For Start-ups

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

VERBUND X: Strong Partner stand together.

Kickstart your partnership with industry leaders

Our platform unites Europe's biggest industry players, innovative start-ups, and the venture capital community. Together we accelerate new solutions and make smart, fast decisions for a better world.

As an integral component of our accelerator program, we establish connections between you and the perfect use case partner. This collaboration allows the realization of pilot projects and fosters sustainable business growth. On top of that, we facilitate connections between you and the venture capital community in Europe.

Reach your next level

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.

Venture Capital Access

Validate the feasibility of your business and attract a potential investor to join your journey.

Search fields of our Batch #4

Together with our use case and venture capital partners, we identified 4 search fields for the batch #4. 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. Apply now!

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.

Cross industry generative AI solutions

We are seeking AI solutions to enhance efficiency in various business areas, focusing on:

Corporate knowledge management & content creation within a secure data environment

We are seeking AI-powered solutions that encompass efficient information search and retrieval, automated knowledge categorization and tagging, collaborative knowledge creation and editing, and personalized content recommendations. These solutions should also aid in extracting knowledge from unstructured data sources like documents, emails, and chat logs. Furthermore, we are interested in AI tools that leverage a secure corporate knowledge management database for content creation.

The ideal software would employ AI capabilities to generate high-quality content, automate writing, editing, and proofreading tasks, provide creative suggestions, enhance content ideation, optimize content for different platforms and target audiences, improve SEO performance, ensure consistency, and brand voice across content channels, as well as analyze customer feedback and summarize important topics from sales and employee chats. Finally, we are also looking for AI tools to support in recruiting.

Contract management

Our focus is on software that can automate contract categorization, identify common and unique terms within contracts, and facilitate contract generation. We are interested in solutions that leverage AI to streamline the contract review process, extract key information, assist in contract drafting and generation as well as support risk assessment, fraud defense, summarize changes in regulatory documents and answer questions from large amounts of legal documents. These solutions must additionally assist in deriving insights from unorganized data sources such as documents, emails, and chat logs.

Energy market intelligence - Matching of energy price fluctuations with triggers of price changes

We seek an AI-powered tool that analyzes historical energy prices on the intraday, day-ahead and futures market, matching them with triggers of price developments. By leveraging information channels like news outlets, geopolitical news publications, market assessments (reports, comments...), market data (time series, prices...) and changed framework conditions (laws, regulations...), this tool identifies relevant content that could potentially impact energy prices. The tool extracts key information from diverse sources and cross-references it with historical price data to identify correlations and trigger points. Results are sorted by relevance, allowing users to explore triggers and associated content, empowering them to make informed decisions in the complex energy market landscape.

Corporate Partners: VERBUND, VERBUND Energy4Business, Elevator Lab, MAGNA Powertrain and Österreichische Post (supported by Microsoft)

Keywords: Generative artificial intelligence, knowledge management, data tagging & classification, customer support, content creation, contract management, contract compliance, data security, energy market intelligence, energy price development, triggers of price developments

Solutions for vehicle-to-grid (V2G) applications

We are interested in comprehensive hardware and software solutions that enable vehicle-to-grid (V2G) applications. Regarding software solutions, our primary focus is on energy trading platforms, integration solutions for V2G & solutions for certificate management, AI-powered services for optimizing energy consumption and supporting grid stability, as well as transaction solutions including easy-to-integrate billing systems. Additionally, we have a particular interest in V2G software solutions that offer real-time monitoring of charge status and battery health. Furthermore, another essential feature is the matching of mobility data to grid data or grid utilization, considering future high loads caused by charging cycles and charging frequency.

In terms of hardware technologies, we are seeking technical solutions such as wallboxes, charging stations, intelligent hardware add-ons, and retrofitting devices that facilitate bidirectional charging.

Corporate Partners: VERBUND, VERBUND Energy4Business and MAGNA Powertrain

Keywords: Vehicle2Grid, smart charging, charging software, charging hardware, intelligent charging, bi-directional charging

EV infrastructure & e-mobility - new business models around EV charging

Venture Capital Investment Case

We are seeking investment opportunities in startup solutions that offer innovative approaches and new business models around EV charging, infrastructure, and e-mobility to address the challenges and opportunities in the rapidly growing EV market. Specifically, we are interested in startups that are developing new business models centered around EV charging, such as smart charging solutions that optimize infrastructure utilization, charging-as-a-service (CaaS) models that provide comprehensive charging solutions, vehicle-to-grid (V2G) integration for energy storage and grid services, and mobile and on-demand charging solutions to cater to the needs of shared mobility services. We prioritize startups with scalable and differentiated offerings, technological innovation, and a strong understanding of the evolving regulatory landscape in this sector.

Venture Capital Partners: VERBUND Ventures, Elevator Lab and Speedinvest

Keywords: E-mobility, EV charging, e-mobility business models, charging-as-a-service, V2G, V2X, shared mobility services, charging solutions

Solutions and technologies for energy efficiency in buildings and energy management systems

Venture Capital Investment Case

We are looking to invest in startups that provide innovative approaches for energy efficiency in buildings and energy management systems. One potential use case involves the development of smart building automation platforms that seamlessly integrate data analytics, IoT sensors, and machine learning algorithms to optimize energy consumption, indoor comfort, and operational efficiency. We are also interested in affordable and scalable energy retrofitting solutions for existing buildings, utilizing advanced materials, insulation techniques, and energy-efficient appliances. Additionally, we seek user-friendly energy management apps or platforms that provide real-time energy monitoring, personalized energy-saving recommendations, and remote control of building systems. These solutions empower building owners and occupants to make informed decisions, track energy usage, and achieve substantial energy and cost savings.

Venture Capital Partners: VERBUND Ventures, Elevator Lab, Speedinvest

Keywords: Energy efficiency software in buildings, smart building automation platforms, energy retrofitting solutions, energy management apps or platforms, real-time energy monitoring, personalized energy-saving recommendations

Your journey with the VERBUND X Accelerator Batch #4

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

Application Phase until August 31st 2023

Get your application ready - we are exited to hear about your innovative solutions!
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 September 11th to 15th, 2023.

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.
In our three-day innovation camp, you get to work with corporate partners on how you will test and implement your pilot project. The camp will be part of VERBUND's energy summit inspire.

Innovation Camp from September 27th to 29th 2023

In our three-day innovation camp, you get to work with corporate partners on how you will test and implement your pilot project. The camp will be part of VERBUND's energy summit inspire.
Now it´s time to showcase that your solution really creates an impact by building prototypes and quickly iterating to create value.

Acceleration Phase from October 2023 till January 2024

Now it´s time to showcase that your solution really creates an impact by building prototypes and quickly iterating to create value.
This is your time to shine: present your fantastic work and showcase the results to our partner network.

Demo Day is on January 17th 2024

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 a few months later

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

Our Partners

Magna Powertrain

Österreichische Post

Elevator Lab

Together with our Use Case Partners we define specific search fields, such as V2G applications or generative AI, for which the VERBUND X Accelerator team actively seeks out start-ups. We carefully select start-ups that align with these topics and proceed to initiate proof-of-concept projects that have the potential to evolve into collaborative partnerships.

Contact

Austrian Institut Of Technology

Microsoft

ÖBAG

OMV

Our Community Partners will be involved in key events of the program as guests and can also play an expert and mentoring role for start-ups and other partners. But they are not involved in decision-making in the Selection and Acceleration Phases of the program.

Contact

VERBUND Ventures

Elevator Ventures

Speedinvest

Gain access to venture capital, showcase your capabilities, and validate the impact you can achieve with their innovative solutions. Our Venture Capital Partners are involved in the selection process of potential investments for their respective search fields.

Contact

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.

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Our success stories

We have already facilitated more than 25 successful pilot projects in our first three 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.

Here is what our start-up alumnis say

“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

"The Verbund X Accelerator was an impressive and well-organised accelerator programme that created a clear and interesting opportunity for us as an early stage startup to test our product and whether working with corporates would be a good route forward."

Kristian Yde Agerbo, Lun Energy