Knowing that entrepreneurs can accelerate the clean energy revolution if given access to the right networks, the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation launched the Energy Innovation Network (www.energyinnovationnetwork.org) at the Energy Innovation Summit co-hosted by the Kauffman Foundation and the Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy. The Energy Innovation Network will provide links to technologies, entrepreneurs, finance, buyers and policymakers to make the pathway for energy entrepreneurs more transparent.
The online network will match researchers, entrepreneurs, buyers, investors and decision-makers to support high-growth energy businesses. It also will provide policymakers with information that will help them develop programs that can support clean energy entrepreneurship.
The Energy Innovation Network is designed to close the innovation gap between energy research and the market by:
- Connecting entrepreneurs with researchers who can develop new technologies
- Linking startups with energy buyers
- Helping corporations find energy partners
- Informing states that want to enact policies that will encourage clean energy development
- Enabling regions to scale state-level innovation strategies
