Digital platform builds the energy business of tomorrow

Technology developments and decentralised energy supply pose considerable challenges to the industry, while start-ups and new entrants from other sectors can offer opportunities or even substitute and disrupt the business of established energy companies.

“Utilities have two choices - either to connect with the disrupters of the energy business or be disrupted,” highlighted Robert Schwarz, Principal at Pöyry Management Consulting.

It is essential for them to monitor the industry trends and ideas to stay ahead of the game.

In the past, utilities have been launching international incubators or using open innovation platforms to find new solutions. As more effective measures are now needed, they are sourcing disruptive ideas and solutions from the international and digital startup community. However, finding the best ideas and business cases can be a time consuming challenge.

With Pöyry Innovation Link, utilities or venture capital investors have easy access to a marketplace-evaluated energy ecosystem and approximately 500 energy related startups in more than 20 countries. The platform helps them to connect with startups, monitor innovation landscape and foster new energy related ideas.

Juliane Schulze, Head of Vattenfall's Open-Innovation-Platform green: field appreciates the functionality and content of the service, said: "Pöyry Innovation Link is easy to use and a very efficient way to identify fruitful ideas for green: field."

The platform also adds value to startups. Ewald Hesse, CEO of Grid Singularity said: "Pöyry Innovation Link connects founders with the industry while helping to communicate our new business ideas in the market - a true link."

Pöyry Innovation Link offers:

• An exhaustive, up-to-date startup profile database that aggregates public information and Pöyry insights
• A focused and efficient search engine to narrow down the dynamic startup landscape and identify desirable partners that match strategic business goals
• Innovation categories that simplify the process of discovering emerging trends in the industry
• Search functionality by business stages, categories, markets and business challenges.

Companies have a free, limited access to test the service and its business benefits. By entering the subscription-based community, they will get the full advantage of the insight and strategic data in the database.