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One of Australia’s leading clean tech startup accelerators EnergyLab will give its cohort more global exposure to new connections, customers, capital and resources thanks to a partnership announced today with California-based New Energy Nexus (NEX).
The Sydney-based clean energy entrepreneur support organisation, which connects talented founders to the mentors, advisors, partners, peers and investors they need to succeed, has an extensive alumni base including Wattwatchers, Bloom and The Good Car Company.
The deal will boost the Australian climate startup ecosystem and provide a pathway for overseas innovators to enter Australia, bringing in more talent as Australia’s clean energy transition takes off.
“We are so excited to announce our partnership with New Energy Nexus. This collaboration will help us to create a systematic approach to supporting Australian entrepreneurs who want to explore and ultimately expand their startups internationally,” EnergyLab CEO Megan Fisher said.
“We are also beyond proud to share with the global community the amazing startups that have played a role in building one of the most highly penetrated residential solar markets in the world.”
Partnering with NEX, which operates across 11 countries, will give start-ups in EnergyLabs’ portfolio a global reach unparalleled in Australia and the Pacific.
“We can’t wait to watch the magic happen as all these entrepreneurs are set loose on the US, Southeast Asian and Indian markets. The levels of experience and creativity evident in Australian offerings can help these regions to accelerate the mass adoption of clean distributed energy, of which Australia is an under-recognised leader,” New Energy Nexus CEO Danny Kennedy said.
“Politicians talked a lot about Australia being a clean energy superpower. These startups are doing it, and New Energy Nexus is going to help EnergyLab take them to the world.”
Although Australia is currently the third-largest exporter of fossil fuels, it has a clean energy innovation hub that plays a critical role in the global energy transition. It is a pioneer of big batteries and renewable energy zones and has a digitalised electricity network and competitive electricity market.
It is hoped that products and services soon to be released in the Australian market will play a significant role in the US and also in emerging economies.
“There is so much happening in the renewable space in Australia, it is a very interesting market, and we've had lots of interest from start-ups overseas wanting to come and pilot and work with companies in Australia. So the new energy nexus partnership is going to allow us to do that in a more formalised way,” Fisher said.
Kennedy believes Australia is teaching the world about energy transition by supporting amazing companies and is encouraging energy businesses to get involved and take advantage of the connections this partnership can offer.
“Ozzie clean energy start-ups should definitely look at EnergyLab’s various scale-up and accelerator programmes, but with that, you can get a boost and come to landing pad programmes around the world in Southeast Asia, America and the rest of the world through New Energy Nexus,” he said.
During the past 12 months, EnergyLab and NEX have piloted the concept with Sydney-based tech business Infravision, which helps electric utilities accelerate power grid modernisation with drone-enabled power line upgrades.
Infravision has benefited from the connections to major investors and partners to support their entry into the North American transmission and distribution upgrade market facilitated through NEX.
“We have benefited greatly from New Energy Nexus’ support, landing on an approved vendor list for a major North American utility and securing financial backing to help us enter the international market, all based on our track record of success in Australia,” Infravision co-founder and director Chris Cox said.
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