ECO15 Berlin Sponsors

Ecosummit is Europe’s leading smart green innovation conference for startups, VCs and corporates. Ecosummit Berlin 2015 took place on 19-20 May 2015 at the Radialsystem and was supported by 29 partners and sponsors that are profiled below.

ECO15 Berlin Participants

ECO15 Berlin Partner

Climate-KIC Logo

Smart green accelerator: Climate-KIC is one of three Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KIC) designated in 2010 by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT). Climate-KIC drives innovation in the area of climate change adaptation and mitigation through its European network of private, public and academic partners. Climate change presents not only a formidable societal challenge; it also offers huge business opportunities. Our vision is to lead the world toward low-carbon prosperity, create an emerging climate change innovation space, and to capitalise on public-private synergies to induce innovation. Through our education, entrepreneurship and innovation activities, we create opportunities for innovators to address climate change and create the world’s next economy.

ECO15 Berlin Gold Sponsors

EON Logo

Smart green corporate VC: Under its Cleaner & Better Energy strategy, E.ON’s drive to retail distributed and novel energy technologies and business models will be supported by venture capital activities for strategic partnerships. They are designed to find the next big energy propositions that will improve E.ON’s offer to its millions of customers around Europe via its global and regional businesses. The best new businesses will be selected for collaboration and commercialization opportunities and equity investments. The investments will focus on strategic technologies and business models that enable E.ON’s desire to lead the move to distributed, renewable and disruptive energy propositions. Customers can be offered the best energy choices for their needs. And new technology companies benefit from early scale while E.ON accesses cutting edge innovations and participates in the value created.

EDF Logo

Smart green corporate VC: The EDF Group, one of the leaders in the European energy market, is an integrated energy company active in all areas of the business: generation, transmission, distribution, energy supply and trading. The Group is the leading electricity producer in Europe. In France, it has mainly nuclear and hydraulic production facilities where 85.1% of the electricity output is CO2-free. EDF’s transmission and distribution subsidiaries in France operate 1.285.000 km of low and medium voltage overhead and underground electricity lines and around 100.000 km of high and very high voltage networks. The Group is involved in supplying energy and services to approximately 39.1 million customers around the world. The Group generated consolidated sales of €75.6 billion in 2013, of which 44.5% was achieved outside of France. EDF is listed on the Paris Stock Exchange and is a member of the CAC 40 index.

EnBW Logo

Smart green corporate VC: With a workforce of around 20.000 employees, EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg AG supplies electricity, gas, water and energy-related products and services to 5.5 million customers. Given our origins, and as a company which is majority owned by the Federal State of Baden-Württemberg and Oberschwäbische Elektrizitätswerke, a municipal special-purpose association, our connections to Baden-Württemberg are particularly strong. We want to be the first point of contact for our customers – households, industry and municipalities – in all matters affecting energy. We will achieve this aspiration on the basis of our experience and innovation strength, combined with listening and dialogue. Close to the customer we are creating new growth opportunities with new products and local solutions for a sustainable supply of energy and enhanced energy efficiency. We will forge ahead with the expansion of renewable energies, first and foremost wind and hydropower, while securing the supply of energy through our cutting-edge conventional power plants. Our grid subsidiaries are setting in place the preconditions for integrating an increasing volume of renewable energies and smart energy systems into the grid.

Enera Logo

ENERA is a multipartner cooperation focusing on the digital energy transformation which is initiated by EWE AG. The demonstration project – as an answer to the tender Schaufenster Intelligente Energie by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Energy – will conduct a large field test with focus on wind energy in the northwest of Germany. With EWE as an initiator a consortium of companies will be set up to show how sustainable energy systems can be used on a large scale utilizing smart grids, smart markets and digitalization. Alongside established companies like EWE, TenneT, ENERCON, Siemens and others, ENERA intends to include startups that have new ideas for the energy sector and are keen on using the possibility to scale their technology and business model within the demonstration project. EWE is an innovative service provider in the areas of energy, telecommunications and information technology. With more than 9.000 employees and sales of over €7B it is one of the largest utility companies in Germany. Currently, EWE is establishing corporate venture activities including early support, fund investment and corporate venture capital. The investment in professional venture capital funds focuses on energy, telecommunication and IT in the segments generation, infrastructure and sales. Target groups for both – fund investments and corporate venture capital – are startups in its early and late stages. The latter involves direct investments in young companies with focus on cross-functional, technology-driven topics with a revenue of up to €5 million. With those activities the company aims at developing new business areas, generating strategic growth and creating access to external innovations.

GTAI Logo

Germany Trade & Invest is the economic development agency of the Federal Republic of Germany. The company helps create and secure extra employment opportunities, strengthening Germany as a business location. With more than 50 offices in Germany and abroad and its network of partners throughout the world, Germany Trade & Invest supports German companies setting up in foreign markets, promotes Germany as a business location and assists foreign companies setting up in Germany.

ECO15 Berlin Partners

Berlin TXL Logo

THE DREAM OF FLYING IS MET. TIME FOR A NEW DREAM. The opening of BER Airport in the south-east of Berlin will mark the beginning of a new era for the city‘s former Airport Tegel. Tegel Airport will soon be closed. The fascination remains: a research and industrial park arises – for the city of the future. Founders, students, investors, industrialists and scientists jointly develop the cities of tomorrow. In Berlin TXL urban technologies are designed, produced and exported. And they will be used not only here, but in all cities around the globe. The long-term planning is completed: the master plan is officially adopted and the corresponding development plans are already in the process. At the heart of Berlin, the Urban Tech Republic is formed. No city in the world is better suited than the creative metropolis. And within this city there is no better site for this than: Berlin TXL.

Tesla Logo

Tesla Motors‘ goal is to accelerate the world’s transition to electric mobility with a full range of increasingly affordable electric cars. California-based Tesla designs and manufactures EVs, as well as EV powertrain components for partners such as Toyota and Daimler. Model S is the world’s first premium sedan built from the ground up as an electric vehicle, meticulously designed and engineered to elevate the public’s expectations of what a car can be. At the heart of Model S is the proven Tesla powertrain, delivering both unprecedented range and a thrilling drive experience. With a rigid body structure, nearly 50/50 weight distribution and a remarkably low center of gravity, Model S offers the responsiveness and agility expected from world’s best sports cars while providing the ride quality of a premium sedan. Setting the bar for electric driving range, Model S offers 60 kWh and 85 kWh battery options, delivering unprecedented range of up to 500 km (on the NEDC drive cycle) with the 85 kWh variant. Both batteries are contained within the same enclosure, integrating with the vehicle in the same way, providing structural, aerodynamic, and handling advantages. The batteries use automotive-grade lithium-ion cells arranged for optimum energy density, thermal management, and safety.

ECO15 Berlin Silver Sponsors

Statkraft Logo

Smart green corporate VC: Statkraft is a leading company in hydropower internationally and Europe’s largest generator of renewable energy. The Group produces hydropower, wind power, gas-fired power and district heating and is a global player in energy market operations. Statkraft has 3.600 employees in more than 20 countries. We are managing 1.000s of renewable energy assets with more than 10.000 MW capacity for our clients, integrating their production into the European power market. Statkraft wants to invest into startups in order to create growth options and to drive new capabilities. We are committed to play an active role in the energy market transformation, have an attractive portfolio for applying innovation and maintain a pioneering spirit. This makes us a great partner for startups on the frontier of the energy market‘s paradigm shift. We are aiming to invest in Europe, targeting €1-5M per deal in Series A and later. Statkraft supports ECO15 Berlin and ECO15 London.

Autodesk Logo

The unique Autodesk Clean Tech Partner Program supports the efforts, innovations, and environmental advancements of clean technology pioneers, by providing world-class software to design, visualize, and simulate their groundbreaking ideas through the creation of digital models and prototypes. The program offers participants software licenses valued at up to €120.000 for just €50. With digital prototypes, clean tech innovators can explore and communicate ideas, test multiple concepts, and accelerate improvements, while supporting the reduction of potentially costly errors. Used by millions of engineers, architects, and design professionals worldwide, Autodesk software helps empower Clean Tech Partners to create a better, more sustainable world. For more information visit www.autodesk.co.uk/cleantech or www.autodesk.de/cleantech. Autodesk supports ECO15 Berlin and ECO15 London.

Smart green VC: High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF) invests in young, high potential high-tech startups. The seed financing provided is designed to enable startups to take an idea through prototyping and to market launch. Typically, HTGF invests EUR 500.000 in the seed stage, with the potential for up to a total of EUR 2 million per portfolio company in follow-on financing. Investors in this public/private partnership include the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, the KfW Banking Group, as well as strategic corporate investors including ALTANA, BASF, Bayer, B. Braun, Robert Bosch, CEWE, Daimler, Deutsche Post DHL, Deutsche Telekom, Evonik, Lanxess, media + more venture Beteiligungs GmbH & Co. KG, METRO, Qiagen, RWE Innogy, SAP, Tengelmann and Carl Zeiss. High-Tech Gründerfonds has about EUR 576 million under management in two funds (EUR 272 million HTGF I, EUR 304 million HTGF II).

Aster Capital Logo

Smart green VC: Aster Capital is a multi-corporate venture firm with Schneider Electric, Alstom, Solvay as well as the European Investment Fund EIF as main LPs in our second EUR 107 million fund ASTER II which we launched in 2010. We have a 10-year track record as early-to-growth-stage investors in technologies and services that find application mainly in the energy industry but also in industrial applications, buildings and mobility. We will invest between EUR 0.5 to 8 million per portfolio company and normally co-invest with other VC firms or take the lead. Our special value proposition is our access to our corporate sponsors. Post investment, we dedicate much time to create business opportunities for our portfolio companies through our personal contact networks not least at Schneider Electric, Alstom and Solvay where most of us have held senior positions prior to joining Aster Capital.

VNT Management Logo

Smart green VC: VNT is a Finnish-German venture capital management company with three funds and €157M assets under management. VNT is operating in Europe and focusing on clean technologies. More specifically, the investment focus is on renewable and distributed power generation and energy efficiency technologies, especially in power electronic applications. Of particular interest are innovations in wind, solar, wave power and biomass – as well as energy efficiency solutions as electrical drive trains to industry, heavy mobile work machines and solid-state lighting. A wide industrial business experience, an active management and fair play are the characteristics of VNT. The VNT team assists in all business aspects, in particular in optimizing business models, marketing, operations and management tasks, establishing supply chains and sales networks.

IBB Logo

Smart green VC: Investitionsbank Berlin (IBB) is the business development bank of Berlin. With a wide product spectrum it is active in the areas of business as well as housing and real estate promotion. IBB supports small and medium-sized enterprises in Berlin with subsidies, loan products and equity stakes developing targeted solutions for its clients. In doing so it works in close cooperation with all local commercial banks. IBB takes a central role in economic development by financing small and medium-sized enterprises. Its particular focus lies on innovative companies that are active in the following key sectors in Berlin: health economy, information and communication technology, media and creative industry, transport, mobility and logistics, energy technology and optical technology. A further focus is the support of founders and startups with targeted advice as well as a full range of funding products customised to the respective need of each client.

KIC InnoEnergy Logo

Smart green accelerator & VC: KIC InnoEnergy is the European company dedicated to promoting innovation, entrepreneurship and education in the sustainable energy field by bringing together academics, businesses and research institutes. To support entrepreneurs and startups in sustainable energy we are an active pre-seed/seed investor. Our goal is to make a positive impact on sustainable energy in Europe. We do this by creating future game changers with a different mind-set, and bringing innovative products, services and successful companies to life. We provide acceleration services to startups by supporting entrepreneurs with their business ideas, strengthening their business models, building expert teams, and providing access to finance. We already have a share in more than 50 ventures. KIC InnoEnergy is one of the first Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs) fostered by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT). We are a commercial company with 27 shareholders that include top ranking industries, research centres and universities, all of which are key players in the energy field. More than 150 additional partners contribute to our activities to form a first class and dynamic network that is always open to new entrants and furthers our pursuit of excellence. Although we are profit-oriented, we have a “not for dividend” financial strategy, reinvesting any profits we generate back into our activities. With our headquarters in the Netherlands, we develop our activities across a network of offices located in Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Poland and Sweden.

Smart green accelerator: Rockstart runs the second edition of the Smart Energy Accelerator program. For the next 6 months these 9 startups will receive all the support they need to realize their ambitions and make new ideas come to life in the complex energy industry. The program offers support from over 60 experienced mentors, opens up new networks and connects the startups to investors. The startups originate from 7 different countries and are developing new, sustainable ways to generate and save energy.

Swedish Energy Agency Logo

Smart green accelerator: The Swedish Energy Agency works for a smarter energy use, which involves among other things to channel practically all Swedish state funds that go into energy research. The Business Development and Commercialisation department is focused on making business from this research by bringing together researchers and business developers, contractors, customers and capital. This department also provides their own funding to cases with technical uniqueness, high energy relevance as well as a strong team behind the concept.

Inneon Logo

The INNEON Network for Eco-Innovation Investment aims to extend the public and private funding sources available for eco-innovation and social innovation in Europe and provide a unique forum dedicated to the interaction between a select cohort of innovators and relevant investors. Innovators and investors can join a dedicated network, providing access to an online matchmaking platform, live networking events and more, to improve the quality of deals and allow for efficient matching of entrepreneurs and investors. INNEON is a catalyst accelerating the commercialisation of eco-innovation and social innovation bringing economic, environmental and social benefits for the investors and entrepreneurs and beyond that for Europe at large.

Sonnenbatterie Logo

Smart green startup: Sonnenbatterie is a leading manufacturer of intelligent lithium storage systems. As a pioneer in the rapidly growing solar energy storage market, the company has extensive experience with battery storage technologies and renewable energy. The company has already sold more than 4.000 storage systems in Europe, now has over 100 qualified employees and is actively entering the US market. Sonnenbatterie has enjoyed strong growth since its establishment in 2010 and is backed by eCAPITAL, SET Ventures and Munich Venture Partners. Sonnenbatterie offers fully integrated storage solutions with a user-friendly energy manager that allows users to individually control their storage system, to track their energy use, optimize the solar self-consumption and avoid peak demand charges. The company consistently invests in research and development and has launched already the 4th product generation in June 2014. Since the beginning Sonnenbatterie committed itself to highest quality “made in Germany” and highest safety standards, e.g. has been certified by TÜV since 2011 and is the first company that fulfills the the new “Safety Guidelines for Li-ion residential storage systems” of German Associations.

Sunfire Logo

Smart green startup: Sunfire sees itself as a leading provider of Power-to-Fuel and Power-to-Gas technology. To this end, the company develops and produces the key components high-temperature electrolysis (SOEC) and high-temperature fuel cells (SOFC) and the corresponding fuel plant engineering. The Sunfire process uses intermittent renewable electricity, water and CO2 from various sources to produce high-quality, synthetic fuel and gas. These can power cars, trucks, aircraft, generators, and heat residential and commercial buildings, without changes to current engine technology or distribution infrastructure. The company employs a staff of 38 highly educated and experienced people, has a best-in-class test facility, an R&D fuel plant and a modern manufacturing hall in Dresden. Sunfire is backed by Electranova Capital, Total and Inven Capital.

Solarkiosk Logo

Smart green startup: Solarkiosk AG was founded in 2011 and has since then grown to six subsidiaries in Africa and several worldwide projects with various partners (Coca Cola, TOTAL, DEG/KfW, EU, among others). SOLARKIOSK enables and empowers Base-of-the-Pyramid (BoP) communities worldwide through the provision of clean energy services, quality products and sustainable solutions. Intertwining an award-winning technology solution with an inclusive business model, Solarkiosk fosters local entrepreneurship in BoP communities. Solarkiosk provides the gateway to energy, communication, and connectivity at the BoP and enters previously untapped markets worldwide, spurring sustainable long-term economic and human development. Solarkiosk has received numerous international awards and worldwide recognition, amongst them the CDG Unternehmerpreis (2013), International Architecture Award (2013), Empowering People Award – Siemens Stiftung (2013), German Ecodesign Award (2013), the German Federal Design Award (2014), and the ZEIT-Wissen Encouraging Sustainability Award (2015).

Grundgruen Logo

Smart green startup: Grundgrün is an independent utility and power trading house, which was established end of 2010. Our objective is to push forward the transition towards a renewable energy dominated energy system. We own direct marketing rights of currently 2.7 GW of renewable energy production, sourced from wind, solar, biomass, biogas and geothermal energy plants. Grundgrün delivers essential asset optimisation services, risk management and wholesale market access to its clients. These capabilities enable us to help new players in the energy market, realise the full value of their asset portfolio. By delivering energy to end consumers since February 2014, Grundgrün is closing the gap between production and consumption of renewable energy by offering energy storage solutions and supporting the development of decentralised energy distribution. Our innovative business model will soon enable us and our market partners to operate along the whole length of the energy value chain from renewable energy production to distribution to end customers.

Ubitricity Logo

Smart green startup: Ubitricity was founded in Berlin in 2008 to develop new services for households with electric vehicles. We are now one of the few independent energy providers in Germany who deliver renewable electricity to households. In the future, ubitricity will offer its customers who drive EVs the possibility to charge up everywhere (e.g. at work) in total security and confidence, and with one single, simple bill to pay. Customers will receive the benefits of a new infrastructure concept – delivery, metering and billing services for green electricity. In 2010, ubitricity was able to win Earlybird, one of Europe’s most successful venture capital investors, for a Series A financing round. ubitricity’s Mobile Metering concept makes a comprehensive charging infrastructure for electric vehicles (EV) affordable. The metering and communications technology necessary for recharging a vehicle is mobilized. It is installed in the EV or inside the charging cable rather than inside every single charging point. As a result, charging points can be reduced to lean and affordable ubitricity system sockets that can easily be installed anywhere users need them, and allow for truly unlimited mobility.

Smart green startup: GreenPocket is a specialist for smart meter and smart home software that empowers people to use energy in the most comfortable and responsible way. Based on a flexible, modular and scalable high performance platform, GreenPocket’s software applications transform complex energy data into a wide range of consumer-oriented benefits for energy control and home automation. With more than 95 successful projects for over 45 national and international utilities and service providers, GreenPocket is one of the leading software companies in the global smart energy market. Founded in 2009, GreenPocket is a privately held company headquartered in Cologne, Germany.

Yetu Logo

Smart green startup: yetu was founded 2010 in Berlin – based on the strong belief that the internet will entirely change and enrich the way people live at home. yetu is the world’s first smart home platform that connects everything in a household independent of standards and operating systems, and provides a complete software ecosystem for web-based smart home applications. yetu works consistently across screens, achieves incomparable data security by encrypting data with a hardware-based key – and on top is built entirely on open source. Today, yetu is a team of 36 people from 14 different nations.

Rockethome Logo

Smart Green Startup: Rockethome is one of the most innovative providers of smart home and energy management systems in Europe. With its advanced software-as-a-service solutions Rockethome helps utilities, telecoms, hardware manufacturers, security providers and other service providers convince their customers of modern smart home services (e.g. security, lighting, heating, air condition, healthcare, energy feed-in and storage, electric vehicles). Rockethome offers a unique user engagement platform for the interpretation, visualization and control of Smart Home and Smart Metering applications. Due to the highly intuitive and added-value applications customers can analyze and visualize their energy consumption as well as control rooms and devices (online, mobile, in-home). It further integrates the monitoring of local solar power or CHP systems and the charging infrastructure of electric vehicles. Rockethome’s unique Behavioral Automation System offers a self-learning solution that adapts automatically to the users’ habits and preferences.

Kiwigrid Logo

Smart Green Startup: Kiwigrid, a startup based in Dresden, Germany, develops and operates a modular, turn-key Smart Grid Application Platform. Our products provide the communication infrastructure to connect distributed, renewable energy generators and energy storage systems with small- and large-scale electrical consumers within the Smart Grid. The Kiwigrid Platform provides a variety of Smart Grid solutions which enable our partners to provide their customers with innovative value-added energy services.

Greenliving Logo

Smart Green Startup: Green Living unites interior design with eco- and health-friendliness. We address those who want to make their homes or offices or cottages a healthier, sustainable and design-oriented place. Since 2009 we sell a carefully selected range of European design furniture and further create and implement completely individual interior design concepts. In all our work we set high standards for ecological, ethnical, design and health aspects. Our slogan “Design denken. Grün handeln” – “Think design. Act green” shapes all our services.

Xing Events Logo

Xing Events is the only provider who combines event management software and business network. With the help of Xing Events, organizers have sold and accounted for 7 million tickets worldwide for more than 180.000 professional events. The event management software for online event registration & ticketing allows participants a swift and secure purchase of tickets and guarantees for a smooth entry to the event. Years of event experience as well as a specialized international support team for organizers and participants make Xing Events a reliable partner for business events. As part of XING AG, the social network for professional contacts, Xing Events connects more than 14 million potential participants with suitable events.