Brazilian startups were present in the first edition of Free Electrons, a global acceleration program held by EDP Brasil - a company engaged in energy generation, trading, services and supply - in partnership with seven other global utilities. Altogether, 24 Brazilian startups applied, competing for a spot among the 12 companies to be selected for the next stage.

451 startups from 51 countries applied. 143 applications came from the United States, followed by Ireland with 30 applications, Australia with 27, Brazil with 24, and Portugal with 16.

In early April the program will announce the 12 startups that will undergo three acceleration modules in Silicon Valley (San Francisco, US), Lisbon and Dublin (Europe), and Singapore. With a duration of one week each, the modules will focus on "customer adoption" by the utilities. The best-ranking team in all modules will also receive a prize of Û50,000.

"Brazil was the fourth country with the most applications, which once again shows the vigor of Brazilian startups. As part of its strategy of monitoring the Brazilian and international entrepreneurial ecosystem, EDP is trying to get in touch with companies that will contribute to the transformation of the energy sector," says EDP Strategy and Innovation Manager Livia Brando.

In January, EDP joined seven other utilities from countries such as Australia, Singapore, Germany, the US and the UAE to create the consortium that launched the Free Electrons global acceleration program, which seeks to recruit startups that will drive the next generation of ideas in clean energy, energy efficiency, electrical mobility, digitalization, and customer support services.

Free Electron is the result of a partnership between eight international companies: AusNet Services, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), ESB (Electricity Supply Board), EDP (Energias de Portugal), Innogy, Origin Energy, Singapore Power (SP) and Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO). The initiative also has the support of business accelerators New Energy Nexus and Swissnex San Francisco.

Free Electrons

An advantageous approach for both parties

The companies and accelerators involved in the Free Electrons program are committed to creating a future in which energy is smart, clean, and accessible to all. The purpose of the initiative is to help startups in the energy sector improve their products and services, test them, and develop a global customer portfolio. To that end, the partners will offer access to their knowledge, resources and customer portfolios in exchange for investment and partnership opportunities.

The program partners are leaders in the ongoing shift to cleaner energy solutions in more than 40 countries, representing about US$148 billion in revenue and allowing entrepreneurs access to more than 73 million end-customers worldwide.

EDP and Entrepreneurship

The EDP Group, through its Innovation Ecosystem and the EDP Open Innovation program, has been supporting entrepreneurship in the energy sector since 2007. To that end, the company has several corporate tools, such as EDP Ventures (corporate venture capital fund) and EDP Starter (business incubation program), and sponsors various pilot and demonstration projects through programs such as ANEEL R&D, among others.