eria startup acceleration program demoday

New open call for energy startups: ERIA launches 3rd edition of its acceleration program

12 Mar 2026

The energy transition is driving new technologies to produce, manage and consume energy more efficiently. To promote this innovation, ERIA has opened the call for the third edition of its acceleration program for energy startups, aimed at companies in pre-seed and seed stages that develop innovative solutions in renewable energy generation, energy distribution and energy services commercialization.

An acceleration program to validate energy solutions

The acceleration program lasts approximately six months. The four selected startups will receive comprehensive support to promote the development of their project in an equity-free model. Among the main benefits of the program are the personalized strategic support, with a board of mentors for each startup formed by two or three mentors from the Áticco Lab network and an energy specialist mentor from Estabanell, as well as an initial two-day Growth Bootcamp in Barcelona to define the objectives and growth plan for each project.

Once the program is completed, ERIA and the Estabanell Group may propose to the participating startups the realization of a proof of concept of their product or service, making available to them the infrastructure and resources of a group with more than 125 years of experience in the energy sector.

The startup with the best evolution during the program will receive a prize of 10,000 euros, which will be determined based on the monitoring and evolution KPIs established during the acceleration process.

Once the program is completed, the startups will be able to carry out pilot tests or proofs of concept (PoC) with the different companies of the Estabanell Group to validate their technology in a real environment.

Four innovation challenges in the energy sector

The 2026 call poses four innovation challenges aligned with some of the main trends in the energy sector, such as the optimization of renewable energies, the digitalization of electricity grids or smart consumption management.

Advanced operation and maintenance for photovoltaic plants.

The first challenge seeks to improve the operation and maintenance of solar plants through technologies capable of detecting incidents early. Solutions based on drones, robotics or advanced analytics are sought to optimize maintenance tasks and improve the operational efficiency of the facilities.

2.New digital services for the low voltage network

The digitization of the electricity grid opens up new opportunities to create data-driven energy services. The program is looking for startups that develop digital platforms, data-driven services or distributed energy flexibility solutions leveraging the digitization of the low-voltage grid.

3. Compact and affordable home battery

The third challenge focuses on the development of compact and intelligent residential batteries for homes with contracted power between 3 and 7 kW, which will optimize energy consumption and generate savings on electricity bills.

4. Domestic energy microflexibility

The fourth challenge seeks to enable energy flexibility in homes without electric vehicles or aerothermal energy. Digital solutions are sought that use consumption data to optimize energy demand, reduce costs and improve customer experience.

Acceleration program schedule 2026

Interested startups can apply until April 13, 2026 by filling out the following questionnaire: https://www.f6s.com/eria-aceleracion-2026-application/apply

The schedule for this edition is as follows:
● April 13, 2026 – closing of applications
● April 27, 2026 – communication of selected startups
● May 2026 – start of the program with the Growth Bootcamp in Barcelona
● December 2026 – final Demo Day before mentors, investors and companies in the industry

In addition to this acceleration program, ERIA promotes a venture client program, focused on executing proofs of concept with startups using Estabanell Group infrastructures, as well as an intrapreneurship program that fosters the development of new energy services and home wellness solutions.