Amazon funds support for European sustainability startups
For the third time, European startups have the opportunity to drive forward their solutions for greater sustainability as part of the Amazon Sustainability Accelerator and test their technology together with Amazon. 15 startups from all over Europe were selected from hundreds of applicants for the four-week funding programme.
One of the winners, the Munich-based Twaice, offers software that helps companies such as Audi and Daimler to utilise their batteries more safely and efficiently. The startup, founded by Michael Baumann and Stephan Rohr, has developed software that analyses the condition of batteries and provides tips on how to extend their service life and save costs at the same time. This enables customers to use their products for longer, improve their performance and increase their sustainability.
“Our battery analytics software unlocks tremendous value across the battery lifecycle for our customers and the wider ecosystem. By participating in this exciting accelerator, we can show that our platform based on AWS enables a circular economy for batteries, while at the same time we can learn even more from Amazon’s enormous expertise in scalability,” explained Twaice co-founder Stephan Rohr.
Another beneficiary of the Amazon programme was the British company Breathe Batteries, which is also active in the field of electric car batteries. The company specialises in increasing the charging speed and life expectancy of batteries for electric vehicles and consumer electronics. Volvo Cars recently invested in Breathe and aims to use its battery software to reduce the charging time of its next generation of electric vehicles by 30 per cent.
Next to the funding, participants in the Amazon Sustainability Accelerator are to receive expert-led workshops, individual mentoring, a customised curriculum and access to relevant networks, among other things. This year, the teams will also have the opportunity to pitch their technologies for piloting with Amazon – giving them the chance of future partnerships, Europe-wide implementation and an investment of up to 1.8 million euros each, according to reports. In addition to start-ups from the battery sector, startups from the building energy and packaging segments are also taking part in the programme.
Circu Li-ion, on the other hand, is committed to recycling old batteries. The two founders Antoine Welter and Dr Xavier Kohll are building an automated upcycling platform for batteries in Europe with their company, which is based in Luxembourg and Karlsruhe – with the support of investors. This initiative makes sense, as the market for electric cars that use such batteries is set to grow to a value of around one billion euros by 2030.
The other winners came from all kinds of backgrounds related to sustainability, such as the Finnish startup RePack, which “enables retailers to ship products in bags that can be returned to any post box anywhere in the world,” or the Austrian startup Raicoon, which “offers AI-powered software that detects errors and automates operations for solar farms to optimise and reduce energy waste.”
Since its launch in 2021, the AmazonAccelerator has provided over $1 million in grants and credits, as well as “helped participating businesses increase total sales on average by 700% and raise over €18.7 million to date.”
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