COMMERCIALISING CLEAN TECH & LOW CARBON INNOVATION
Innovation and SME support - Eigen Ventures works with technology innovators, SMEs, financiers and other stakeholders to help bring low-carbon and clean technology to market. Eigen's Associates have provided business consulting, market engagement and investment readiness support to several hundred SMEs and Projects across a wide range of low-carbon technologies and products in the Energy, Buildings and Homes, Transport, and Industrial markets.
Venture Acceleration Programmes - We design, set-up and deliver Venture Acceleration Programmes for innovation agencies and partners. Eigen Ventures is a lead delivery partner for:
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UK Department of Energy and Net Zero (DESNZ) - Net Zero Innovation Portfolio (NZIP) Acceleration Services
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Innovate UK's - Energy Catalyst Accelerator
Market Studies - We also design and deliver Market Studies for clients wanting to inform, facilitate or finance corporate or sectoral transitions to net zero and environmentally sustainable businesses.
Sept 2024: Project Funding Study for Green Hydrogen and other First-of-a-Kind Low Carbon industrial projects
for:
Energy Systems Catapult and Hydrogen Innovation Initiative
Contact Us - if you are interested to discuss or develop the ideas in this report please contact Eigen using the form here
(Sept 2024) A report by Eigen Ventures has been recently published by Energy Systems Catapult for the Hydrogen Innovation Initiative. The study concerned the Project (Debt) Financing of Green Hydrogen and other First-of-a-Kind Low-Carbon commercial projects. We interviewed over 40 stakeholders earlier 2024, including SME developers, banks, insurance companies, advisers and UK government entities. Our focus was on the smaller scale (so more readily implementable) electrolytic projects, particularly those that will have revenue subsidies from government schemes such as HAR or RTFO. Debt is a key enabler for rapid development of new energy solutions, as seen in the LNG, wind and battery storage industries. The faster that lenders can become involved in financing hydrogen projects the faster we can grow a liquid hydrogen market and a hydrogen economy. Please contact us if you are interested to discuss or develop the ideas in this report.
OUR SERVICES & PROGRAMMES
SUPPORT TO START-UPS AND SMEs
Eigen's team have supported over 450 low-carbon start-ups and SMEs. Examples of what we do for SMEs includes:
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Assess Market Landscape and Prioritise Opportunities. Developing market strategy, outline service proposition, and sizing market opportunities. Drawing on our knowledge of low-carbon and clean tech innovation needs in a range of sectors.
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Value Proposition development. Develop and test value propositions with experienced experts and target market contacts.
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Business Model and Strategy. Business model options generation and evaluation, competitive strategy, partnering plans.
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Investment Readiness. Detailed input to business investment propositions, pitch-packs, business plans and capital needs analysis, and investor screening.
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Leadership & Team Coaching. Align team performance with growth goals. Provided by a certified business coach.
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Market Engagement. In-depth interviews leading to business development introductions and improved value propositions.
2021- Ongoing. Eigen is a lead partner in the delivery of acceleration and business support to SMEs and start-ups receiving funding from the UK Government's Net Zero Innovation Portfolio (NZIP). We are part of the programme design and set-up team and Eigen's Associates coordinate work from the NZIP Accelerator Consortium to provide targeted support to clean tech SMEs in areas such as: Market Intelligence, Value Propositions, Partner Engagement, Technology Commercialisation Strategy, Manufacturing Design & Supply, Team Development, Investment planning and Investor readiness. We work directly with SME leadership teams to diagnose business gaps and questions, assess commercial options and priorities, and then scope and coordinate support from appropriate experts within the Accelerator Consortia: Carbon Trust, Energy Systems Catapult, Mott MacDonald, KPMG, Eigen Ventures and from specialists at the High-Value Manufacturing Catapult centres, ERM (techno-market), Sustainable Ventures (start-up incubator), Greenhouse (PR), DWF (Legal), Novagraaf (IP).
2020-ongoing. As a key delivery partner to the Carbon Trust, Eigen coordinate and provide business support services to Energy Catalyst grant recipients. We also helped design and set up the Accelerator programme during the 2020 Covid-19 lock-down. Eigen's Associate team work directly with SMEs and Energy Catalyst project teams to identify commercialisation planning gaps and needs and then coordinates targeted business support from programme partners in the UK, Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. This includes Carbon Trust, Eigen Ventures, Energy 4 Impact, Intellecap, Open Capital Advisors, DWF, Value for Women, African Management Institute.
2019-ongoing: Eigen is one of the suppliers of services to Energy Systems Catapult's Energy Launchpad which enables SMEs to access a combination of the ES Catapult's cross-sectoral expertise in energy systems transformation together with private sector expertise in building clean energy businesses. This model has proven very successful and delivered tailored support to over 50 SMEs in its first 2 years. Eigen was Interim Manager for the pilot and has delivered consulting projects for SMEs in Energy Launchpad cohorts.
2018-19 Eigen and 350IP co-designed and delivered the pilot for the ES Catapult's Energy Launchpad the UK's first accelerator designed specifically for energy innovators.
STUDIES & REPORTS
Eigen has delivered or helped deliver the following studies:
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2024 Debt Financing Low Carbon Projects in the UK - survey of 40 stakeholders in project finance sector for ES Catapult Hydrogen Innovation Initiative
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2021 British Business Bank survey: Small Business Transition to Net Zero - Eigen prepared the framework for characterising types and maturity of net-zero activity amongst SME
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2021 UK Net-Zero Capabilities - using an AI platform to identify populations of businesses with capabilities relevant to net-zero roadmaps in: building retrofit, decarbonising heat, hydrogen economy, smart flexible energy systems, and EV adoption.
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2019 Landscape of UK and West Midlands Innovation Support accessible to SMEs in Housing, Energy, Transport and Industrial sectors. Eigen characterised 150 programmes and interviewed a sample, to show relative coverage and gaps by type of support and sector. This work was part of evidence gathering for the ES Catapult/Climate-KIC publication "D4E: An energy innovation platform for the West Midlands"
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2018 Landscape of UK and International Business Accelerators and Incubators that included some focus on Energy innovators.
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2017 Stakeholders in Local Area Energy Planning. Engaged with government, public and private sector stakeholders to assess upcoming needs for local area energy planning tools.
FLEX LONDON for the GREATER LONDON AUTHORITY
Partnering with Energy Unlocked in 2018-2020, Eigen brought together large energy users and innovators to identify opportunities to 'flex' when energy was used or generated to benefit the energy user, the power network, or local area and city infrastructure. London's scope for Energy Flexibility could be a significant contribution to accommodate more renewable energy generation nationally and to manage additional demand on the grid from electric vehicles and the electrification of heat. Flex London was part of the Mayor of Londons, Energy for Londoners programme to make London’s homes warm, healthy and affordable, its workplaces more energy efficient, and to supply the capital with more local clean energy.
LANDLORD ENERGY MODELS
Working with partners, Eigen has delivered consulting projects looking at ways that Build-to-Rent and Social Landlords can benefit from the energy transition. With 350IP we compared options for a BTR Landlord to improve building energy efficiency, participate in renewable energy and storage, offer EV charging and heat services to tenants, and extract value from energy flexibility. We interviewed energy suppliers and service providers to gauge which market offerings BTR landlords could feasibly exploit to create new income streams or reduce the cost of decarbonising homes. With Energy Unlocked we facilitated an expert focus group to work up a "3rd party finance model for smart-energy in social housing". We have also engaged with the housing sector on behalf of several innovative SMEs to develop understanding of the needs and barriers to wider adoption of smart energy solutions in homes.
If you would like to find out more about our work please get in touch using the form below
TEAM & CAPABILITIES
ASSOCIATES
Eigen's team have deep knowledge and experience supporting or building low-carbon technology based businesses. Our associates have a combination of the following backgrounds and experience: Senior Business & Commercial Management Roles, Technology Commercialisation in business and RTOs, SME Business Support, Fund Raising & Investment for Early-stage and Growth Companies, Experience across Clean-Tech, Climate-Tech, Low-Carbon, Clean-Energy, and Energy Access solutions in Industrial, Commercial and Residential sectors in the UK and overseas.
MANAGEMENT
Eigen's founder Mark Bornhoft has been leading and managing low-carbon business incubation programmes since 2006 including, previously: 2012-16 set-up and co-directed the BEIS Energy Entrepreneurs Fund Incubation Programme, 2006-11 ran a Carbon Trust Entrepreneurs Fast Track; 2003-2006 CEO of a university tech spin-out sold to a VC backed scale-up business; 2003 developed Business Diagnostic tools for the SET Squared incubator.
NETWORK
We have an extensive network across:
UK innovators in smart energy, low-carbon and clean tech solutions
Corporates and industry seeking cleaner low-carbon, resilient and economically sustainable solutions
Early stage seed and VC investors
Providers of innovation and business support services