The corporate venture, EDF Pulse Ventures, is accelerating the detection of new growth levers for EDF Group by joining the European Energy Impact Partners (EIP) coalition. Composed of major industrial stakeholders, such as Shell, Galp, or Enterprise Rent-a-Car, this investment platform aims to identify and support innovative projects promoting carbon neutrality. By joining EIP, EDF Pulse Ventures aligns itself with EDF Group's strategy to support the energy transition of its customers through innovative solutions and services.
NEoT Offgrid Africa, of which EDF Pulse Ventures is a shareholder, in partnership with Winch Energy, an off-grid utility supplier, has just signed a financing agreement to build and operate around fifty off-grid solar mini-grids in Uganda and Sierra Leone. Within a year, 49 villages in both countries will be equipped with stand-alone mini-grids to provide electricity and Internet to 6,500 customers. NEoT Offgrid Africa has already invested over 30 million euros in supplying electricity 25,000 households and businesses in Côte d'Ivoire and Nigeria.
In order to strengthen its partnership strategy with investment funds, EDF Pulse Croissance, EDF's corporate venture, announces its participation in the Smart City II venture fund launched by its historical partner Idinvest Partners (Electranova Capital, Smart City I). With a financing capacity of €80 million, Smart City II will enable EDF Pulse Croissance to detect new growth levers and identify international start-ups to accelerate its customers' energy transition. EDF Pulse Croissance is a partner of more than fifteen international funds, enabling it to monitor new innovative business models in all areas of the world in its four strategics investment areas (decentralised energies, sustainable territories, industrial performance, home services).
Who has never had to provide proof of address to redo their passport or take out an electricity contract? Thanks to Archipels, created by EDF, La Poste, Engie, and Caisse des Dépôts, it is now possible to authenticate and certify documents via blockchain. Archipel’s offer ensures simplicity, security, and traceability for all these procedures! Advantages which convinced its first customer, Vialink. By investing in Archipels in 2020, EDF Pulse Ventures is helping to create a blockchain industry in France.
In a world that is increasingly reliant on electricity, batteries are a key issue. The start-up PowerUp has developed a solution for optimising the performance of lithium-ion batteries using a technology called MAP (Measure - Act - Predict). At the key? A battery preserved throughout its life. In November 2020, the corporate venture EDF Pulse Ventures and Supernova Invest announced a stake in this CEA spin-off. This investment kicks off a partnership between PowerUp and EDF R&D to co-develop a diagnostic and forecasting solution adapted to Stationary Energy Storage Systems (ESS) which should improve EDF’s competitiveness.
TEEPTRAK wishes to respond to a crucial issue for manufacturers: better monitoring machine performance and increasing productivity. TEEPTRAK offers a solution for monitoring industrial performance in real time. Created in 2014, the start-up has developed an ultra-competitive plug & play solution aimed at mid-sized companies, micro-businesses, SMEs, and key accounts. The corporate venture EDF Pulse Ventures and the venture capital fund XAnge announced their acquisition of a stake in TEEPTRAK in May 2020. For EDF, this investment is an additional building block in the development of the Group's factory 4.0 offers.
En France, près de 20 millions de patients souffrent d’une maladie chronique impactant leurs vies professionnelle et personnelle. 125 start-up ont proposé leurs solutions innovantes dans le cadre de l’appel à projets lancé par EDF Pulse Ventures et AG2R LA MONDIALE. La start-up niçoise ExactCure a convaincu le jury d’experts avec son jumeau numérique qui simule l’effet et les interactions de médicaments dans le corps du patient. Pheal remporte le coup de cœur du jury avec sa plateforme pour améliorer l’interaction avec le patient et le médecin.
Operational in many towns throughout France, the start-up MyBus is developing an application with two uses for public transport users. It allows you to pay for your public transport ticket with your smartphone and to receive real-time information on your journey and possible routes. In July, EDF Pulse Ventures announced that it had acquired a stake in this start-up with a promising future, once again marking its commitment to the sustainable management of regions.
The profession of electricity aggregator makes it possible to balance supply and demand on the grid in a context where locally produced renewable energy sources are developing and where the management of decentralised energy sources is becoming a crucial issue in the energy transition. Already present in this market through its subsidiary Agregio, EDF Group is enriching its offering with the acquisition of e2m, a major energy aggregator in Germany, via the EDF Pulse Ventures investment fund.
On 8 March 2018, EDF Pulse Ventures made a commitment alongside WILLA (formerly Paris Pionnières), an incubator specialising in gender diversity in tech, to support women entrepreneurs. Supporting female profiles in their entrepreneurial projects and giving them a place in strategic positions are among the measures identified. A year later, the results show several successes: for example, two calls for projects were launched in partnership with WILLA; two out of four intrapreneurs at EDF Pulse Ventures are women. This year, EDF Pulse Ventures has renewed and strengthened its commitment: in addition to its objectives, it has included a regional dimension to promote innovation throughout France.