What is Start?


Utilities need innovative purveyors of solutions to enable their transformations into citizen-empowering entities. Our startup pitch competition Start@ETS is back to foster innovative ideas and offer a platform for inventors and innovators to pitch their most brilliant ideas to utilities, cities, and investors. Start@ETS aims at powering-up the greatest champion for revolutionary change in the industry…You! So, submit your application now for an opportunity to take your innovation game to the next level.

The Event

Zpryme’s Start@ETS is a pitch competition where innovative technologies are proposed to key decision makers and experts in the fields of energy, smart cities, transportation, mobility, electric vehicles, and/or energy storage solutions in order to create touchpoints for the partnerships that will define the modern grid. 

The Players

Phases acceptable to apply – Ideation, Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A, B, C

The competition is open and free for all to apply!

This year’s event applicants will fall into one of five categories: S.C.O.R.E.

Sustainability, Customer Experience, Optimization, Resilience & Electrification

Fall into more than one category?! That’s great! You’ll select all that apply or choose the one you mostly fall into

The Quest

TIMELINE

Wednesday December 23rd 2021 – Applications open

Monday January 31st, 2022 February 14th, 2022 – Applications close

Wednesday March 1st – Companies notified of status within competition

Tuesday March 15th & Wednesday March 16th – Semi Finalists Virtual Pitches

Thursday March 17th – Finalists announced

Thursday April 13th – Finalists pitch in person at Energy Thought Summit event (ETS is in Austin, TX from April 11-14th.. www.energythoughtsummit.com for more details)

The Victor

The winning pitch will be featured across Zpryme’s social media, promoted via press release, and given the opportunity to have private meetings with judges within the utility and innovator spaces, and lastly cash prizes up to a total of $10,000.
1st place – $7,000
2nd place – $2,000
3rd place – $1,000

Apply Here