EDP and Abstartups join forces to foster the development of the national innovation ecosystem
This is the third year in a row of the partnership, seeking to stimulate the energy transition in the country through collaborations and investments in startups
EDP, a multinational that operates throughout the value chain of the electricity industry, has just renewed its partnership with Abstartups - Associação Brasileira de Startups, the largest network of startups in Brazil. Starting this month, both entities will start a series of activities that will contribute to the national innovation ecosystem and foster the development of companies that operate in the energy sector and entrepreneurial communities in the country. The development of the partnership will also include mentoring, workshops, events for startups, as well as participation in strategic committees for the market.
The Company will engage with Abstartups' associated entrepreneurs to map opportunities for its business units, in addition to evaluating financial contributions through EDP Ventures, the EDP Group's venture capital vehicle, which seeks to invest in companies that can speed up the transition in the country. Interested startups can find more information on the website: www.edpventures.vc. Tickets vary between R$ 1 million and R$ 5 million reais.
Another EDP initiative alongside Abstartups, the StartupON ES&MS, which aims to give visibility and foster communities of startups around Brazil, bringing specialized content to entrepreneurs, as well as connections and potential business opportunities. In this edition, which will be held virtually on April 27 and 28, the focus will be on the states of Espírito Santo and Mato Grosso do Sul. Interested companies can apply through the website: https://abstartups.com.br/startupon/
“The partnership with Abstartups is essential to expand our relationship with startups aligned with our business and that meet and complement our strategic challenges. We want to remain the most innovative company in the electricity industry, which is why we have been investing more and more in open innovation and in fostering the national entrepreneurial ecosystem”, says Andrea Salinas, director of Innovation and Ventures at EDP.
Open innovation at EDP
In addition to the partnership with Abstartups, EDP's Innovation and Ventures areas develop several programs and initiatives to support the entrepreneurial ecosystem. One of the best known in the market is the Starter Business Acceleration, EDP’s global open innovation program, which encourages the connection with startups and the generation of new businesses, as well as driving innovation in the energy sector.
In addition to the opportunity to present their solutions and co-create with the various areas of EDP in Brazil, Spain, the United States and Portugal, the startups are competing for a prize of 50 thousand euros, in addition to being assessed for the grant of an investment from EDP Ventures. Starter registrations are open until May 24th through this link: https://theenergystarter.com/pt/edicao-2021/.
In 2020, EDP Brasil connected 230 new startups in the country, 65 of them have moved forward to opportunities mapping and matchmaking sessions with business units, resulting in 20 innovation projects to test new solutions and business models.
About Abstartups
Founded in 2011, the Brazilian Association of Startups (Abstartups) is a non-profit entity that has more than 13,000 startups in its database and its mission is to promote the Brazilian startup ecosystem nationally and internationally, providing market information and activating the relevant agents to increase the competitiveness of Brazilian startups.
About EDP in Brazil
With over 20 years of experience, EDP is one of the largest private companies in the electricity sector operating throughout the value chain. The Company, which has over 10 thousand direct and outsourced employees, has six hydroelectric and one thermoelectric power plants, in addition to operating in Transmission, Marketing and Energy Services. In the Distribution, it serves approximately 3.5 million customers in São Paulo and Espírito Santo, in addition to being the main shareholder of Celesc, in Santa Catarina. In 2020, the company was elected as the most innovative in the electricity sector by the Valor Inovação ranking, of the Valor Econômico newspaper, and is a reference in Governance and Sustainability, having been on the B3 Corporate Sustainability Index (ISE) for 15 consecutive years.