ST. LOUIS, Oct. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Entrepreneurs
from seven startups who came to St.
Louis to participate in the Ameren Accelerator will take
part in a demo day today hosted by Ameren Corporation (NYSE: AEE)
and its partners to showcase innovative, new energy
technologies.
The event is the culmination of the 12-week Ameren Accelerator
program: a public-private partnership comprising Ameren, the
University of Missouri System, UMSL
Accelerate and Capital Innovators that assesses, mentors and
invests in energy-technology startup companies – all with a goal of
helping Ameren meet the future energy needs of its 2.4 million
electric customers and 900,000 natural gas customers.
"We are excited about the Ameren Accelerator program," said
Warner Baxter, chairman, president
and CEO of Ameren Corporation. "Engaging with entrepreneurs and
innovators is consistent with our focus on delivering innovative
solutions to meet our customers' energy needs today and in the
future. This forward-thinking, public-private partnership also will
enable the University of Missouri
System and its students to become more engaged in the energy
business, as well as help drive economic development and bolster
the St. Louis region's reputation
as an innovation hub."
The participating companies – which come from around the globe,
across the region and within the St.
Louis community – include blossom, Hyperion Sensors, Omega
Grid, Rebate Bus, SensrTrx, Switched Source and WIFIPLUG. The
companies will present their energy solutions and ideas to hundreds
of potential investors, business executives, academic leaders,
community representatives and guests at the Blanche M. Touhill
Performing Arts Center on the UMSL campus.
Many of the startups that have taken part in the Ameren
Accelerator are committed to maintaining a St. Louis presence, and several have hired
employees for their St.
Louis-based enterprises.
"The Ameren Accelerator has provided tremendous value to the
participating companies and created the necessary infrastructure
for ongoing engagement and success in their given markets," said
Judy Sindecuse, CEO, Capital
Innovators. "It's amazing to have Ameren as the pioneer of
corporations in St. Louis
conducting a program like this. The positive ripple effects from
these efforts will continue to grow into the future."
Notable advancements to be showcased at the Ameren Accelerator
Demo Day event include:
- blossom: blossom is a way for two parties to exchange
anything of value using simple digital agreements set by
user-defined rules. The accelerator helped blossom refine its idea
into a realistic product with a strong business infrastructure to
support it. The company will continue to grow its business in
St. Louis and has hired a local
developer to help build its platform.
- Hyperion Sensors: Hyperion Sensors has developed a
fiber-optic sensor for use with high-voltage equipment, allowing
them to become "intelligent." Through the accelerator, Hyperion
established its business case, formed critical business
connections, and is currently in discussions with Ameren about
utilizing its products for grid modernization.
- Omega Grid: Omega Grid is market software that removes
the revenue risk of distributed generation of utilities, encourages
energy investment by property owners and enables access to lower
rates for everyone. The company is working closely with Ameren's
Technical Application Center to run critical pilots. The
accelerator enabled Omega Grid to expand its operations and hire
software developers and marketing professionals. In addition, Omega
Grid was invited to speak at Stanford's
SLAC and Fintech conferences, furthering visibility and awareness
for the company.
- Rebate Bus: Rebate Bus is a platform for utility
programs to deliver instant incentives online. Rebate Bus generated
new business through the accelerator program and is building
seamless integrations with retailers, e-commerce vendors and
utility implementers. Rebate Bus plans to establish a new office in
St. Louis.
- SensrTrx: SensrTrx is an industrial analytics
application focused on using industrial data to improve uptime,
performance and reliability of manufacturing and industrial
systems. Through the Ameren Accelerator, the company closed a deal
with a major customer and currently is working with Ameren on a
concept to help improve the efficiency of the systems at one of
Ameren's energy centers. SensrTrx hired an experienced, full-time
employee in St. Louis to help grow
the business.
- Switched Source: Switched Source provides equipment
solutions for electric-distribution companies to make the grid more
resilient and efficient, while supporting the integration of more
distributed generation. Working closely with accelerator mentors
and liaisons from Ameren and the University of
Missouri System, the company identified substations where
its technology can improve power-grid reliability and efficiency
and create significant savings by reducing or deferring upgrade
expenses.
- WIFIPLUG: The WIFIPLUG smart plug learns routines to
make life easier and help consumers save money on energy bills. It
is the only smart plug in the world to offer open-source API for
developers and to include the ability for voice control using Siri,
Alexa or Google. WIFIPLUG received an introduction to Apple through
the Ameren Accelerator, which resulted in an Apple retail deal that
provides a significant global opportunity for the business.
WIFIPLUG hired its lead accelerator mentor to work from
St. Louis and head U.S.
sales.
In addition to access to subject matter experts from Ameren, the
startups have been able to draw upon the full resources of a public
university system. University of
Missouri System faculty and staff provided deep expertise,
guidance and coaching throughout the accelerator program. Student
interns offered much-needed services including research activities,
promotion and office staffing. This enhancement to corporate
acceleration has provided mutual benefits for the university
system, its students and the startups.
"The opportunity to teach, mentor and learn within a real-world
entrepreneurial environment has been tremendously valuable for
students, faculty and the startups alike," said Dan Lauer, founding executive director, UMSL
Accelerate. "This program has kept our faculty engaged and our
students inspired as they delivered the kind of support necessary
to help these seven energy-tech startups succeed and move to the
next level. We look forward to continuing this innovative
partnership and supporting future Ameren Accelerator startups."
Ameren plans to open the application process for its next Ameren
Accelerator program in spring 2018.
About Ameren Accelerator Demo Day 2017
Demo Day
attendees hear from unique startup companies about their new
energy-technology innovations and potential opportunities for
investment. The day marks the culmination of a 12-week Ameren
Accelerator program, a public-private partnership comprising Ameren
Corporation, the University of Missouri
System, UMSL Accelerate and Capital Innovators. Keynote speakers
discuss important issues, including the state of venture capital
supporting energy technologies in the U.S. and other topics.
Attendees enjoy networking opportunities with investors, energy
executives, academic leaders and regional stakeholders.
About Ameren Corporation
St.
Louis-based Ameren Corporation powers the quality of life
for 2.4 million electric customers and more than 900,000 natural
gas customers in a 64,000-square-mile area through its Ameren
Missouri and Ameren Illinois rate-regulated utility subsidiaries.
Ameren Illinois provides electric distribution and transmission
service, as well as natural gas distribution service, while Ameren
Missouri provides vertically integrated electric service, with
generating capacity of over 10,200 megawatts, and natural gas
distribution service. Ameren Transmission Company of Illinois develops regional electric
transmission projects. For more information, visit Ameren.com, or
follow us at @AmerenCorp, Facebook.com/AmerenCorp, or
LinkedIn/company/Ameren.
About the University of Missouri
System
The University of
Missouri System is the State of
Missouri's largest public university, with four campuses
serving more than 76,000 students, a health care system, an
extension program, and more than 500,000 alumni worldwide. The UM
System was created in 1963 when the University
of Missouri (founded in 1839 in Columbia) and the Missouri School of Mines
(now the Missouri University of Science
and Technology, founded in 1870 in Rolla), were combined with the formerly
private University of Kansas City (now
University of Missouri–Kansas City, founded in 1933), and a newly
created campus in suburban St. Louis
(University of Missouri–St. Louis).
About the University of Missouri-St.
Louis and UMSL Accelerate
The University of
Missouri–St. Louis is the largest public research university in
eastern Missouri with the greatest
concentration of alumni in the region. Their UMSL Accelerate
initiative fosters entrepreneurism and innovative thinking in and
outside the classroom and helps bring concepts from mind to market.
For more information, visit http://umsl.edu/accelerate/.
About Capital Innovators
Capital Innovators is an
innovation engine that creates practical solutions across
industries that can shape the future of organizations. Capital
Innovators provides innovation consulting, entrepreneurial-based
programs, acts as a liaison between Corporations, Universities and
Startups and investment into attractive early-stage businesses.
Capital Innovators has in-depth knowledge into the most
cutting-edge solutions through the Accelerator division of its
business, which has been ranked as a top Accelerator in the country
for four years in a row and has invested in and guided over 80
companies to date. Capital Innovators' model is simple and
effective: Innovation, Iteration, and Implementation.
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SOURCE Ameren Corporation