xplor Startup Competition

Platform for new pioneers in the Swiss energy industry

Wanted: Startups from the Swiss energy industry

This competition is open to startups (in their foundation or growth phase) that develop products, services or digital business models for the energy sector.

Prices | Process | Participation package xplor | Entry conditions

Prices

The winner of the xplor Startup Competition will be invited to introduce their innovations at their own stand in the xplor Startup Village over the course of Powertage and present their ideas at the Speakers' Corner. A jury will select a total of 10 startups who will be awarded a spot.

Energy Startup Day – more opportunity

Thanks to a collaboration with the ZHAW, the Energy Startup Day will run in parallel with the Powertage event on 17 May 2022 and will take place in the same venue, Messe Zürich. Participating in the xplor Startup Competition comes with a few additional opportunities:

to take part in the Energy Startup Day
to join the Investor Speed Dating
to win one of three attractive startup prizes

Participating in the xplor Startup Competition

38 young entrepreneurs have applied for the xplor Startup Competition. The 10 winners will be selected by 4 April 2022 and will receive free participation in the xplor Startup Village. All applicants can also present themselves on the digital content platform.

Programme 17. May 2022 - Energy Startup Day

Breakfast & Welcome By invitation: Welcome & breakfast meeting with investors and selected startups	09:00 - 10:00 h, xplor Startup Village, hall 6
Startup & Investor Speed Dating By invitation: Selected Startups meet investors and finance experts	10:00 - 12:00 h, Congress rooms
Lunch Break & Time for the Powertage Exhibition Enjoy free lunch at the Powertage and use the time for networking and to visit the exhibition	12:00 - 14:00 h, hall 5 and 6
Energy Startup Day - Welcome & Keynote Dr. Christina Marchand will welcome you to the official start of the Energy Startup Day 2022. Keynote : Simone Riedel Riley, General Manager Technology Fund	14:00 - 14:20 h, hall 7
Pitching and Poster networking session Listen to Startup pitches, visit the poster fair and talk to startup founders. There will be lots of time for networking and exchange.	14:20 - 16:50 h, hall 7
Energy Startup Day Awards 2022 Energy Startup Day Awards 2022 Three Startups will be awarded with the Energy Startup Day Awards	16:55 - 17:00 h, hall 7
Apero & Networking & Fade out Stay for the final apero and enjoy informal networking.	17:00 - 18:00 h, hall 7

Programme Powertage 17 -19 May 2022: xplor Startup Village

Door opening, registration	daily from 8 am
Powertage forum: hall 7	daily from 9 - 11.30 am
Exhibition: hall 5 and 6	daily from 10 am - 5 pm
Innovation Pitches (xplor Startup Competition)	daily from 1.15 pm at xplor Startup Village

All Events

to the programme

Winner: Your appearance in the xplor Startup Village

The winners of the xplor Startup Competition will receive free stand space in the xplor Startup Village at the Powertage event.

The participation package includes:

stand space of approx. 3 m² in the xplor Startup Village
information desk, lettering, lighting, electricity
stand cleaning and waste disposal
stand construction and dismantling
2 exhibitor tickets
2 fee-based vouchers for guest day tickets
Basic package for the Powertage event platform
Communication (PR, advertising, Internet)
Use of the networking zone for exhibitors and visitors for the duration of the trade fair, food included
Liability insurance for personal and material damage as well as pure financial losses, with with a coverage amount of up to CHF 5 million
Property insurance for fire and natural damage up to a value of CHF 10.000.

to the application here

Image/graphic xplor startup competition.

Leap straight into the market

The Powertage trade fair provides the perfect place to meet the industry
The xplor Startup Village offers the opportunity for you to present your innovations, prototypes, products or services to a broad audience consisting of industry representatives, investors and experts
Attending as an exhibitor will give xou visibility and can be used for marketing purposes.
It entails little effort, as the infrastructure is organized and ready to use.

Entry conditions and evaluation process for startups

Every startup that meets the following entry conditions can participaate in the xplor Startup Competition for free until March 06, 2022:

You are a young company based in Switzerland, founded in the last 7 years (foundation or growth phase) or about to launch the company.
The business idea must be innovative and address a marekt-relevant need of the energy industry.
The submitted concepts, products, best practices or solutions must represent an integrated overall solution and make a sustainable contribution to the energy industry. The project must at least have been tested in practice.
It should harbor the potential for extraordinary grwoth.
The presented business idea must be suitable for the Powertage portfolio

FAQ

What award are there at the Energy Startup Day?

You can win one or more of the three awards, the Public, the Expert or the Investor's Choice Award. The Public Choice Award is determined by the participants of the Energy Startup Day, depending on the pitches. The Experts Choice Award is determined by a jury of innovation and energy experts and the Investors Choice Award goes to the startup that attracts most attention of the investors at the Investor-Speed-Dating. Each of the three winners will be featured on a podcast of the Swisspreneur Show.

What are the benefits of xplor?

With your application for the xplor Startup Competition you will receive a basic entry on the digital event platform of powertage.ch. In addition, you will receive comprehensive/relevant feedback from the jury on your pitch deck and the market opportunities of your innovation. The 10 winners of the xplor Startup Competition will receive the opportunity to present themselves free of charge at the Powertage for 3 days.

How much does the participation cost?

The participation is free for all startups that are accepted for the programm, the Energy Startup Day, XPLOR or the Investor Speed Dating.

How do we need to apply?

It is very easy. Just fill out the application form here and upload your pitch deck according to our given frame. That takes about 10 Minutes. Then you will be informed about the next steps.

How many startups can participate?

At the Energy Startup Day we accept around 40 Startups, 24 of them can pitch, all of them have a poster-stand. For the Investor Speed Dating about 25 startups will be accepted. Xplor offers 10 spots at their startup village.

How long do the events take?

The Energy Startup Day takes place on the 17.5. from 2 - 6 pm. You should arrive at least 30 minutes earlier and expect to stay a bit longer, as the apero might last until 7 pm. The Investor Speed Dating is on the 17.5. and starts at 9 am with a breakfast together with the investors. At 10 am sharp, the speed dating sessions start and last until about 12 am. Lunch will be offered for free at the powertage fair, which you can also visit. The Xplor Village runs during the whole three Powertage fair and it is expected that the choosen startups are at their stands from 9am-5 pm. You will be informed to which part you are accepted.

Duration xplor?

3 days (17.-19.5.) manned presence with an info counter in the xplor Startup Village, daily from 9 am - 5 pm. In addition, a small stage will be available to the startups for their presentation.

Who evaluates/screens the pitch documents?

All applications will be pre-selected by the startup rating company BV4 in accordance with the conditions of participation. Afterwards, all approved dossiers are handed over to the jury, which evaluates the innovation according to a predefined grid. Preference will be given to innovations that are of great importance to the electricity and energy industry.

What does the schedule look like?

Application deadline: 06.3.
Pre-selection: 4.3.
Dossiers to investors: 25.3.
Dossiers to jury. 25.3.
Announcement of ESD participants: 4.4.
Announcement of participants in xplor Startup Village: 4.4.

What does the basic entry contain?

An exhibitor profile and a maximum of 3 contributions in the form of text, video, image on powertage.ch. Migration to Powertage Hub after the live event. Exhibitor profile and contributions remain until the next fair on Powertage Hub.

Who are the contact persons?

ESD: Christina Marchand (mard@zhaw.ch)
xplor: Patricia Meier (patricia.meier@messe.ch)
Contributions to the powertage event platform: You will be contacted automatically by our content team.

When and how can the startups pitch at the Energy Startup Day?

This year the focus will be on the startup pitches. Around 20 of the estimated 40 Energy Startup Day startups will get the chance for a 2 min pitch in front of the audience. We will inform the accepted startups about the exact procedure and timing at least 3 weeks before the event.

What material should startups bring to the Energy Startup Day?

You will have access to a small round high table and a Pin Board of stanard size for a A1 Poster. We will provide a layout for the poster and you can then send it to us and we will print out all the poster. On the poster your busines model, products and other for collaboration important information should be displayed. We will inform the accepted startups about the exact procedure and timing at least 4 weeks before the event.