A snapshot of the 5 startups selected for Shell E4 programme

The startups are Detect Technologies, ION Energy, IoTrek, Trashcon and Ossus Biorenewables

International oil company Shell has announced the names of the five startups selected for its Shell E4 (Energizing and Enabling Energy Entrepreneurs) accelerator programme.

The startups are Detect Technologies, ION Energy, IoTrek, Trashcon and Ossus Biorenewables.

A six-month programme, E4 offers each startup a seed funding of US$20,000 and access to testing and prototyping laboratories for product development and testing, bootcamps aimed at customer discovery and improving the product, industry mentors and experts, and new markets and interactions with investors and other growth and funding opportunities.

In addition, the teams can tap into Shell’s large global partner network at multiple industry events and engagements that have been planned as part of the curriculum. At the end of  the programme, they will have the opportunity to pitch to top investors from India and outside.

They will also meet with an array of decision makers on a Demo Day specially designed for the occasion in the latter part of the year. After the cohort graduates, they will continue their relationship with the programme through the Shell E4 alumni network.

Launched in September 2017, Shell E4 aims to co-create solutions that have the potential to accelerate energy transition and build a more sustainable India and world. Located at Shell Technology Centre Bangalore, one of the company’s three global innovation hubs, Shell E4 will house the teams at a vibrant co-working space for six months.

Here is brief descriptions of the five companies:

Detect Technologies: This Chennai-based startup focuses on asset integrity management, especially in the conventional oil and gas industry, and has already built a unique, patented technology for pipeline condition monitoring in real-time, using a long-range ultrasonic sensor for temperatures of up to 350 degrees Celsius.

This solution will help reduce massive productivity losses in case of a breach. Along with this, the company also provides Noctuan intelligent solution for structural health monitoring on hard-to-reach assets such as stacks, columns, pipe racks, vessels, tanks, boilers, chimneys etc. and has several Fortune 500 companies as their clients.

ION Energy: ION Energy is building cutting-edge energy storage systems and infrastructure for the adoption of high performance electric vehicles. With offices in India, the US and now France, ION leverages deep proprietary technology that merges their strengths in design, electro mechanics, battery management systems and software. Apart from deploying their own systems and infrastructure, ION will license a chemistry-agnostic and extensively cascadable architecture that enables rapid product development for customers that demand high quality battery systems.

IoTrek: IoTrek is developing technology solutions to make infrastructure and outdoor work-sites safe and smart, by using intelligent sensors, low power wireless networks and machine learning software.

IoTrek is building solutions such as a “connected workforce” for the construction industry. The startup is working closely with some large construction companies in the US and India to improve the safety as well as productivity of field sites.

IoTrek has come up with ultra-low power tracking devices embedded with motion sensors to connect people and assets in real time over long-range wireless network infrastructure. It aims to save millions of dollars per year in operations for infrastructure companies by implementing various use cases on single network infrastructure.

Trashcon: A Bengaluru-based startup, Trashcon has created Trashbot, an automated municipal solid waste segregator that separates municipal solid waste (MSW) into biodegradable, non-biodegradable, metals, and rejects components of mixed MSW mechanically. The segregator can process up to 300-400 kgs of MSW/hour, recovering up to 85-98 percent of biodegradables and more than 95 percent of non-biodegradables. Any kind of mixed waste is dumped into the hopper and the waste is segregated instantaneously.

With an inbuilt IoT technology, Trashbot consumes relatively less energy compared to conventional segregators, minimizes manual intervention and enables quick processing of large volumes of waste. Trashbots are installed at various wards across the city to prevent dumping of wastes on the streets and pathways, and thus prevent choking of water and sewage channels, which have resulted in flooding during heavy rains.

Ossus Biorenewables: This Bengaluru-based startup is creating solutions for clean energy and recovery of green chemicals from waste water. They are focused on assetizing waste water through, bH2 plus, a technology employing specially-designed microbial cell factories, for generating biohydrogen and metals from renewable feedstocks like industrial effluents, municipal sewage and polluted water bodies.

With the potential to be retro-fitted to storage tanks, effluent treatment plants or installed directly in-situ for the restoration of polluted rivers, lakes, and other bodies of water, this startup is creating an end-to-end green solution for valorising the utilizable energy present in waste water.

Ossus is currently in the process of demonstrating the elemental capability of their technology for generating value from produced water, an effluent generated by upstream oil and gas companies.

Applications for Shell E4 second cohort are now open for entrepreneurs, startups with innovative business models, technology ideas and products to create a tangible difference in the cleaner energy space. The startup should be in early, pilot, or post-pilot stages. The deadline for sending applications is 31st March 2018.

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