Scale up Bootcamp lays the foundation for a sustainable partnership between Exnaton and CKW
07.02.2022
The Scale up Bootcamps provide startups with access to Swiss industry leaders to help accelerate growth. Liliane Ableitner, co-founder and CEO of Exnaton, and Andreas Uthmann, new business and innovation lead at CKW, participated in a Scale up Bootcamp earlier this year: During their 15-minute meeting, the two realized that they share common goals and that a collaboration would benefit both companies. Read our interview with Liliane and Andreas to learn more about their meeting that led to a partnership to improve sustainable energy efficiency in Switzerland.
 |
 |
The Scale up Bootcamps connect startups with Swiss industry leaders: In half-day matchmaking events, selected startups meet with hand-picked representatives of leading corporations in their vertical. During the exclusive one-on-one sessions, the entrepreneurs can set up unique business development opportunities such as pilot projects, partnerships, and investments.
Earlier this year, Exnaton co-founder and CEO Liliane Ableitner participated in a Scale up Bootcamp for startups advancing Sustainability, Circular Economy, and Cleantech, where she met Andreas Uthmann, new business and innovation lead at CKW, one of Switzerland’s leading service provider for energy, data, and infrastructure. For Liliane and Andreas, the meeting marked the beginning of a sustainable partnership.
Liliane and Andreas, could you tell us what your companies do?
Andreas: With about 2,100 employees, CKW is a leading provider of integrated energy, building technology, and infrastructure services. Our goal is to become the most digitized energy provider in Switzerland and support private and business customers on their journey into a green and smart energy future.
Liliane: Exnaton is a software provider for the management of renewable energy—we empower users to contribute to the energy transition. Our software services address utility companies that extend their portfolios with new innovative solutions around renewable energy. The first flagship service on our platform is the management of local energy communities in which neighbors share locally produced electricity with each other.
You met at a Scale up Bootcamp in May. Why did you participate in the event?
Andreas: The energy industry is undergoing a fundamental transformation driven by decentralization, decarbonization, and digitalization. To capture some of the growth opportunities, we always try to find the right mix of internal and external innovation. And the bootcamps offer a great opportunity to listen to and get in touch with potential partners from the startup ecosystem to collaborate and accelerate our growth initiatives.
Liliane: The Scale up Bootcamp focused on sustainability, circular economy, and cleantech. We were very happy to see such targeted events for climate-tech startups, and we directly knew this would be a great opportunity to meet up with relevant players in the market. Our objective was to talk to every present utility company, hear about ongoing initiatives in the energy sector, and learn about the upcoming needs of utility companies.
How did the bootcamp bring startups and corporations together?
Andreas: We came in late, so most scale-ups were already booked. Nevertheless, we managed to meet all the startups we were interested in. But first, we listened to the pitches, so we already had an idea of whom to meet and what critical questions to discuss. Exnaton managed to impress us within a couple of minutes with their energy community solution, so we decided to engage in a follow-up meeting for a deep dive very soon.
Liliane: As Andreas just mentioned, CKW came in late, but we instantly knew we wanted to get the chance to talk to CKW in the one-to-one speed-dating round. So, I messaged Andreas right away, and he instantly accepted our meeting. In a 15-minute session, we briefly exchanged relevant ideas and directly fixed a date for a deep-dive follow-up meeting a week later.
How did your partnership continue after the initial meeting?
Liliane: In the scheduled deep-dive session, I presented our experience with energy communities and our software to Andreas and his team. They came in very well prepared and had a list of challenging questions for Exnaton. In that meeting, we quickly realized we had a common interest in the topic of energy communities, and we worked out a plan on how to collaborate in the future.
Andreas: As a result, we asked Exnaton to help us understand and evaluate a potential energy community concept by analyzing the economics from the perspective of consumers, the community, and an energy provider like CKW. Within weeks after the bootcamp, we signed a consultancy agreement followed by an agile project with weekly checkpoints.
What are your next steps?
Andreas: The study showed that we could save up to 16% of the energy costs for our community members in a certain scenario, so we would be stupid not to try to find a potential target community to validate and test it in practice. And of course, Exnaton is well-positioned to help us with the PowerQuartier software to make it happen.
Liliane: Working on the CKW energy community concept was great fun, and we learned a lot about the needs of utility companies along the way. For the next stage, we hope to be able to identify a target community and roll out our software PowerQuartier to existing CKW customers. This does not only save them costs but also empowers them to contribute to renewable energy.
What advice do you have for startups and corporations that want to attend a Scale up Bootcamp?
Andreas: Listen, collaborate, repeat…
Liliane: You want to sign up for the bootcamp with the right target audience. Learn by listening, and don’t be shy to reach out to all relevant participants.
Is there anything else you want to add?
Andreas: Thank you for scouting and presenting interesting scale-ups to us as well as the opportunity to introduce ourselves. I cannot comment whether the bootcamps are an effective platform for finding potential investors or not, but I think it is a great vehicle to start a collaboration with and enter into win-win relationships between startups and corporations. And paying customers are the best investors anyway….
Liliane: A big thank you also from our side for providing us with this great opportunity! We had lots of fun, learned about new market needs, and met amazing partners. We are proud of our partnership with CKW and hope for a long and fruitful collaboration. With all of that in mind, the event exceeded our expectations!
The Scale up Bootcamps are organized by digitalswitzerland, Gebert Rüf Stiftung, and Venturelab powered by Venture Kick.
Earlier this year, Exnaton co-founder and CEO Liliane Ableitner participated in a Scale up Bootcamp for startups advancing Sustainability, Circular Economy, and Cleantech, where she met Andreas Uthmann, new business and innovation lead at CKW, one of Switzerland’s leading service provider for energy, data, and infrastructure. For Liliane and Andreas, the meeting marked the beginning of a sustainable partnership.
Liliane and Andreas, could you tell us what your companies do?
Andreas: With about 2,100 employees, CKW is a leading provider of integrated energy, building technology, and infrastructure services. Our goal is to become the most digitized energy provider in Switzerland and support private and business customers on their journey into a green and smart energy future.
Liliane: Exnaton is a software provider for the management of renewable energy—we empower users to contribute to the energy transition. Our software services address utility companies that extend their portfolios with new innovative solutions around renewable energy. The first flagship service on our platform is the management of local energy communities in which neighbors share locally produced electricity with each other.
You met at a Scale up Bootcamp in May. Why did you participate in the event?
Andreas: The energy industry is undergoing a fundamental transformation driven by decentralization, decarbonization, and digitalization. To capture some of the growth opportunities, we always try to find the right mix of internal and external innovation. And the bootcamps offer a great opportunity to listen to and get in touch with potential partners from the startup ecosystem to collaborate and accelerate our growth initiatives.
Liliane: The Scale up Bootcamp focused on sustainability, circular economy, and cleantech. We were very happy to see such targeted events for climate-tech startups, and we directly knew this would be a great opportunity to meet up with relevant players in the market. Our objective was to talk to every present utility company, hear about ongoing initiatives in the energy sector, and learn about the upcoming needs of utility companies.
How did the bootcamp bring startups and corporations together?
Andreas: We came in late, so most scale-ups were already booked. Nevertheless, we managed to meet all the startups we were interested in. But first, we listened to the pitches, so we already had an idea of whom to meet and what critical questions to discuss. Exnaton managed to impress us within a couple of minutes with their energy community solution, so we decided to engage in a follow-up meeting for a deep dive very soon.
Liliane: As Andreas just mentioned, CKW came in late, but we instantly knew we wanted to get the chance to talk to CKW in the one-to-one speed-dating round. So, I messaged Andreas right away, and he instantly accepted our meeting. In a 15-minute session, we briefly exchanged relevant ideas and directly fixed a date for a deep-dive follow-up meeting a week later.
How did your partnership continue after the initial meeting?
Liliane: In the scheduled deep-dive session, I presented our experience with energy communities and our software to Andreas and his team. They came in very well prepared and had a list of challenging questions for Exnaton. In that meeting, we quickly realized we had a common interest in the topic of energy communities, and we worked out a plan on how to collaborate in the future.
Andreas: As a result, we asked Exnaton to help us understand and evaluate a potential energy community concept by analyzing the economics from the perspective of consumers, the community, and an energy provider like CKW. Within weeks after the bootcamp, we signed a consultancy agreement followed by an agile project with weekly checkpoints.
What are your next steps?
Andreas: The study showed that we could save up to 16% of the energy costs for our community members in a certain scenario, so we would be stupid not to try to find a potential target community to validate and test it in practice. And of course, Exnaton is well-positioned to help us with the PowerQuartier software to make it happen.
Liliane: Working on the CKW energy community concept was great fun, and we learned a lot about the needs of utility companies along the way. For the next stage, we hope to be able to identify a target community and roll out our software PowerQuartier to existing CKW customers. This does not only save them costs but also empowers them to contribute to renewable energy.
What advice do you have for startups and corporations that want to attend a Scale up Bootcamp?
Andreas: Listen, collaborate, repeat…
Liliane: You want to sign up for the bootcamp with the right target audience. Learn by listening, and don’t be shy to reach out to all relevant participants.
Is there anything else you want to add?
Andreas: Thank you for scouting and presenting interesting scale-ups to us as well as the opportunity to introduce ourselves. I cannot comment whether the bootcamps are an effective platform for finding potential investors or not, but I think it is a great vehicle to start a collaboration with and enter into win-win relationships between startups and corporations. And paying customers are the best investors anyway….
Liliane: A big thank you also from our side for providing us with this great opportunity! We had lots of fun, learned about new market needs, and met amazing partners. We are proud of our partnership with CKW and hope for a long and fruitful collaboration. With all of that in mind, the event exceeded our expectations!
The Scale up Bootcamps are organized by digitalswitzerland, Gebert Rüf Stiftung, and Venturelab powered by Venture Kick.