Shell launches second cohort of start-ups under its E4 Programme

Bengaluru: Riding on the success of the first cohort of the E⁴ (Energizing and Enabling Energy Entrepreneurs) programme in 2018, Shell has announced its second cohort of start-ups under the E⁴ aegis, to further strengthen its position as a partner of choice for energy-sector entrepreneurs in the country. After rigorous examination and evaluation of hundreds of startups, eight startups have been selected to be incubated at the Shell Technology Centre Bangalore (STCB). The companies selected in the second cohort are diverse in backgrounds and domains, which include Battery Management, Digital - AR/VR, Mobility Solutions, Logistics, Energy Management, Operations Efficiency and Energy IOT Applications with interesting business models and differentiated product offerings. Each start-up has a strong connect with Shell’s businesses and will play an integral role in fostering the development of technologies for current and emerging operations at Shell.

Shell has successfully ramped up its E⁴ programme in India. From offering a single track for early stage start-ups in 2018, the E⁴ programme now offers five tracks in 2019, namely: 1) Growth track (early/mid stage start-ups); 2) Scale up track (mid/late stage start-ups); 3) International track (foreign start-ups entering India); 4) Women Entrepreneur track and 5) Focus track bringing together groups of start-ups in key areas such as E-Mobility, Digital, Renewable Energy, Waste to Fuel, among others.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Nitin Prasad, Chairman, Shell Companies in India, said, “After a successful cohort-1 of the E⁴ programme, which graduated during our Shell E4 demo day last year, we are happy to announce that eight start-ups have been selected as part of the second cohort. We are scaling up by launching five tracks, to accommodate around 30 start-ups annually. Launched in 2017, the objective of the E⁴ programme is to play a key role in accelerating technologies that fit with India’s energy transition and the businesses operating in the country. By partnering with a diverse set of energy start-ups across the entire value chain, we aim to give back to the ecosystem by becoming the ‘partner of choice’, leading the energy transition in India.”

These start-ups will be incubated at a vibrant co-working space for six months at STCB, one of Shell’s three global innovation hubs. Subsequently these startups will graduate from Shell at E⁴Demo Day – India’s largest entrepreneurship event held exclusively for the energy sector where the Shell E⁴ companies showcase themselves to key stakeholders in the energy start-up ecosystem.

In February 2018, Shell selected the first cohort of five start-ups – Detect Technologies, ION Energy, IoTrek, Trashcon and Ossus Bio-renewables. These companies are working on a diverse range of solutions, including real-time pipeline monitoring, creating safer and smarter infrastructure and outdoor work sites, automating segregation of municipal solid waste, recovering green chemicals from waste water and building energy storage systems, and infrastructure for electric vehicles. The start-ups are successfully integrating technologies like IoT and Artificial Intelligence within their core products. These startups, which graduated in September 2018, will continue their partnership with Shell through various collaborations for the development and growth of the energy sector in India.

The startups under the second cohort will undergo an intense acceleration program providing:

• Expert Sessions - One-to-many sessions followed by one-on-one interactions to define action plan for the growth journey.
• Executive Series – Successful entrepreneurs and industry leaders will have candid conversations with the program cohort, sharing their journey and experiences.
• Founders Social - Every month cohort founders will interact with a curated set of interesting entrepreneurs and investors at an informal setting.
• Mentoring- dedicated mentor who will guide the startup throughout their program journey and beyond. Access to Shell experts and partners for industry knowledge and SME.

About Shell in India:

Shell is one of the most diversified international energy company in India with over 7000 employees, 200,000 retail customers and a 250 - strong distribution network. It brings world-class energy solutions across traditional, new energies and its derivatives to individuals and enterprises. Shell’s Lubricants business is active across the full lubricant supply chain - manufacturing base oils, blending base oils with additives to make finished lubricants, and distributes, markets and sells lubricants in over 100 countries. Shell’s retail presence in India spans five states – Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Maharashtra and Gujarat. Shell operates a LNG re-gasification terminal at Hazira in a joint venture with Total. Through its subsidiary, BG Exploration and Production India Limited, Shell holds a 30% interest in, and is joint operator of the Panna - Mukta oil and gas fields. India is home to Shell’s world class centres carrying out operations, IT and innovation mandates in Bangalore and Chennai. The company is nurturing a vibrant ecosystem in India to accelerate energy innovations with the Shell E⁴ programme for startups, and investments in new energy companies like Cleantech Solar, Husk Power. Shell remains committed to making positive contributions to the communities in which we operate through NXplorers, Access to Energy and Road Safety across India. Visit Shell E4 and follow @shell_India to know how we are redefining the energy space.

Enquiries

Rupali Pant
Senior Account Executive, Edelman India
rupali.pant@edelman.com / +91-8377860539

Notes to Editors

About Cohort 2 Start-ups:

Mobycy

MOBYCY is helping solve India’s last mile connectivity problem during daily commutes between home and office by providing specially designed electric scooters – Zypp; and cycles which can be found on the Mobycy app and unlocked by scanning a QR code to start the ride. Their proprietary keyless lock solution can convert any bike or scooter into a smart scooter and they already have 200K + users registered on their app.

RightWatts

RightWatts is developing a machine intelligence platform that reduces total cost of operations for industries and critical buildings, such as hotels, hospitals and data centres. Using patent pending technology, the platform determines avenues for achieving 10-30% operational efficiency with direct financial correlation to production losses & energy wastage. With an integrated workflow system, the platform also gives all necessary tools to run a facility efficiently.

Ziptrax

Ziptrax aims to provide low cost, infinitely serviceable battery energy storage to the masses by re-purposing Li-ion batteries for 2nd use applications such as E-mobility and Energy Storage. Based on Ziptrax's proprietary Machine Learning technology, product hardware, intelligent plug-and-play SaaS, Ziptrax Batteries provide benefits of Li-Ion Battery but at the price of a lead acid Battery.

igrenEnergi

Viability of EVs is limited by price and performance of batteries. igrenEnergi has developed a breakthrough Battery Management System which extends EV viability, by improving battery performance and enabling beneficial usage models. igrenEnergi's BMS uses proprietary deep-tech innovations which combine advanced power electronics, edge-computing algorithms and IoT + cloud- based intelligence. There unique approach to managing mismatch between cells and modules of a battery enables potential 20-40% improvement in range, cycle life, and efficiency of batteries. 

TresMoto

TresMoto is re-imagining the future of mobility. Their first offering is a plug and play scooter for dock-less rental and micro-delivery service providers. These are purpose built, connected scooters supported by modern day services and sub-systems. They have unique innovations in their designs and development which lets them price their products at par with petrol vehicles in the same segment.

Manastu Space

Satellites currently carry a highly toxic and carcinogenic propellant which will be banned by 2021 internationally. Manastu Space has designed a green propulsion system consisting of hydrogen peroxide based green propellant, engine associated with it and catalyst providing 40x less toxicity, 25% higher performance, resulting in up to 30% cost savings for satellite manufacturers.

AutoVRse

AutoVRse helps enterprises develop VR/AR experiences used for design reviews, as sales tools, in experiential marketing and for virtual training. They provide premium VR/AR content with industry best turnaround times by leveraging workflow with automated 3D model optimisation, proprietary lighting workflow and photorealistic library of materials and textures. Customers include firms like Bosch, John Deere, Fidelity and Abbott across India, Singapore, Australia, Germany and USA.

LogisticsNow

LogisticsNow is building the Digital Backbone of global Logistics to help customers develop a stronger technology enabled transportation and logistics business. Their initial focus is on emerging markets like India, where there are significant challenges in terms of lack of business visibility, utilization, transparency and payments. LogisticsNow provides advanced analytics, leading to better fleet utilization, service and cost savings.