Enel’s Open Innovability® initiative has collaboration and partnerships ingrained in its DNA. During the past year, this drive for synergies has crystallized in dozens of projects around the world, hand in hand with some of the most innovative and groundbreaking actors in the startup ecosystem. Among the causes we have supported through these alliances are digitization, AI-driven energy efficiency and sustainable transportation.
As a culmination to this year of progress and success, Enel is honored to be recognized at the Corporate Startup Stars Awards as one of the companies taking corporate-startup collaboration to new heights. The 2022 edition of this international event was held on December 6th in London, with the participation of Enel’s Head of Open Innovation Hubs and Startups, Angelo Rigillo.
A prestigious recognition
Every year, the international advisory firm Mind the Bridge, in partnership with the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), holds the Corporate Startup Stars Awards to celebrate the best practices and trailblazing corporations setting an example in open innovation. In the 2022 edition, Enel has been selected among the top 50 Corporate Startup Stars, and as one of the finalists for the Corporate Venture Client Award. “Being recognized once again as a Corporate Startup Star, and now also leader in the Venture Client Model makes us proud of the work done so far and drive us towards even more challenging goals,” declared Rigillo.
This prestigious annual ranking, launched in 2016 under the European Commission’s Startup Europe Partnership initiative, recognizes the impact that collaboration between corporations and startups can achieve in global business practices. The awards became global in 2020 thanks to a partnership with the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) to honor corporations that are fostering innovation and transforming industries and processes for the better.
The Enel Group was also identified at the Corporate Startup Stars Awards as a role model of the Venture Client, a model where the company takes no equity but becomes the first client for the startup. This mode is recognized as the most effective tool for onboarding innovative solutions from startups and scaleups.
At last year's event, which was held in Paris, Enel was awarded the Corporate Startup Procurement Award for the fifth year in a row and recognized among the 25 most active companies working with startups.
According to Rigillo, corporations engage with startups because they offer forefront solutions and are open, agile and hungry to grow and learn. Rigillo adds: “We want them to keep feeling free, without constraining them under heavy governance procedures. The money they get from us is for the product they sell to us after a join fine tuning journey with our best tech energy experts.”
Envisioning a 2023 commitment
Recognitions such as the Corporate Startup Stars Awards bolster Enel's work to promote new advances towards sustainability every day. Together with our key partners, such as entrepreneurs, startups, and other stakeholders, we will continue to develop a broad and varied portfolio of projects throughout 2023 that will translate our commitment and values as a company into sustainable innovations.
The possibilities of technology and innovation are limitless. The coming year could bring revolutionary breakthroughs in areas such as artificial intelligence, energy storage and more collaborations between traditional and high-tech sectors. At Enel, we will continue to work closely with companies and creators leading the change to establish lasting synergies and, together, accelerate the energy transition for a seamless net-zero transition.