We are excited to announce the Honourees of the second cohort of EIV 2021. After another whirlwind of an edition, our Subscribers cast their votes for the ventures they were most interested in and felt presented a real value proposition for the Japanese market. The three Honourees are: AmpUp (US), Svante (Canada), and Swobbee (Germany)!

After scouting for several months, the EIV team invited 15 companies to participate. The criteria for selection were informed by the Green Growth Strategy, Japan’s plan to reach net zero as originally set out by the Suga administration in 2020, and streamlined into nine defined target areas. These areas were also shaped by Subscriber interest, to create a strong base from where to select suitable ventures. 

The ventures were given the chance to present their solutions and plans via our monthly webinars, with three ventures presenting per webinar. After all webinars were completed, our Subscribers were asked to vote on the ventures that were most aligned with their interests and would be good candidates to help tackle decarbonisation in the Japanese energy sector. 

We believe that these three Honourees have the capacity to help reach net zero in Japan, whether through a much more user-friendly way to charge an electric vehicle (AmpUp), economical, scalable carbon capture and storage (Svante), or battery swapping for the micromobility sector (Swobbee). 

AmpUp

AmpUp is an electric vehicle (EV) software company and network provider that enables drivers, hosts, and fleets to charge stress-free. Our Subscribers commended AmpUp’s comprehensive functionality and overall user-friendliness.

Thomas Sun, co-founder and CEO of AmpUp, remarked:

AmpUp is proud to be selected as an ENECHANGE Insight Ventures Honouree. As an EV charging software provider, we are eager to work with government and businesses to help Japan decarbonise transportation and make EV charging commonplace for decades to come.

Svante

Svante’s solution was heralded by our Subscribers for its future growth prospects, as well as the ability to capture CO2 on a large scale with reduced investment – all key for oil and gas companies looking to move to the net zero future. 

 

Brett Henkel, co-founder and VP of Strategic Accounts and Government Affairs:  

Svante’s leading Carbon Capture technology is a powerful tool that can be used to help Japan reach its net zero target by 2050. Through ENECHANGE Insight Ventures, we had the opportunity to gain even greater insight into the energy market in Japan and access to like-minded industry leaders.

Swobbee

Swobbee is the world’s first cross-manufacturer battery swap station with a multimodal approach. Our Subscribers were highly interested in Swobbee’s battery swapping model, particularly as they expect shifts between micromobility and shared mobility in the Japanese context.

 

Ludwig Speidel, CFO at Swobbee, noted how EIV had given them a better understanding of the Japanese market: 

We are thrilled that Swobbee is one of the Honourees of ENECHANGE Insight Ventures. The programme gives us valuable insights into the Japanese market, which is leading in both seminal and sustainable energy solutions. We are looking forward to connecting to relevant market players in Japan and exploring market opportunities to possibly contribute to Japan’s climate protection objectives with our advanced battery swapping system for the whole micromobility sector.

Congratulations to all our Honourees, as well as all our EIV 2021 cohort members!

We would also like to extend our thanks to all our Subscribers for their continued support during this edition. 

We are now scouting for the ENECHANGE Insight Ventures 2022 cohorts. If you are a venture in the energy tech space and are certain your solution would be a great fit for the Japanese market, apply now through our form or learn more here