It’s Greentown Launch season here at Greentown Labs, and this fall we’re BOLDLY going where no program has gone before. The participants of the Schneider Electric Bold Ideas Challenge are four startups working in the energy storage and distribution space. Our goal of the program? To bring all parties together to support the growth of each venture while exploring potential collaborations.

     The Schneider Electric Bold Ideas Challenge is the fourth iteration of the Greentown Launch program. It is focused on fast-tracking entrepreneurs with the mentors, team members, business and technical resources they need to launch successful ventures, all with direct support from Schneider Electric.

     Schneider Electric’s North American Business Incubation Leader, Bimal Mehta reiterated his enthusiasm for the collaborative program, “We know startup and corporate collaborations are key to the digitalization and distribution of the energy sector.  Working with Greentown Labs is a great way for Schneider to explore these collaborations while unlocking the resources we have to support promising startups in the sector.”

 

PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS:

This year’s participants are primarily innovating in the energy storage and distribution sector. Let’s meet them!

• Gridspan Energy: Pioneering a novel approach to electricity transmission with the goal of advancing clean energy access and security for island electricity markets. Grid-weak regions and island communities typically have worse access to affordable, resilient, and clean energy solutions than their mainland counterparts – Gridspan Energy’s mobile energy storage transmission (MEST) technology will change that. Gridspan is represented by its CEO Alec Macklis.

 

• SunForge: Advanced Maximum Power Point Tracking Solar Charge controllers that provide the power you need when you need it most. Using advanced circuit design and construction methods honed at MIT, then refined by deployment in the harshest earthly conditions, Blue Sky Energy and Genasun charge controllers provide the most reliable and efficient power management systems available. SunForge is represented by CEO Jared Craft and CTO Alex MeVay.

 

• Singularity: Building AI for the future of energy infrastructure, integrating distributed energy resources with the grid to jointly optimize economics, carbon emissions, and reliability. Singularity is represented by its CEO Wenbo Shi and collaborator, Maria Woodman.

 

• Titan Advanced Energy Solutions: Developing and producing advanced battery management systems for lithium ion battery (LiB) consumer electronics, automotive and storage markets. Titan is represented by its CEO and Founder Shawn Murphy.

 

THE WORKSHOPS

     Greentown Launch workshops hosted by Greentown Labs are crucial to the success of every Launch program. These events typically bring together important decision-makers within the strategic partner with startup participants and key mentors selected from the Greentown Labs community. Mentors internal and external to the corporate partner collaborate with each startup participant to ensure they are strengthening their businesses while taking the right steps to identify potential teaming opportunities with the corporate partner (in this case Schneider Electric).

 

SCHNEIDER AT THE HELM

     A key part of our program offering is access to the women and men within Schneider who make innovation within the business possible. These individuals commit their time as mentors within the Greentown Launch program and assist startups in negotiating the structures and functions within Schneider so they can reach tangible and mutually beneficial collaborations.

Meet our Schneider Mentors:

• Bimal Mehta, North America Business Incubation Leader, Corporate Strategy, Schneider Electric
• Server Agirman, Innovation Manager, Schneider Electric
• Dominic Barbato, Director of Strategy, Schneider Electric
• Andy Haun, Senior Vice President & Chief Technology Officer, Microgrids, Schneider Electric
• Jean-Luc Meyer, Senior Vice President of Innovation, Schneider Electric
• Prashanthi Sudhakar, Senior Manager of Business Incubation, Schneider Electric
• Jean-Philippe Bonnafoux, Vice President of Business Design, Schneider Electric
• Jonathan Healey, Director, Systems Engineering and Technology, IT Division at Schneider Electric
• Jake Friedman, Manager, Project Development & Engineering at Schneider Electric

 

     Thus far, our workshop programming has included presentations from Jean-Luc Meyer, Senior Vice President of Innovation at Schneider, as well as his colleagues, Prashanthi Sudhakar, Senior Manager of Business Incubation, and Jean-Philippe Bonnafoux, Vice President of Business Design. Jean-Luc, Prashanthi and Jean-Philippe offered several insightful perspectives on working with Schneider.

     Our workshops and programming will continue until January 17th when our Final Showcase for the program will take place. Interested in mentoring in a future Greentown Launch program? Please contact Michela Grunebaum at [email protected].

If you’d like to come to the Schneider Electric Bold Ideas Challenge Final Showcase, register here!