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NZTC announces clean energy start-up cohort

The Net Zero Technology Centre (NZTC) has announced its 2024 TechX start-up cohort. The TechX Clean Energy Accelerator, now in its sixth year, will welcome 12 high-potential start-ups to the programme which commences in February.

Each start-up will receive up to £100,000 in funding and access to NZTC’s network of mentors, investors, and sponsors, including bp, Equinor, ADNOC and ConocoPhillips, the latter of which joined the programme this year. Start-ups will also benefit from industry support opportunities including field trials.

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Training programme

The programme leverages entrepreneurial ingenuity to discover and propel critical technologies required for the energy transition. Following 15 weeks of investor readiness training, refining business models, business storytelling and more, the programme will culminate in a Demo Day in June 2024. This will provide the start-ups with an opportunity to showcase their solutions to industry and investors, with potential to win further funding.

Following graduation from the programme, TechX also provides two additional years of growth support, and continued access to NZTC’s network and co-working facilities. 

The selected start-ups are Airspection, Apleum, Kali Technology, Frontier Robotics, HyWaves, H2CHP, INERGIO Technologies, MECHAPRES, Modjoule, Reaforma, Soltropy and SurreyH2.

To date, 57 start-ups have been supported through the programme. The alumni have collectively generated £32M in revenue and created 443 new jobs. With seven commercialisations already achieved, TechX alumni companies are demonstrating steady growth, and are forecast to enable 20-25 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions savings per year by 2030.

Accelerating the energy transition

Chief Acceleration Officer & TechX Director, Mark Anderson, said: “As NZTC welcomes its sixth TechX cohort, we reiterate the pivotal role entrepreneurs will play in accelerating the energy transition.

“This year’s cohort introduces compelling innovations, offering solutions to propel the adoption of clean and affordable energy. TechX start-ups are the companies of the future, poised to reshape the energy landscape and help lead us towards net zero.”

UK Government Minister for Scotland, Malcolm Offord, said: “Congratulations to those selected for the TechX Clean Energy Accelerator programme. Start-up companies play a fundamental role in driving innovation in the energy sector, supporting sustainable economic growth, and delivering solutions to the environmental issues we all face today.

“The UK Government is investing £90 million in the Net Zero Technology Centre and more than £2.9 billion to level up right across Scotland.”