International Startup Challenge 2025
​​Review 2025 - More international, more focused, more effective
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The second edition of the International Startup Innovation Challenge in 2025 was held under the motto “Empowering customers to shape a sustainable future.” This time, the initiative was even more targeted: two concrete challenges were developed from within Energie AG, complemented by a one-time special prize for innovative decarbonization projects. The call was launched internationally – and the response exceeded expectations: more than 300 applications from 57 countries highlighted the global relevance and appeal of our challenges.
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The official kick-off took place on September 18, 2024. Employees from across the company gathered in a creative breakfast setting to reflect on future needs and strategic priorities. Initial ideas were shaped into tangible challenges and, following an international application phase, ten startups from Germany, Portugal, Sweden, the UK, and Austria were invited to Pitch Day on February 26, 2025, at the PowerCenter.
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The selected startups presented a wide range of approaches – from AI-based platforms to smart energy tools and novel solutions for reducing COâ‚‚ emissions in the industrial and commercial sectors. During the evaluation process, an internal jury of Energie AG experts collaborated closely with an independent, high-caliber jury comprising renowned investors, scientists, and startup professionals – including Jan Lozek, Till Thietje, Sok-Kheng Taing, Alexander Thamm, and Johannes Reichl. Together with the Challenge Owners, they identified the most promising ideas for a joint proof-of-concept phase.
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The Challenges and Winning Startups at a Glance:
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Informed Decisions for a Greener Tomorrow
How can we encourage customers to actively and sustainably manage their energy use?
Challenge from Sales & Product Development
Challenge Owner: Carina Giesbrecht (Sales)
Winning Startup: WATT IS (Portugal) -
Efficient Data Integration for Sustainable Decisions
How can e-commerce data be used more effectively to provide better services?
Challenge from Zusa by Wertstatt 8
Challenge Owners: Samir Shehata (Wertstatt 8)
Winning Startup: Thirdmind (Austria) -
Special Decarbonization Challenge (One-Time Award)
Goal: Innovative approaches to reduce COâ‚‚ emissions for business and industrial clients
Each awarded with €5,000:
– ALGBIO (Istanbul, Turkey)
– Zentur.io GmbH (Landshut, Germany)
– aenergi – powered by Apollo (Cologne, Germany)
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The process culminated in the Demo Day on May 6, 2025, where the developed solutions were presented to a broad internal audience – both on-site and via livestream. A particular highlight was the interactive Experience Area, which allowed colleagues to engage directly with the prototypes and give immediate feedback. The Demo Day marked yet another important milestone in Energie AG’s growing innovation journey, turning ideas into tangible results.
Have a look at the challenges of our second batch!
Informed Decisions for a Greener Tomorrow
Empowering Customers: Intelligent Tools for Optimizing Energy Consumption and Driving the Energy Transition
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We aspire to support our customers in playing an active role in the energy transition. While we envision a user-friendly digital monitoring and control tool, we are open to any innovative solutions that empower customers to optimize energy consumption, benefit from dynamic pricing, and track energy savings in an engaging way.
Challenge 1
Efficient Data integration for Sustainable Decisions
​Smart Data Collection and Integration for Sustainable E-Commerce Partnerships –
The Foundation for Informed Consumer Decisions
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We aim to facilitate sustainable e-commerce by providing consumers with clear, reliable data on product sustainability, origins, and environmental impact. While we’ve identified some approaches, we are eager to explore innovative solutions that can harmonize and optimize partner product data, making it actionable and transparent.
Challenge 2
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​Special Nomination
Empowering Business Partners to Achieve
Net Zero
Recognizing Innovations That Accelerate Decarbonization
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We are committed to supporting businesses on their journey towards achieving net-zero emissions. Through this special nomination, we aim to celebrate and reward groundbreaking innovations that address the unique decarbonization challenges faced by industrial companies and businesses. Startups with visionary solutions have the chance to win prize money and gain recognition for their contributions to sustainable growth.
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Price Money up to 5.000 €
​​​​​​​What’s next?
After the Challenge is before the Challenge! While implementation work on the first round’s solutions continues, preparations for the next International Startup Innovation Challenge are already underway. Once again, we’re looking forward to working with bold startups to tackle our next set of challenges – with a clear focus on impact and scalability.