Dutch clean energy conglomerate Koolen Industries is giving a big boost to EIT InnoEnergy. The industrial energy group has become a stakeholder of the European sustainable energy innovation engine. By teaming up with InnoEnergy, Koolen wants to invest in more clean energy startups and get them to the market faster. In joining forces, the two sides see an opportunity to combine expertise and industry contacts as they look to put their proverbial foot on the gas in the push toward energy transition.
Founded in 2010, EIT InnoEnergy provides funding to help new businesses reduce the involved risk and shorten the time to market. To date, InnoEnergy has invested more than 500 million euros in support of over 200 startups across Europe, with about 30 in the Benelux region. Meanwhile, Koolen has invested in a number of clean energy solutions that include, among others, lithium battery company Super B, the battery sharing platform Skoon Energy and the developers of Europe’s first fully-operational hyperloop test facility, Hardt Hyperloop.
“Kees Koolen’s entrepreneurial flair and extensive global network will invigorate our offering and take our existing startup portfolio to the next level,” expresses Jacob Ruiter, CEO of EIT InnoEnergy Benelux. “The investment will help us jointly deepen our engagements with sustainability companies, at a time when the climate crisis continues to intensify. This coming together of two powerful forces will help us speed up the transition to a low-carbon future.”