is key. That’s why we are excited to work together with innovators and entrepreneurs”, says Jens Festervoll, Statoil’s Corporate Liaison for Techstars.
Audun Abelsnes, Managing Director at Techstars, calls for those who are working on technological solutions for the oil & gas and renewables sectors, new business models and digitalization of the energy sector. This involves, but not limited to IoT, energy efficiency, wearables, cyber security applications, robotics, cryptography, machine learning, drones, 3D printing, VR / AR solutions, AI, ML, storage solutions and many more disruptive technologies to send in applications on the Techstars Energy Accelerator website from 19 February.
The selected 10 will be invited to a 3-month accelerator programme at Statoil’s awe-inspiring Oslo offices. There, they will have access to over 100 mentors from Techstars, Statoil, Kongsberg and McKinsey and will be able to build powerful connections with the partners’ global networks.
The Techstars Energy Accelerator programme is the first vertically focussed large scale search for start-ups, innovators, and entrepreneurs in the energy industry.
“This is a really great opportunity for start-ups to tap into large industry players’ connections and really shape the future of energy, the aim is to fast-track business opportunities with the world-class partners”, says Abelsnes.
“What we’re really looking for is solutions and technologies that is applicable to the energy sector. Any solutions whether it’s digitalisation or new business models”, Abelsnes explains. “There is a great potential in the energy industry to innovate. If you have an innovative solution or technology, ranging from oil & gas to the renewables sector, we want to hear from you.”
“We know that’s quite vague, but we want to keep it deliberately so. We want to keep this opportunity as open as possible because we want to hear from everyone involved with any solutions for the energy sector. We are very excited to see what kind of solutions start-ups are working on.”
“There will be challenges along the way”, Abelsnes admits. “The energy industry is heavily regulated, while other industries aren’t. They’re also quite traditional, so it wouldn’t be an easy journey, but with the outstanding support of our partners – Statoil, Kongsberg, and McKinsey – the start-ups really have the best opportunity to shape the future of the industry and fast-track their customer interactions.”
The application process starts on 19 February and ends on 13 May, and in that time, Abelsnes expects to see hundreds of applications across the world!
“During the selection process we will narrow the applicants down to the top 80. We are looking for great teams in the video application. We will work closely with Statoil, Kongsberg, McKinsey and Techstars Venture to select the 20 best and invite them to Oslo to present. Then the 10 chosen ones will be invited back to start the programme in September.”
A dream opportunity, indeed, for the energy industry’s innovators and entrepreneurs! Make sure to apply for a chance to make your mark on the energy industry’s future.
