Shell E4 Accelerator Programme Selects Five Startups For Its First Cohort

Global energy major Shell has selected five startups for the first cohort of its Shell E⁴ (Energising and Enabling Energy Entrepreneurs) accelerator programme. The five selected startups are Detect Technologies, ION Energy, IoTrek, Trashcon and Ossus Biorenewables.

The teams have been working on solutions including real-time pipeline monitoring, creating safer and smarter infrastructure and outdoor work sites, automating segregation of municipal solid waste, recovering green chemicals from wastewater and building energy storage systems and infrastructure for electric vehicles.

Commenting on the selection of these five startups for accelerator programme, Nitin Prasad, Chairman, Shell Companies in India said, “We are excited about working with our first cohort on solutions that balance individual needs of energy, food and water with societal demands for clean air, waste management, mobility, safety and others.”

Shell E4 Accelerator Programme: An Overview

Launched in September 2017, Shell E⁴ aims to co-create solutions that have the potential to accelerate energy transition and build a more sustainable India and the world.

Based in Shell Technology Centre at Bengaluru, the accelerator programme offers the selected startups its co-working space for six months, a seed funding of $20K along with access to testing and protoytping laboratories, bootcamps for customer discovery, industry mentors and experts; and new markets and investors.

During the accelerator programme, the startups can access Shell’s global partner network at multiple industry events and engagements that have been planned as part of the curriculum.  At the end of the programme, the startups will pitch their ideas to investors in India and outside as well, and meet decision makers on Demo Day.

The association between startups and Shell E⁴ will continue through Shell E4 alumni network.

With this, the company has opened applications for its second cohort for entrepreneurs, startups with innovative business models, technology ideas and products to create a tangible difference in the cleaner energy space. The deadline for applications is March 31, 2018.

Meet The Five Startups Selected Under Shell’s First Cohort

Detect Technologies: Chennai-based Detect Technologies has created a patented technology for pipeline condition monitoring in real-time, using a long-range ultrasonic sensor for temperatures of up to 350 degrees Celsius. This solution will help reduce massive productivity losses in case of a breach.

ION Energy: With offices in India, the US and France, ION Energy is working on cutting-edge energy storage systems and infrastructure for the adoption of high-performance electric vehicles.  It leverages deep proprietary technology that merges their strengths in design, electromechanics battery management systems and software. Earlier this year, the company acquired French battery management company Freemens SAS. Prior to that, in May 2017, it also raised an undisclosed amount of angel funding.

IoTrek: The company is working on developing technology solutions to make infrastructure and outdoor work-sites safe and smart, by using intelligent sensors, low power wireless networks and machine learning software. IoTrek has come up with ultra-low power tracking devices embedded with motion sensors to connect people and assets in real time over a long-range wireless network infrastructure.

Trashcon: Bengaluru-based Trashcon has created Trashbot, an automated municipal solid waste segregator that separates municipal solid waste (MSW) into biodegradable, non-biodegradable, metals, and rejects components of mixed MSW mechanically. With an inbuilt IoT technology, Trashbot consumes relatively less energy compared to conventional segregators, minimizes manual intervention and enables quick processing of large volumes of waste.

Ossus Biorenewables:  This Bengaluru-based startup is creating solutions for clean energy and recovery of green chemicals from wastewater. They are focused on assetising wastewater through, bH2 plus, a technology employing specially-designed microbial cell factories, for generating biohydrogen and metals from renewable feedstocks like industrial effluents, municipal sewage and polluted water bodies.

The Indian Startups Are Quietly Making Their Mark In The List Of Global Accelerators

Recently, global travel ecommerce company, Booking.com, shortlisted ten sustainable tourism startups to join its 2018 Booking Booster Programme. These include two Indian startups – Global Himalayan Expedition and Sakha Consulting Wings.

Prior to that, global aerospace and security giant Lockheed Martin announced that it will open applications for its annual India innovation growth programme (IIGP) to seek innovative ideas of Indian startups and university students.

Also, Techstars announced that it will launch a new startup accelerator programme in India. The programme aims to focus on hardware and software technology sectors and will support 10 early stage startups.

Earlier, Amazon opened applications for its annual Amazon Alexa Accelerator 2018 to seek out 13 promising startups which use voice technology. The programme is looking for startups to explore Alexa innovation in segments such as smart home, entertainment, finance, enterprise, communications, automobile and transportation, health and wellness, connected learning, connected devices, hardware components and other enabling technologies.

For now, with the success of Shell E⁴ accelerator programme’s first batch of startups, energy sector can definitely use more of innovation from the Indian startups.

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