For Start-Ups

Let‘s shape the future of energy and infrastructure together. Accelerate your startup with us.

Logo All Use Case Partners

Kickstart your partnership with leading corporates

Our platform brings together Europe’s biggest players in the energy, manufacturing, and logistics sectors. Together, we are looking for innovative start-ups and tech champions to join forces and change the world for the better. 

As a part of our accelerator, we connect you with the ideal use-case partner to quickly realize pilot projects together and grow your business sustainably. Join us in shaping the future of energy and infrastructure.
VERBUND X Demo Day Ed

Your start-up needs are covered

Our program provides start-ups and tech champions with a wide range of benefits to help you reach the next level.

  • Resource Access
    Gain access to resources, test labs, expert know-how, markets, and an extensive network.

  • Fast decision-making
    Benefit from top-management involvement and a structured process for fast implementation.

  • Proof-of-Concept
    Get a dedicated budget to develop a proof-of-concept (PoC) with a corporate partner and accelerate your success.
Benjamin gnista.io

“We are super excited to be part of this program because it was one of the very rare occasions for startups to work together with not only a large corporate but also people that are incredibly motivated within that corporate.”

Benjamin Mörzinger, Founder, nista.io

Search fields of our third batch

Together with our use-case partners, we identified 7 search fields for the third batch. Each holds great potential to shape the future of energy and infrastructure and deserves our focused attention in the form of open innovation and co-creation.

We are looking for transformation technologies and solutions in advanced biomass to aviation fuels and chemicals. In particular, we are interested in finding new renewable and scalable advanced feedstock, as well as related technologies, able to convert them and produce Aviation Fuels (SAF) and renewable olefins, aromatics, or other renewable chemicals (or related transportable intermediates) with high carbon efficiency. 

Corporate Partner: OMV

Advanced biomass conversion technologies | Advanced aviation biofuels production | Production of bio-based olefins, chemicals, aromatics and transportable intermediaries


We are looking for software applications and AI solutions, that allow for advanced data analyses and more precise predictive maintenance for wind farms and PV plants. 
As concerns wind power, we look for solution for predictive maintenance for gearboxes, power curve analysis and azimuth analysis.
When it comes to PV power, we are interested in statistical and physical model-based approaches describing how inverters behave to each other, in the identification of outliers, analysis of diurnal variations and performance analysis (according to IB & to today reasons).

Corporate Partner: VERBUND

Performance Analysis of PV plants and wind farms | Predictive Analytics for PV plants and wind farms | Smart Maintenance for PV plants and wind farms


We are looking for innovative carbon capture technologies for the industrial sector, excluding direct air capture (DAC). We are interested in solutions, able to capture carbon from industrial sources with high CO2 intensity (range: 8%-30%) and show the potential of industrial scale (ideally technology readiness level 4+). We are looking for all physical and chemical technologies. If your solution comes with a marketable utilization use case, this is a plus.

Corporate Partner: voestalpine Steel Division | OMV | RHIM 

Let’s create an innovative customer journey for heat pumps! We are looking for solutions that support in retrofitting buildings in the roles of planning, decommissioning, installation, commissioning, system upgrade/optimization and energy optimization of heat pumps.
Additionally, we are looking for innovative heat pump hardware that is implementable in apartments to replace conventional non-renewable heating solutions. 
Ideally, the solutions we are looking for provide relevant digital touchpoints along the customer/installer journey.

Corporate Partner: VERBUND

Innovative heat pump hardware | Heat pump retrofitting | Decentralized heat pumps for B2C


We are looking for innovative carbon utilization solutions applicable in hard-to-abate industries (e.g., cement, iron and steel, chemicals). The technologies (biological, catalytical and electrochemical synthesis) should make the carbon utilization process marketable. Your solution (ideally technology readiness level 4+) should show the potential of industrial scale. All levels of final products of these technologies are sought for as a decarbonization lever (e.g. polyolefins, formic acid, hydrogen carrier, natural gas, synthetic fuels etc.).

Corporate Partner: VERBUND, voestalpine Steel Division, RHI Magnesita, OMV, Alperia

Carbon Utilization Technology | Value-added Carbon Products | Carbon-based Products


VERBUND wants to increase the storage capacity of energy generated by wind power plants and photovoltaic systems for a better management of over-and underproduction’s peaks.
Therefore, we are looking for innovative and fully integrated energy storage technologies which ensure a long-term storage range of more than 4-6h and which are implementable into commercial energy grid systems. Your solution should ideally be in the state of TRL 5-7, and in the long term commercially competitive to lithium-ion batteries as well as industrially scalable into MWh-region.
We are not looking for energy storage solutions based on conventional pumped hydropower and lithium-ion batteries. 

Corporate Partner: VERBUND

Storage of renewable energy | Commercial energy grid | Long-duration energy storage technologies


As Österreichische Post, we run our own PV systems and we are therefore looking for innovative solutions, technologies, and business models to employ, in the most intelligent and economical way possible, the surplus energy generated from them (preferably within our company). 
For example, we are looking for solutions that help us increase our energy efficiency, when it comes to our E-fleet management (by exploiting our energy surplus, leveraging EV’s data analysis, intelligent charging, peak shaving etc.) 
Other potential solutions could also be plug-and-play solutions  to store the PV-Surplus energy or  business models on its utilization.
If you have innovative solutions on how to exploit the energy surplus coming from PV – show us your potential!

Corporate Partner: Österreichische Post AG

PV surplus energy utilization | PV surplus energy storage | E-fleet management | EVs energy management and smart charging


Your journey with the VERBUND X Accelerator

  • Icon Lupe

    Get your application ready - we are exited to hear about your innovative solutions!

    Application Phase until 19th of August, 2022

    Get your application ready - we are exited to hear about your innovative solutions!

  • Icon Formular

    As a selected applicant you will be invited to pitch your solution to us in a remote setting. We choose the most exciting start-ups / solutions for each search field and match you with the ideal partner.

    Remote Pitches from 22nd to 27th of September, 2022

    As a selected applicant you will be invited to pitch your solution to us in a remote setting. We choose the most exciting start-ups / solutions for each search field and match you with the ideal partner.

  • Icon Individuell

    In our three-day innovation camp, you get to work with corporate partners on how you will test and implement your pilot project.

    Innovation Camp from 18th to 20th of October, 2022

    In our three-day innovation camp, you get to work with corporate partners on how you will test and implement your pilot project.

  • Icon Tacho

    Now it's time showcase that your solution really creates an impact: build prototypes and quickly iterate to create value.

    Acceleration Phase from November 2022 to March 2023

    Now it's time showcase that your solution really creates an impact: build prototypes and quickly iterate to create value.

  • Icon Innovation

    This is your time to shine: present your fantastic work and showcase the results to our partner network.

    Demo Day on the 30th of March, 2023

    This is your time to shine: present your fantastic work and showcase the results to our partner network.

  • After successfully completing the program you discuss your further collaboration & scaling of your project with your corporate use-case Partner.

    Launch & Cooperation starting March, 2023

    After successfully completing the program you discuss your further collaboration & scaling of your project with your corporate use-case Partner.

Go to previous slide Go to next slide

Our success stories

We have already facilitated more than 18 successful pilot projects in our first two editions. We let their success stories speak for themselves. 
In collaboration with IBD Group and TU Wien, VERBUND supports a master’s thesis on the research field of green hydrogen. They have recently started exploring an alternative, nature-based way of producing green hydrogen by engineered photosynthesis and will go on with it in the next months.
ASFINAG collaborates with the German start-ups LuvSide and Mowea to roll out innovative micro wind turbines for several locations across Austria. While MOWEA aims at installing its technology on bridges across Austria, such as Europabrücke, LuvSide concentrates on installing its turbines on rest stations to produce energy for heating water and lights. 
In cooperation with voestalpine’s steel division, RGS provides thermoelectric components for remote electricity generation (APU’s) and for waste heat recovery systems. As a next step, the project team tests the technology at two voestalpine plants and plans a strategy for a roll-out. 

Work with our leading corporate use-case partners

Go to previous slide Go to next slide

Get to know our community partners

Go to previous slide Go to next slide

Get in touch with our mentors

Team_Franz Zöchbauer Franz Zöchbauer

VERBUND

Send email

Managing Director

Annalisa Andaloro, Innovation Manager Annalisa Andaloro

Alperia

Innovation Manager

Veronika Ruthensteiner Veronika Ruthensteiner

OMV

New Business Development - Portfolio Strategy

Next teaser Previous teaser
Juan Rosenzweig Juan Rosenzweig

RHI Magnesita

Innovation Manager:

Michael, Andrae Michael Andrae

Österreichische Post AG

Central Innovation Responsible

Matthias, Plattner Matthias Plattner

BIG

Head of Property & Facility Management Austria

Next teaser Previous teaser
Martin, Holzinger Martin Holzinger

ÖBAG

Direktor Österreichische Beteiligungs AG

Anderas, Schwarzenbrunner Andreas Schwarzenbrunner

Speedindvest

Partner

Hans, Peter, Blahowsky Hans-Peter Blahowsky

Austrian Institute of Technology

Startup Catalyst

Next teaser Previous teaser
VERBUND X Innovation Camp Teams Working

Fill in the shoes of our trailblazers

Over 900 start-ups from 57 countries and 6 continents have applied to be a part of our success story already. We are proud to be the trusted partner for start-ups that challenge the status quo and want to accelerate their solution with us.

Join the leading co-creation platform and shape the future of energy of infrastructure with us.

Contact
Accure Logo

Accure Battery Intelligence

Applied Bioplastics Logo

Applied Bioplastics

Climatiq Logo

Climatiq

Dreamwaves Logo

Dreamwaves

efriends Logo

efriends

exnaton Logo

exnaton

nista.io logo

nista.io

Flower Turbines

IBD Group

IBD Group

LuvSide Logo

LuvSide

Mowea Logo

MOWEA

Predictive Layer Logo

Predictive Layer

RGS Development Logo

RGS Development

ViewAR Logo

View AR

Join the leading co-creation platform and shape the future of energy of infrastructure with us.

Contact
Build Informed

Build Informed

Elestor

Elestor

Heptasense

Heptasense

Insolights

Insolight

NanoSun

Ionomor

IONOMR

Origami

Origami

Planys

PLANYS

Swimsol

Swimsol

NanoSun

NanoSun

Hydromea

Contact us

Katharina Stiedl VERBUND X Katharina Stiedl

VERBUND

Send email

Team_Edward Feltmann Edward Feltmann

VERBUND

Send email

Next teaser Previous teaser
VERBUND X Accelerator

Demo Day 2023: 7 successful collaborations and a 100% success rate

All seven start-ups delivered convincing pitches, proving they have the answers to some of the most critical challenges of our time. Together with their corporate partners, the teams are now detailing their further collaboration and scaling of their projects. We are already excited to see them make a positive impact on our future. Thank you, Batch 3! See you soon, Batch 4!