ERIA has a budget for 2024 of €600,000 to promote entrepreneurship and innovation in the energy, telecommunications and Smart Home sectors
The open call for the acceleration program ends on April 29 and seeks to respond to challenges in its three business verticals: renewable energy generation, energy distribution and commercialization of energy and telecommunications services.
The startups selected in this equity-free program will have access to the infrastructure of the Estabanell group to test technologies and products.
Barcelona, March 14, 2024.- The energy and telecommunications group Estabanell has launched ERIA, its new corporate venturing vehicle, to promote open innovation in the energy, telecommunications and Smart Home sectors. ERIA will drive Estabanell’s collaboration with the entrepreneurial ecosystem, promote projects with third parties and reduce the development and launch time of new technologies and solutions as much as possible. ERIA will thus contribute to the positioning of Estabanell as an energy and telecommunications group of the future.
The new company will have a budget of €600,000 for 2024 to drive its first startup acceleration program and promote internal entrepreneurship. In a second phase, ERIA will also promote venture client, venture building and corporate venture capital programs.
Energy & Telecommunications Acceleration Program
ERIA has already launched its acceleration program with the opening of an open call, running from today until April 29, aimed at pre-seed and seed startups in the energy, telecommunications, and Smart Home sectors. The challenges set for this first edition are:
- Renewable energy generation challenge. How to maximize the efficiency and energy generation of Estabanell’s renewable assets with the aim of improving profitability and sustainability through new technologies?
- Power distribution challenge. How to implement predictive and prescriptive maintenance services that simplify the processes of distribution network assets in order to prevent breakdowns, avoid interruptions and reduce costs?
- Challenge of commercialization of energy and telecommunications services. How to customize the sales management of energy services and assets, based on real and individualized data, to offer a simple service with differential value?
The selected startups will participate in the 6-month acceleration program and will receive business and sector-specific support through professionals from the Estabanell Group and AtticoLab’s mentor network. Furthermore, startups will receive direct support of up to €10,000 in non-repayable funds and access to the infrastructure of various companies within the Estabanell group to test concepts and technologies that must be customer-centric and being responsible and sustainable for the development of the society. The program also stands out for being equity-free. The aim is to accompany startups in their plans for building, growing, gaining traction, and consolidating in the market.
The director of ERIA, Josep Solé, assures that “for Estabanell this initiative marks a significant milestone in our company’s path towards innovation and business excellence. “Not only does this program represent an exciting opportunity for us to incorporate cutting-edge technologies into our core lines of business, such as energy and telecommunications, but it also opens the doors for startups that want to collaborate with us.” Solé adds that “we recognize the value and creativity that startups bring to the business ecosystem, and we are committed to providing them with a space where they can thrive and grow alongside us.”
Key Dates
Applications to participate in ERIA’s first acceleration program can be submitted until April 29 on the https://eriainnohub.com/ website.
On May 13, ERIA will announce the selected startups, which will participate in a Startup Bootcamp. After the six months of the program, a Demo Day will be held for startups to present their projects to mentors, the Estabanell management committee, potential clients, investors, business angels and the business ecosystem.
More ERIA initiatives to foster synergies between companies and startups
In addition to the acceleration program, ERIA also promotes an internal entrepreneurship program to help Estabanell teams and partners create and launch new products, services and startups to the market. The objective of this program is to gain speed to detect new opportunities and optimize processes in the shortest possible time.
In a second phase, ERIA will have three more programs: a venture client program, to detect startups that can be incorporated as suppliers of Estabanell, another for venture building, and a third for corporate venture capital or investment in startups.
ERIA’s director, Josep Solé, emphasizes Estabanell’s innovative vocation, which has now been intensified with the creation of the new corporate venturing company. The group’s interest in innovation is open to all of Europe. According to Solé, “Today, Europe is already part of our natural territory thanks to Estabanell’s Innovation team, which has long been working in European organizations and leading and developing European projects. Therefore, we will be attentive to any interesting proposals.”
Estabanell, a leader in the energy secto
Estabanell is a leading energy group that carries out its activity in all phases of the life of energy: renewable energy generation, electricity distribution, and energy marketing and energy efficiency services. Estabanell also operates in the telecommunications sector and the marketing of other solutions for the home and business, with a vision as a comprehensive wellness provider.
