The Challenge.

Startup 4 Climate is one of Europe’s biggest innovation challenges for climate action in the energy sector.

Startup 4 Climate is one of our most urgent initiatives to date. We believe that innovation and collaboration is key as we move into the future, which is why this challenge is aimed at young companies with ideas that can speed up the energy transition and limit global warming to 1,5 degrees.

The energy transition encompasses initiatives that promote the switch from current energy and transport systems to those systems and solutions that are smarter, more efficient and have the ability to reduce humanity’s negative impact on planet earth.

The best submissions will be shortlisted and go on to pitch their ideas to a jury of experts from the fields of entrepreneurship, energy, disruptive technology and climate action. The winning startups will be granted SEK 2 million and receive coaching from the expert jury to help catalyze their ideas.

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Join the launchwebinar

  • May 24th
  • 12:00-13:00
Join here!

The timeline.

  • 24/5

    Submission opens.

  • 20/8
    Deadline for submissions.
  • 28/8
    Voting opens.
  • 24/9
    Voting closes.
  • 29/9
    Top submissions are shortlisted.
  • November
    Pitch- and final event. Shortlisted startups pitch their ideas to the jury. The winners are presented.

The Win-win.

  • What’s in it for you?

    By joining Startup 4 Climate, contestants have the opportunity to pitch their ideas to our jury of experts.

    Two winners will share a prize of 2 million SEK, as well as coaching from the expert jury, to help catalyze their ideas and contribute to the energy transition.

    Contestants will also receive a membership at THINGS, have the opportunity to interact with two of Sweden’s most well-known energy companies, tap into their networks as well as be fronted on large social media platforms and news outlets.

  • What’s in it for us?

    As two of the Swedish energy market’s most well-known actors, we have a great responsibility in shaping the future of the sector. We want to promote the transition to a truly sustainable energy system, but we can’t do it alone.

    Innovation and wide-spread engagement are key aspects for curbing the global climate crisis. Therefore we want to catalyze more actors and contribute to initiatives that can enable our common goals for a sustainable future.

The Jury.

Stefan Krook

Stefan KrookStefan Krook is a serial social entrepreneur with vast experience from the telecom, IT and electricity sectors. In 1997 he co-founded internet service provider Glocalnet which later merged into Telenor Sverige. He co-founded the GoodCause Foundation where he is also chairman. The foundation has started companies such as GodEl and GodFond. Stefan is co-founder and chairman of Kivra.

Johan Lindehag

Johan LindehagJohan Lindehag is the CEO of Ellevio, one of the largest electricity distribution companies in Sweden with nearly one million customers. Johan has more than 20 years of experience from the energy sector, and prior to his position at Ellevio he occupied several senior management positions within the industry. Johan is also a member of the Board of Directors of the energy startup Flower Technology (formerly Krafthem) that is focusing on power flexibility to enable the energy transition.

Jane Walerud

Jane WalerudJane Walerud has been a successful serial entrepreneur and private investor since 2002. She has invested in several successful companies, including Klarna and Lensway. Nowadays, the family business Walerud Ventures focuses on deep tech, clean tech and AI first companies. The current active portfolio includes Volumental, Graphmatech, Swedish Algae Factory and Racefox.

Lina Bertling Tjernberg

Lina Bertling TjernbergLina Bertling Tjernberg is a Professor, and Director of the Energy platform, at KTH the Royal Institute of Technology. Her research and teaching are focused on power grid technology for sustainable developments with special interest in reliability analysis, predictive maintenance and asset management. She is a Distinguished Lecturer of IEEE Power & Energy Society.

Johanna Mossberg

Johanna MossbergJohanna Mossberg is Vice President of Biorefinery and Energy at RISE Research Institutes of Sweden, as well as adjunct senior lecturer in energy science at Luleå University of Technology. Mossberg holds in-depth knowledge on topics such as environmental improvement assessment of industrial production and biorefinery concepts and analysis of industrial transition. She has previously been managing director of f3 – the Swedish knowledge centre for renewable transportation fuels.

About Startup 4 Climate

We believe that innovation and collaboration is key as we move into the future, which is why this challenge is aimed at young companies with ideas that can speed up the energy transition and limit global warming to 1,5 degrees.

The energy transition encompasses initiatives that promote the switch from current energy and transport systems to those systems and solutions that are smarter, more efficient and more climate friendly. The shortlisted submissions pitch their ideas to our jury of experts from the fields of entrepreneurship, energy, green technology and climate action. The winning startups are granted a SEK 2 million prize to help catalyze their ideas and contribute to the energy transition.

Collaborators

GodEl is the 9th biggest electricity company in Sweden. They are owned by GoodCause foundation that donates all dividends to charitable purposes. To this day, GodEl has donated over SEK 54 million to NGO:s such as the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation and MSF. GodEl is also a key player when it comes to sustainable electricity contracts. They provide only renewable energy marked as a Good Environmental Choice. Additionally, GodEl measures the company’s entire carbon footprint and invests in projects that reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

godel

Ellevio AB is one of Sweden’s largest distribution network operators. Ellevio invests in, develops and maintains the company’s power grids in order to ensure a reliable electricity supply to its 962,000 customers. By investing in a long-term sustainable power grid Ellevio works to improve the quality of life for its customers as well as to enable the ongoing energy transformation and the continued digitization of the society.

Ellevio

THINGS is the #1 deeptech- and innovation hub in Sweden, focusing on industry, infrastructure, utilities and mobility. THINGS Community consists of ~100 members, 50/50 deeptech companies and established companies, ranging from Tokyo to Silicon Valley. Together with them and a range of carefully selected international partners, THINGS provide truly international services for its members including challenges, acceleration programs, co-pilots and matchmaking. THINGS also arrange open events including its eBazaar™, eXplore™ and Get-On-Top-Of™ series.

THINGS

We Don’t Have Time is a social media network for everyone who wants to be a part of the solution. Being a member of We Don’t Have Time is free of charge and lets you create climate reviews as well as interact and follow other members. The non-profit foundation is based in Stockholm, Sweden and its principal purpose is to contribute to a reduced climate impact and an ecologically sustainable environment.

We don´t have time