Energy Disruptors Alert: These Startups Are Changing the Game!
Energy efficiency is key in innovation, DeepSeek proves it, and so do the startups in the TotalEnergies On program! 🚀
DeepSeek vs Open AI: Being First Isn’t Everything
In the collective imagination, being first often seems like the only position that matters, first to innovate, first to conquer a market, first to set the standard. Yet, business history proves that coming second, or at least entering after a pioneer, can be a highly effective strategy. 😏
Take DeepSeek, the open-source AI model that’s been making waves this week. 🇨🇳
against Open AI, the undisputed market leader, DeepSeek didn’t try to reinvent the wheel, it simply optimized it (or copied it?). By refining existing technology, it managed to shake up the AI landscape, triggering a 17% drop in Nvidia’s stock, a loss of $600 billion in market value (yes, six hundred billion!). A direct challenge to American dominance in AI.
This strategy is not new. Google wasn’t the first search engine. Facebook didn’t invent social networks. Apple didn’t create the first smartphone. Yet, they all capitalized on the mistakes of early entrants to redefine their industries, and often, to surpass their predecessors. A more local example? Free Mobile disrupted the telecom industry by slashing mobile plan prices from €50-80 to just €2 per month.
DeepSeek has done something similar in AI, developing a model that rivals ChatGPT for just $5-6 million, compared to the billions invested by OpenAI.
Sometimes, coming second isn’t just an alternative, it’s an advantage. And now, Hugging Face is striking back, launching Open-R1, a fully transparent and truly open-source alternative to DeepSeek, proving once again that in the AI race, we’re only at the beginning. And as long as no one has crossed the finish line, the competition is still wide open!
And that’s great news for consumers. More competition means better products, fairer prices, and faster innovation. 👌
And if you believe you have a better product, fairer prices, and faster innovation in your hands, we’re launching our call for projects at The Incubateur HEC Paris! 🔥
Each year, we support over 100+ startups through a flexible, dynamic, and collaborative program, helping you achieve in just four months what would normally take a year on your own. 🕖
🚀 Got an innovative project? Or know entrepreneurs ready to take their startup to the next level? now is the time to apply!
📅 Applications are open until February 16th at midnight.
Since 2022, TotalEnergies On, in partnership with The Incubateur HEC Paris, has been selecting promising startups every six months to join its program.
This latest cohort welcomes Aevy, Werover, Veer, Silurian AI, CFEX, Enline, and Podero, all bringing innovative solutions to the energy sector. Backed by industry experts, they’ll have the opportunity to test their solutions, refine their strategies, and scale their impact.
Let’s meet them! 🚀
“We are excited to support these startups over the next six months and, more importantly, to see the impact they will make in their respective fields.”
Sophie Mouligneau
Director of the TotalEnergies On program.
🌬️ Aevy : Unlocking the Full Potential of Renewable Assets
Aevy is transforming the way owners and developers manage their renewable energy assets. Its platform acts as a virtual asset manager, providing users with the tools they need to make well-informed, timely decisions and optimize the performance of wind and solar assets.
Congrats to: Stig Sund | Gautier MOULIN
👉 More information
📊 Enline: Shaping the Future of Energy Asset Management
Enline Energy Solutions provides real-time and predictive insights for monitoring and optimizing electric assets via a SaaS platform. Leveraging its advanced sensorless Digital Twin technology, Enline enables Transmission System Operators (TSOs), Distribution System Operators (DSOs), energy producers, and industrial players to optimize asset performance, reduce costs, and enhance reliability.
Congrats to: Duarte Fleming | Manuel Trigueiros Rafael Ferreira de Lemos
👉 More information
☁️ CFEX: Leading the Way in Scope 2 Decarbonization
CFEX is revolutionizing enterprise decarbonization with the industry’s first dedicated Scope 2 decarbonization platform. Its Carbon Free Energy Cloud enables businesses worldwide to streamline their Scope 2 operations by tracking emissions, simulating mitigation strategies, and automating processes related to Carbon Free Energy procurement.
Congrats to: Ping Wang | Marek Zhang | Jian Zhang
👉 More information
🔌 Podero: Unlocking New Revenue Streams for European Utilities
Podero empowers European utilities to create new revenue opportunities with its innovative SaaS platform. By seamlessly synchronizing consumer devices, electricity markets, and software systems, Podero enables utilities to offer highly competitive electricity contracts that drive growth and customer satisfaction.
Congrats to: Chris Bernkopf
👉 More information
🌎 Silurian AI: Revolutionizing Decision-Making with Earth Simulation Models
Silurian is redefining how industries tackle critical challenges by building foundation models for simulating Earth, starting with weather. From assessing wildfire risks to forecasting energy generation and demand, Silurian provides a powerful infrastructure layer that enhances decision-making across key sectors such as energy, insurance, agriculture, and logistics.
Congrats to: Jayesh K. Gupta |Cristian Bodnar | Nikhil Shankar
👉 More information
💨 Veer: Optimizing Renewable Energy Assets Through Advanced Modeling
Veer is transforming renewable energy management with cutting-edge modeling and analysis that maximize asset performance. By leveraging advanced weather modeling, data science, and machine learning, Veer provides renewable energy stakeholders with evidence-based insights to optimize their operations and boost efficiency. Leverages advanced meteorology and data science to optimize wind resources and farm performance.
Congrats to: Mike Optis
👉 More information
⚡ Werover: Extending the Lifespan of Renewable Energy Assets
Werover is transforming renewable energy maintenance with cutting-edge technology designed to extend asset lifespan and ensure long-term sustainability. By providing predictive and preventive maintenance solutions, Werover helps detect issues early, preventing costly failures and optimizing performance for hydroelectric and wind energy assets.
Congrats to: Balca Yılmaz
👉 More information
🚗 Gridio Raises €2.4 Million to Expand Smart EV Charging Solutions Across Europe
Gridio, a software platform specializing in smart charging for electric vehicles and distributed energy devices, has secured €2.4 million in a seed funding round led by Neoinvesteeringud, with participation from Encevo, Smartcap, Renergy, and existing investors.
Founded in 2018 by Konrad Hanschmidt and Sandor Liive, Gridio aims to optimize energy use, reduce costs, and support a more resilient electricity grid. The company plans to use the funds to roll out its smart charging product across Europe, integrating connected energy devices with electricity markets to accelerate the transition to a sustainable energy system.
👉 Read the article
🔋 New podcast on smart charging! ⚡
Introducing “Smart Charge by RiDERgy”, the podcast that dives into the challenges and solutions of smart EV charging. In this introduction episode, Claudio Geyken shares the inspiration behind the project and what to expect in the upcoming episodes. 🚗⚡
🤯 Kraaft for raising €13M!
Kraaft continues to revolutionize the construction sector with its impactful innovations, reaffirming its mission to bridge the gap between field and office teams through a collaborative and intuitive approach inspired by WhatsApp-style communication. 📱💬👷♀️🏗️👷♂️
👉 see more
😼 Tellers.ai on product hunt!
As mentioned in our latest newsletter, Tellers.ai, the innovative platform that revolutionizes content creation by transforming any text, article, story, song, voice memo, or podcast into captivating videos within seconds, is now launching on Product Hunt! 🚀
Feel free to check out their page and show your support! 🙌
👉let’s go
The “Founder Ownership Report 2025” by Carta analyzed the distribution of equity among founders and key shareholders of startups in the United States, based on anonymized data from over 45,000 startups incorporated between 2015 and 2024. Here are the highlights of this report:
Increase in solo founders
The percentage of startups led by a solo founder has more than doubled over the past decade, reaching 35% in 2024. Conversely, startups with three, four, or five founders have become less common.
However, solo founders are less successful in raising venture capital, accounting for only 17% of companies that closed a venture capital funding round in the same year.
Growing trend of equal equity splits
An increasing number of co-founders are opting for equal equity splits. In 2024, 45.9% of two-person founder teams divided their equity equally, up from 31.5% in 2015.
Decline in founder ownership through funding stages
After a seed round, the median founding team collectively owns 56.2% of their startup’s equity. This figure drops to 36.1% after a Series A and to 23% after a Series B.
Enline delivers real-time insights and optimization across the entire energy ecosystem, maximizing efficiency and sustainability without additional sensors.
Join Enline
Podero helps utilities optimize energy use, unlock new revenue streams, and reduce CO₂ emissions through smart grid synchronization.
Join Podero
Silurian AI builds foundation models to simulate Earth’s systems, enhancing forecasting for energy, insurance, and logistics.
Join Silurian
Toore is an operations management software that streamlines the refurbishment of electrical products, machinery, and vehicles with traceability and tailored decision-support tools.
Join Toore
“It takes a lifetime to succeed overnight.”
Corentin de Maupeou d'Ableiges de Monbail
entrepreneur
