What the EnergyNext Program is all about

This program runs every year looking to facilitate engagement between startups and large Australian corporates to transform the local energy industry and help with the energy transition.

So why is this so important? In the interview Richard Simpson, the Managing Director of the EnergyNext program, mentioned “Well have you looked at any newspapers recently? We're in a bit of an energy crisis. The transition from fossil fuels to renewables, is a massive undertaking. It's probably going to take us 20 to 30 years to do that. We need to investigate new infrastructure, new fuel sources, different methods of data gathering, basically a whole industry has to be redesigned in about 30 years.”

This is an urgent matter and it’s crucial we take action now whilst we still have time to turn things around.

The energy transition, however, is a huge issue with many different components that need to change. That’s why each year we choose a specific focus. This year, the main focus is sustainability, circular economy, industrial energy efficiency, renewables, and transportation to align with our new energy partners that includes two energy retailers and a fleet management company.

We are now working closely with them to manage their expectations, goals and what they want to look at. Since Australia is already starting to make rapid changes in light of new government legislation it is only fitting that we look to find startups that are going to pave the way in this domain.

In the electric vehicle (EV) industry for example, laws are already being passed to make it cheaper for businesses to have an EV. The government is also now looking into bringing California-style vehicle emissions on traditional diesel and petrol engines. So these changes are already happening and we expect to see this accelerate even further within the next 2-3 years. In light of this we have decided to incorporate several companies into this year’s cohort that focus very specifically on the EV landscape, since this is an up and coming area that will see massive progress in the next few years.

Throughout the program, it’s not just about the large corporations working with the startups in isolation. There is a major role that mentors, industry experts and angel investors all play to help drive forward collaboration and progress.

First and foremost, mentors allow us to spread the influence net much wider and the experience that mentors can bring to those individual startups is invaluable. At the same time mentors get to share their knowledge with passionate startups and be part of changing the industry for the better.

Investors are also critical to the startups success. Not only can they provide much needed access to capital, but also invaluable mentorship and expertise to prepare the startups for investment.

And for the investors, there are many benefits of being around the ecosystem as well. Each investor has their own reasons for getting involved whether it be for financial reasons, as part of their philanthropic responsibility or just to be around ground-breaking global startups to get to know the industry better.

Either way, by getting involved with the startups they are making a direct contribution to this huge and desperately needed shift towards clean energy and sustainability. By passing down invaluable market knowledge and providing the funding these startups need to progress, they will be opening the doors for these startups to make waves in the energy and sustainability industry and helping pave the way towards a cleaner more sustainable future for generations to come.

The program is all about accelerating the energy transition for a cleaner and more sustainable future. And it’s the collaboration between the different innovators, from startups to corporations to investors and mentors that will make that possible.

Interested in getting involved? Sign up here to be a mentor: https://www.startupbootcamp.com.au/about/mentoring#apply-now