Elia and Accelerace join forces to help start-ups grow in the electricity sector

The Belgian electricity transmission system operator Elia and the no. 1. seed-accelerator in Europe, Accelerace, have joined forces to nurture innovations and help ambitious European start-ups to grow in the high voltage electricity sector.   The energy landscape is in a transition driven by renewable energy and a continuous rise of new digital solutions. Many digital solutions are today created by super-charged start-ups with the potential to shock an industry. In a new partnership between Belgian electricity transmission system operator Elia and the accelerator program Accelerace, new digital-focused start-ups within the electricity industry get the best opportunities to grow into scalable businesses. The partnership will ultimately help start-ups fuel their growth trajectory by providing them with access to expertise, network and industry-specific knowledge. Manoël Rekinger, Strategic Partnership Manager from Elia, says: “Driven by the growth of renewable energy sources and the rise of digital technologies, the energy landscape is in transformation. Tomorrow, the consumer will have an ever more active role to play as a ‘prosumer’. This will offer opportunities to existing but also new actors. By joining forces, Elia and Accelerace aim to provide the necessary support and technical expertise to nurture innovations and help start-ups grow in the electricity sector.” Start-up innovations on the grid Elia operates in the areas of electricity system operation, infrastructure management and market facilitation, and has a special focus on upgrading and maintaining the grid to integrate more renewable energy while safeguarding the security of supply. Jes Nordentoft, Business Accelerator & Investment Manager at Accelerace, says: “Elia is a visionary leader in the energy revolution and we are eager to use the expertise in Accelerace to match Elia with start-ups that can help solve the challenges of the energy system of tomorrow.” The new corporation is especially interesting for start-ups with digital solutions within the high voltage energy industry. Read more on www.elia.be and https://accelerace.io/innovation/ Press contacts: Kathleen Iwens, Corporate Reputation Manager at Elia, mail: Kathleen.Iwens@elia.be, phone: +32 2 546 75 11 Jes Nordentoft, Business accelerator and investment manager at Accelerace, mail: jno@accelerace.io, phone +45 3089 7869 About Elia The Elia Group is organised around two electricity transmission system operators (TSOs): Elia Transmission in Belgium and – together with Industry Funds Management (IFM) –50Hertz Transmission, one of the four German TSOs, active in the north and east of Germany. With more than 2,300 employees and a transmission grid comprising some 18,300 km of high-voltage connections serving 30 million end users, the Elia Group is one of Europe’s top five TSOs. It efficiently, reliably and securely transmits electricity from generators to distribution system operators and major industrial consumers, while also importing and exporting electricity from and to neighboring countries. The Group is a driving force behind the development of the European electricity market and the integration of energy generated from renewable sources.In addition to its TSO activities in Belgium and Germany, the Elia Group offers businesses a range of consultancy and engineering services through its subsidiary Elia Grid International (EGI). The Group operates under the legal entity Elia System Operator, a listed company whose core shareholder is the municipal holding company Publi-T.  www.elia.be   About Accelerace Accelerace is one of the world’s top 10 seed accelerators. Since 2008 Accelerace has spotted, trained and invested in more than 500 of the most promising Danish and international start-ups and growth companies. 88% of the companies are still on the market today. As part of the national Scale-up Denmark initiative Accelerace is scaling up start-ups within tech, foodtech, cleantech, life sciences and health care technologies through guidance and mentoring from skilled serial entrepreneurs, camps and network. Accelerace has invested in more than 69 promising startups, who have been through the Accelerace program and have started partnerships with Maersk, Novo Nordisk Foundation. Arla, Foss, NRGI, Business Lolland-Falster, Bang & Olufsen, SE, Endesa & Enel. Accelerace is also organizing the Nordic NOME (Nordic Mentor Network for Entrepreneurship) mentor network for life science startups. Read more on www.accelerace.io and www.nome.nu or via email: info@accelerace.dk]]>