New batch of startups set to revolutionise Australia’s energy sector through the EnergyLab Scaleup Program

Eleven of the world’s best late-stage energy startups are now on a fast-track to commercialisation in the Australian market as members of EnergyLab’s third Scaleup Program cohort.

Originally launched in 2020, the Scaleup Program offers participating startups an opportunity to collaborate with energy companies, investors, industry leaders, other founders, and mentors from the EnergyLab network to help unlock their next wave of growth.

This year, EnergyLab is delivering the program in partnership with four of Australia’s largest and most innovative energy companies: Transgrid, Endeavour Energy, Amber and Lumea. Transgrid manages the regulated high voltage and electricity transmission network in NSW and ACT, while Endeavour Energy distributes electricity to 2.6 million households and businesses across Sydney’s Greater West, Blue Mountains, Southern Highlands, the Illawara, and South Coast regions.

Transgrid and Endeavour Energy have both rejoined as program partners this year while Amber, a graduate of EnergyLab’s 2018 Acceleration Program, has come onboard for the first time. Amber is an electricity retailer powering the renewable revolution through real-time wholesale prices and automation of batteries and other smart devices.

Chris Thompson, CEO of Amber “Accelerating this renewable revolution has never been more important, and we know from experience how great the EnergyLab program is for getting traction and finding the right supporter and partners. We’re thrilled to be working with amazing new startups in the program and supporting here”

Lumea is a recently formed renewable infrastructure and energy services company within Transgrid, operating in the unregulated market across the NEM. Lumea’s General Manager, Innovation and New Ventures, Daphne Yao says she is excited to be supporting Amber Kinetics for the 2022 program.

“New energy storage solutions will be crucial to supporting increased electrification of industries through renewable generation. We’re excited to see how Amber Kinetics develops their kinetic energy storage system (KESS) which could become a really interesting adjunct to the large-scale batteries which we’re currently connecting to the grid.”

Leanne Pickering, Chief Customer & Strategy Officer, Endeavour Energy said,  “As a partner for the second year running in EnergyLab’s Scaleup Program, Endeavour Energy looks forward to collaborating with EnergyLab to develop start-ups that offer innovative solutions to increase energy affordability for our customers and enhance the reliability and resilience of our electricity network now and in the future. Through our participation this year we are looking to work with partners to accelerate the delivery of our strategic priorities around network digitisation, supporting e-mobility and enabling our customers to better monitor and control electricity consumption and costs.”

To select this year’s cohort, EnergyLab worked with each partner to identify priority areas for innovation and then recruited startups best-suited to solving some of the most pressing problems across the energy industry.

The innovations represented in this year’s cohort are diverse  and include a range of technologies that will help put Australian energy companies on the global playing field. The cohort includes companies working on asset management and network digitisation technologies, consumer engagement models and network communications innovations, as well as several startups working on electric vehicle infrastructure and adoption.

EnergyLab’s extensive network of over 300 industry leaders, mentors and partners is the backbone of the Scaleup Program. During their time in the program, participating startups will have access to a wide range of connections across the Australian energy market, setting the stage for ongoing opportunities to commercialise and deploy their technologies.

EnergyLab CEO Megan Fisher said, “It's a real privilege to be able to provide the world's leading energy startups the platform they need to grow and scale their businesses in Australia and New Zealand. In our third Scaleup Program we are thrilled to have startups joining us from all over the globe. Since its inception in 2020, we’ve been able to successfully bring startup and corporate partnerships to life and drive  EnergyLab’s mission to decarbonise the economy by supporting climate tech startups. This year, we are beyond thrilled to have one of our own alumni, Amber Electric, who graduated from our 2018 Accelerator as a partner. With Amber having moved from an exciting startup to now being one of the most innovative retailers in Australia joining our partner group, we now have partners representing a much wider portion of the energy value chain.”

From the 2021 Scaleup Program cohort, V-Labs Managing Director Diemer Cohen Stuart said, “For V-Labs, EnergyLab’s Scaleup Program was a great and efficient way to get a first foothold in the Australian energy market. Thanks to the program, we managed to land a great customer, which has allowed us to expand our activities in this fantastic country further!”

Fellow graduate Daniel Danilatos, Founder and CEO of Neara said, “We found the agenda to be extremely well designed, structured & executed. The entire EnergyLab team has a keen appreciation for what is required to bridge the commercial engagement gap between start-ups and energy utilities. This ensured the program was pragmatic & focused on enabling the greatest likelihood of tangible opportunities to result. It was also fantastic getting to know other global companies navigating similar trajectories and customer engagement.”

The 11 companies in the 2022 Scaleup Program cohort are:

The 2022 Scaleup Program is underway now, and will culminate in a public showcase event on September 14th. Register your interest for this event to see the startup cohort and partners showcase the next evolution of decarbonisation in the energy sector.