The Energía Positiva+ platform has received 396 proposals in just 13 days to help alleviate the economic and social impact of COVID-19. This urgent call, aimed at startups and scaleups and promoted by companies in the energy sector, closed its deadline on Sunday, April 19.
This pioneering initiative in Spain was launched on April 7 in search of projects related to the areas of environmental sustainability, mobility, social impact, digitization, telecommunications and 4.0. The category ‘decarbonisation and sustainability’ has been the one that has received the highest number of proposals.
Of the total number of projects received, 140 are from startups in an initial phase (annual turnover of less than 5.000€), 217 are proposals from startups in a more advanced phase (which bill between 5.000€ and one million euros per year) and 39 are from scaleups (companies with a turnover of more than one million euros in 2019).
More than 85% of the proposals presented are national, and entrepreneurs from France, Belgium, Switzerland, Chile or Canada, among others, have participated in the 51 international projects registered.
The projects are currently being evaluated and selected. Starting from the first week of May, and after a phase of interviews with the startups/scaleups, the basis for an investment, support or acceleration agreement between companies and entrepreneurs will be established, and the selected projects will be communicated. Hence, they will be able to start working from the second half of May and develop and implement the projects in one year, complying with the established schedule.
This initiative was initially promoted by Enagás, Red Eléctrica, CLH, Iberdrola, BP, EIT InnoEnergy and Acciona. Capital Energy and Disa are the two new promoters that joined recently. In addition, institutions such as Startup Olé, ASCRI, El Referente and Investor Partners collaborate, and Byld, Everis, Dentons, PKF Attest innCome and Pons IP have just joined as collaborators. Each one of the companies will support at least one startup/scaleup by providing financing for the development of the project and/or making their tools for innovation, investment, commercial development and structure available to them.