All news, insights and events
All news, insights and events
All news, insights and events

Big Mooove’s Big Win: Capturing the Audience and Claiming Victory at the Battle of Green Talent 2024

In April 2024, KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm hosted the thrilling Grand Finale of the Battle of Green Talent, an entrepreneurial competition organized by EIT InnoEnergy as part of Master School Connect. The event featured six teams of young, innovative entrepreneurs, all eager to present their groundbreaking ideas to this year’s esteemed jury. Among the judges were Bart de Beer, CFO of EIT InnoEnergy; Lowina Lundström, CEO Scandinavia of EIT InnoEnergy; Siimon Vaske, business coach and internationalization lead from KTH Innovation; and Dina Rystedt, HR Director Sweden of Schneider Electric. With only three minutes to pitch their ideas and captivate these energy transition leaders, the competition was fierce. However, the stakes were high, with EIT InnoEnergy services on offer for the top three teams, cash prizes for the first two, and the coveted Audience Award for the most impressive presentation. It was an event filled with anticipation and excitement, showcasing the innovative spirit and talent within the EIT InnoEnergy community.

 


Meet the teams!

All teams had a unique value proposition that set them apart. Ashutosh Rajesh Agarwal opened the stage for Big Mooove. Their focus: provide innovative biodigesters, paired with an application to provide comprehensive support, in order to fulfill cooking fuel needs in India. Alex Berezhnoy from Greenvive followed, presenting their cold thermal energy storage. This can be integrated into existing air conditioning units, and charged and discharged during the day depending on the user’s needs. From HeatWaveX, Simone Albanese showed the audience their thermal energy storage technology tailored for nuclear power plants, which can act as a buffer between them and the grid. In other words, provide the system with more flexibility. The next team, Rewind Ecoshelters represented by Shafayat Hussain Mahmoud, showed their new concept: build and sell bus stops in Sweden made from repurposed wind turbine blades and other recycled materials. RuralRoots Energy came next with Aravamoudane Laksnmi Priya. Their aim is to collect waste from fields in India, specially around New Delhi area, and store it in their warehouse so they are able to provide a steady supply to biogas producers during the offseason. Last but not least, Charalambos Marios Xydas from SEN-Tech pitched the team’s idea of rental service of refurbished batteries, usually from electric vehicles, tailored to the needs of residential homeowners at an accessible price.

Reflecting on the competition

Simone Albanese from HeatWaveX reflects on his experience, stating, “I enjoyed the Entrepreneur role because it was challenging me to give my best in order to refine and improve my venture. I really liked to get feedback from a lot of different people, both professionals in my field and experts in other fields as well.’’

Lakshmi Priya Aravamoudane from RuralRoots reflects that one of the best aspects/activities of the competition was brainstorming together, which yielded excellent results as Year 2 students collaborated with their Year 1 counterparts, gaining valuable insights into their perspectives during the process.

Kashish Singh from RuralRoots reflects, “BoGT is a platform to showcase our ideas, get advice from experienced people. It will start small but you never know how big it can turn at the end.’’

Shafayat Hussain Mahmoud from Rewind reflects, “For entrepreneurs or talents participating in the next edition, the idea is important, but you have to believe in the idea even if no one else does.’’

The final results

Before revealing the winners of this year’s Battle of Green Talent, I invite you to relive the Grand Finale here and learn more about the teams’ ideas. Without further delay, in third place, Rural Roots received EIT InnoEnergy services. Additionally, in second place, Greenvive was awarded EUR 5,000. Big Mooove not only secured EUR 10,000 for first place but also won the hearts of the audience, earning the Audience Award. Overall, it was a fiercely contested battle showcasing unparalleled talent. Once again, EIT InnoEnergy students demonstrated their ability to transform solutions to current energy and environmental challenges into compelling business proposals.