10 green startups qualified in the Seed Stage within the Romania ClimAccelerator accelerator

Impact Hub Bucharest, in partnership with Raiffeisen Bank Romania, announces the 10 startups selected in the Seed Stage, part of the most complex acceleration program for greentech startups, Romania ClimAccelerator.

The chosen startups already have a prototype and will benefit from support in attracting customers and specialist advice according to their specific needs. For this year’s Seed Stage category, startups from the Idea Stage category from the years 2022, 2023 and 2024 could apply, as well as entities that were no longer included in the program. Romania ClimAccelerator supports the acceleration of businesses that propose innovative solutions in areas such as renewable energy, waste management, cleantech, carbon emissions management, green construction, sustainable production, transport and recycling.

“We are pleased to support Romanian startups that make a valuable contribution to society through technological innovations. Congratulations to everyone who qualified for the Seed Stage and we wish them success in the next stages of their entrepreneurial journey! We hope that innovative ideas will soon materialize in effective solutions and in the development of essential products and services for a greener and more sustainable future”, said Alexandra Arsene, Director-Head of SME at Raiffesen Bank Romania.

The accelerator is developed in two main categories: Idea Stage, for early-stage startups that have an idea for a business in the field, and Seed Stage, addressed to companies that have developed prototypes.

Entries ran from July 10 to September 13, and registered entrepreneurs participated in an online pitching session on September 26. 37 companies signed up, of which only 10 startups were selected for the Seed Stage.

The startups presented themselves to the jury consisting of: Alexandra Arsene (Director-Head of SME at Raiffesen Bank), Ilinca Păun (Founder of the Bravva Angels investment fund and the Bravva Female Founders community), Barbara Polak (Senior Project Manager, Digital Development & Innovations, OMV Petrom), Vlad Craioveanu (CEO & Co-Founder of Impact Hub Bucharest), Iulian Oprescu (Founder and Owner of F21 Digital) and Cristian Cheru (Senior Project Manager, Digital Development & Innovations, OMV Petrom).

The 10 startups qualified in the Seed Stage are:

Active. SaaS (Software as a service) solution designed for companies and their employees. Through the app, employees can carry out sustainability actions and their efforts are reflected in the companies’ ESG reports.

Atomania. Digital marketplace platform for farmers to share agricultural machinery, equipment and other technologies, including on-demand skilled operators.

Fortico Energy. It optimizes costs for B2B customers in two directions: both by switching to the use of green energy and by an optimized facility management system.

Marny Energy. Startup specialized in the development of electricity storage solutions. The company has developed a container equipped with second-life batteries, i.e. reused batteries, to manage surplus energy from renewable sources.

Defensive Pedal. It provides an urban mobility solution that allows users to pedal safely. This includes dedicated training and optimized navigation, even in the absence of improvements in bicycle infrastructure. The startup also participated in the Idea Stage within Romania ClimAccelerator. Thanks to his progress, he also qualified for the Seed Stage. renewed. The startup has launched a platform to transform the financing of photovoltaic systems, facilitating access to sustainable energy solutions and helping to attract slow capital to reliable projects.

Rowatt X. Facilitates the transition to green energy through electric vehicle charging solutions. At the same time, it offers services and cooperation models for B2B partners, adapted to their needs for customized solutions.

SeedPods. Tracks forest planting by automating the process with the help of drones. By means of technology, the planted forests follow well-established directions, according to the relief, the area, the type of trees.

United Chord. It markets 100% natural, vegan and edible cutlery as an alternative solution against waste and waste.

WORMXSOIL. By using fishing earthworms, vegetable household waste is recycled and transformed into high-quality fertilizer (vermicompost). The startup automates and scales this process using robots to industrialize the entire mechanism. The startups will enter an intensive acceleration program between October and December 2024.

The program includes workshops, peer sharing at the national and international level, as well as business development sessions. In addition, meetings will be organized with the board of advisors, who will analyze the businesses, offering personalized advice according to specific needs. Participants also have access to an extensive business community, which gives them the opportunity to network with key players in the ecosystem.

“The Seed Stage pitch session confirmed an interesting trend in the area of ​​local startups: the growing involvement of experts in the development of new products and services. We see enough entrepreneurs with technical skills and good years of professional experience, which makes their offer more potential for application, due to the integration of multiple digital components. However, an important obstacle, still present in the entrepreneurial environment, is the fact that many businesses focus exclusively on local development. However, we see an increase in the number of startups that develop international business models from the design phase. This increases their opportunity to scale and increases their investment attractiveness, thus accelerating their development,” said Vlad Craioveanu, CEO & Co-Founder of Impact Hub Bucharest.”

The accelerator concludes on December 5 with the national Demo Day event, where the finalists in the Seed Stage category will present their solution and evolution from the program to investors, mentors, media and the public. The fourth edition of the Romania ClimAccelerator accelerator benefits from the support and expertise of EIT Climate-KIC, the most important European initiative in the field of climate innovation.

The need for an accelerator for green startups The European Union has committed to becoming climate neutral by 2050. Achieving this goal is driving unprecedented social, economic and political change. The catalyst for these changes is innovation, hence the creation of this accelerator, where companies can develop the best sustainable solutions to achieve the European and global goal. Through the unique combination of benefits, strategic partnerships at the European and national level, the solid structure of the program, the extensive network of experienced mentors, Romania ClimAccelerator stands out as the most complex accelerator in Romania for the greentech ecosystem.

Romania ClimAccelerator was named the winner of the III Prize in the Environment category, within the CSR Awards 2023. Additional information about the program can be found on the dedicated page here, where there are also details about the winners of previous editions of Romania ClimAccelerator.