At the Starter Acceleration program, a project that brings together all EDP acceleration programs under a single umbrella, has extended the startup registration deadline until May 13. Startups can register at edpstarter.com/acceleration.

At the program also welcomed a new partner: American Electric Power. One of the largest energy companies in the US, AEP is joining EDP’s Starter Acceleration Program to find innovative technology startups working with applications for the energy value chain. The initiative is also backed by the ACE and LMarks accelerators, which specialize in innovation and entrepreneurship.

After the success of the EDP Open Innovation and EDP Starter Brazil and Spain projects, the group has decided to create the Starter Acceleration Program. The Starter Acceleration Program will have modules in Latin America, North America and Europe. The final will take place at the Web Summit, in Lisbon.

“EDP Brazil has been developing a local entrepreneur ecosystem for the past two years. With the global reach of the Starter program developed by ACE and LMarks, we will have a significant opportunity to reach out to incredible startups around the world. This is an exciting opportunity to discover new solutions for the energy sector”, said Livia Brando, executive manager of Strategy, Innovation and Ventures at EDP Brazil.

This year’s edition will be scouring the world for startups and the program will now have modules focusing on three separate regions - Europe (Madrid, Spain), Latin America (São Paulo, Brazil) and North America (Houston, USA) - regions where EDP has a strong market presence and recognized experience in Innovation. 10 startups will be selected for each module. They will undergo a week of immersion to develop pilot projects alongside EDP and AEP, with support from Company experts and mentorship from the accelerators. This stage will end with a Demoday, where the startups will make their pitch. The startups with the greatest potential will be invited to the final event at the November Web Summit, in Lisbon. The startups reaching this phase will have a stand at the Web Summit, Europe’s largest innovation, entrepreneurship and technology event, where they will be able to market solutions and prospect for new business opportunities. The top ranked startup will win 50 thousand Euros.

At the Starter Acceleration Program is looking for projects in seven categories, in line with EDP’s strategic areas,: Clean Energies, Customer-centric Solutions, Digital Innovation, Energy Storage, Smart Grids, Innovation in Internal Processes and Access to Energy. Startups will be supported throughout the program and will have access to mentorship from innovation specialists across the world and EDP Ventures analyses of potential investments.

At the program’s first module will take place in Madrid at the end of June; followed by São Paulo in July; and Houston in September.

About EDP Brazil

EDP has over 20 years’ experience and is one of the biggest private-sector companies operating across the entire value chain. The company has over 10,000 direct and indirect staff and is involved in energy Generation, Distribution, Transmission, Sales and Services. The company has six hydro power plants and one thermal power station that serve around 3.4 million people in the states of São Paulo and Espírito Santo. The Company recently acquired a majority stake in CELESC, from Santa Catarina. In Brazil, the company is noted for its Innovation, Governance and Sustainability and has been included in the B3 Business Sustainability Index (BSI) for 13 consecutive years.

About AEP

American Electric Power is located in Columbus, Ohio, and focuses on both building a smarter energy infrastructure and providing new personalized energy technologies and solutions to customers. Approximately 18,000 AEP employees operate and maintain the largest energy transmission system in the United States, with over 219,000 miles of distribution lines that provides safe and reliable energy to approximately 5.4 million regulated customers in 11 states. AEP is also one the country’s greatest electricity producers, with approximately 32,000 megawatts in diverse generation capacity, including 4,300 megawatts in renewable energy. The AEP Group includes the AEP Ohio, AEP Texas, Appalachian Power (Virginia and West Virginia), AEP Appalachian Power (Tennessee), Indiana Michigan Power, Kentucky Power, Public Service Company Oklahoma, e Southwestern Electric Power Company (Arkansas, Louisiana, East Texas and Texas Panhandle) units. AEP also controls AEP Energy, from AEP Energy Partners, AEP OnSite Partners and AEP Renewables, providing competitive and innovative energy solutions throughout the country.

About ACE

ACE has been an entrepreneurship ecosystem pioneer since 2012, focusing on helping startups and major companies to become exponential organizations. Between consultancy and investment, the company portfolio includes over 600 business owners, 250 accelerated startups, 55 innovation programs and 30 of the world’s biggest corporations. It operates globally across a variety of markets, including health and finance, working with companies such as Google, BTG, Natura, Itau and others.

About L Marks

L Marks is one of the foremost consultants in applied innovation and has created the UK’s largest network of business accelerators. It has also launched over 50 innovation programs across Europe, Israel, Japan and the US. It works with some of the world’s biggest brands, including BMW, Lloyd of London, Arsenal and British Airways, to identify their challenges and transform them into growth opportunities. Its collaborative and results-oriented programs offer information and access to startups. These programs also bring its pioneering technologies to companies to help improve their operations and entrepreneurial spirit, as well as the customer experience.