November 13, 2018 – Schneider Electric has announced “Schneider Electric Ventures”, which identifies, nurtures and supports innovations that will make a contribution to future sustainability and energy efficiency. Several major projects are underway and ready to be deployed.
Schneider Electric already spends €1 billion a year on R&D; and EcoStruxure, its IoT-enabled, plug and play, open, interoperable, architecture and platform is at the edge of connected energy management and industrial automation.
A few months ago, the company created “Schneider Electric Ventures”. The mission of this initiative is to identify, support and nurture companies and entrepreneurs whose innovations will transform the way we live and work, how we produce and consume energy, and how we run buildings and factories.
Schneider Electric Ventures supports innovation through:
- Funding
- Incubation
- Partnerships
At its Innovation Summit North America, bringing together 1,200+ of the brightest entrepreneurs, executives, and industry leaders from across North America on November 13-14, 2018, at Hilton Atlanta Downtown, Schneider Electric announced some major projects developed by “Schneider Electric Ventures”. These projects include:
- eIQ Mobility, a start-up and spinoff from Schneider Electric Incubator, which enables electric mobility at scale by providing "Electric Fleet as a Service " to large commercial fleets.
- Clipsal Solar, a business venture for on-grid and off-grid solutions for residential and commercial applications in Australia, where 1.8 million homeowners have installed solar panels to help manage their energy bills.
- Greentown Labs Bold Ideas Challenge in partnership with Greentown Labs, focused on fast-tracking entrepreneurs with the mentors, team members, grants of $25,000, and business and technical resources they need to launch successful ventures.
The market is forecasted to grow with additional 134,000 homes by 2021.
Through its different investment vehicles, Schneider Electric also made equity investments in six companies:
- Sense, in load disaggregation technology
- Element Analytics, in industrial big data analytics
- Habiteo, a 3D specialist for new residential housing
- QMerit, for contractors & MRO spend
- KGS, a predictive engine for just-in-time maintenance
- Claroty, Cybersecurity company for industrial OT networks
Schneider Electric has committed to invest between 300 and 500 million euros in the coming years, in incubation projects, partnerships with entrepreneurs, and specialized funds, and welcomes ideas from innovators and entrepreneurs eager to turn their ideas into reality
