Yesterday Enagás Emprende launched the Ingenia Energy Challenge 2020, a competition for innovation projects that promote energy transition and decarbonisation, as part of the Energy Startup Day event for entrepreneurs organised by Enagás Emprende. In the three previous editions, the competition was limited to Enagás employees. However, this year’s event is open to external projects for the first time. “We are looking for ideas that raise awareness and generate new opportunities; projects that also contribute to action against climate change,” Enagás CEO Marcelino Oreja explained.
From among the initiatives to be presented, the Ingenia Energy Challenge 2020 will choose the best entrepreneurial projects to transform the energy sector. According to Fernando Impuesto, general manager of Enagás Emprende, “the development of the selected initiatives linked to the energy transition and decarbonisation will be encouraged”.
María Ángeles León, founder of the social impact investment fund Open Value Foundation, highlighted at the debate on innovation and entrepreneurship that “Enagás has been able to establish the appropriate framework to free up entrepreneurship”. Moreover, Xavier Marcet, expert in innovation and president of Lead to Change, pointed out that “entrepreneurship is also about social responsibility” and stressed that, in addition to energy and the environment, “people must be at the centre of projects”. The debate was moderated by Iñaki Ortega, head of the Deusto Business School.
Also, entrepreneurs from previous competitions that have now been turned into operating startups, such as Bioengas, Gas2move, E4Efficiency, Sercomgas and SEA, took part in this event, while representatives of other international startups, such as Robert Strods, co-founder of HYGEN, and Yann Mercier, co-founder and director of DualMetha, also shared their experience.
Enagás Emprende is the corporate venturing of Enagás for investment in and acceleration of innovative startups and technologies in the field of energy transition and decarbonisation, with particular emphasis on renewable gases (biogas and hydrogen), sustainable mobility, energy efficiency, digitalisation and other clean technology projects. Registration and information about the Ingenia Energy Challenge call at www.ingeniaenergychallenge.com
