AXEL Accelerator: Innovations for many areas of the energy transition

Twelve startups are being mentored by the Karlsruhe-based energy accelerator AXEL in the Team Training program.

The task of AXEL, the energy accelerator in Karlsruhe, is to provide comprehensive support to creative start-ups on their way, because it is sometimes a long and rocky process from an innovative idea to marketable development. In this context, AXEL experts offer precise support within the scope of the state campaign “Start-up BW”, take care of founders in all entrepreneurial areas, accompany them from the product idea to the successful implementation.

Energy-rich and creative ideas are particularly in focus: many international start-ups applied for a place in the current program: “Twelve are now in the AXEL Team Training Program,” says Christos Klamouris, Senior Project Manager at the energy network fokus.energie e.V., which is responsible for supporting the start-up teams as part of the AXEL Startup Accelerator Program.

Innovative ideas in view

The founders’ topics include a digital development environment for hydrogen engines, a small wind turbine, a catalyst for innovation in the PV industry, hydrogen heating, refurbishing vehicle batteries for home use, a platform for participation in renewable energy projects, a power boost for decarbonized electricity generation, 3D-printed wind turbines, green hydrogen, steam generation with significantly reduced energy consumption, improving cooling efficiency, and a new battery development.

Internationality is visible

“We again have international startups in the program, this time also including three teams from Ukraine,” says Klamouris, who has been supporting startups with experienced hardware, energy and marketing experts since December 2017 at AXEL as a special accelerator for energy: “This way, we can target the needs of the respective teams with active support, and also integrate them into our professional network in and beyond the Karlsruhe technology region.” It is also particularly pleasing in this batch that five of the participating teams are mixed teams, making the topic of “female founders” more visible in the energy sector as well.

“Demo Day” as a showcase for innovations

Until November 3, the “Team Training” will focus on developing the business models of the young start-ups – and then the teams will present themselves to a jury from the fields of banking, energy, research, start-ups and science at the “Demo Day”. There are then special insights into the work and ideas of the start-ups – and it is about topics such as degree of innovation, technical development, market interest and the business model.

Info: AXEL, the accelerator with a 100% focus on energy, has so far been able to accompany more than 120 teams with around 250 founders in terms of entrepreneurial thinking and action in practice with support from the state campaign “Start-up BW”. It is gratifying to note that the teams we support sometimes develop rapidly, receive awards and have long been included in rankings. Info on the selected teams at www.axel.energy