Join us for the second year of Start@ets hosted by Zpryme on Wednesday, October 25, 2017 at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar. This year’s program will feature a jam-packed afternoon filled with engaging talks, dynamic brainstorming sessions and a rousing pilot pitch competition. Toast the winning team and mingle with esteemed guests at our networking reception at The Highball following the event. Don’t miss it!

--

In partnership with Austin Energy and Austin Technology Incubator (ATI), Zpryme will execute a Pilot Pitch Competition that will result in innovative pilots being proposed to key decision makers and experts in the fields of energy, smart cities, transportation, mobility, EVs and energy storage. The winning pilot will be awarded with a MOU to enter further discussions with the appropriate party (e.g city, utility). A cash prize of $5,000 will also be awarded to the winner.

The goal of this year’s contest is to demonstrate new solutions (companies) that can solve real-world problems. Topics include: augmented reality, virtual reality, utility solutions, smart city applications, mobility, transportation, renewables and/or energy storage.

--

+ Registration | 1:00-7:00pm

+ Welcome | 2:00-2:15pm
- H. Christine Richards, Chief Content Officer, Zpryme
- Special remarks from Council member Jimmy Flannigan, City of Austin

+ Fireside Chat > From Ideas to Innovation | 2:15-2:30pm
- George Koutitas, CEO & Co-Founder, Gridmates, Inc.
- Erin Hardick, Research Analyst, Zpryme [Moderator]

+ ETS Talk > Artificial Intelligence and What’s Next for Communities | 2:30-2:45pm
- Slavek Zaremba, Chief Architect of IIOT, SparkCognition

+ Break | 2:45-3:00pm

+ Pilot Pitch Competition > Finalists Pitch Their Solution | 3:00-4:15pm

Finalists

- DataCapable

- EVmatch, Inc.

- Grid 20/20, Inc.

- Omega Grid

- Yotta Solar Inc.

Judges

- Jeremy Adelman, Managing Partner and Chief Strategy Officer, Daito Design

- Michael Britt, Vice President of Energy Innovation Center, Southern Company

- Nancy Bui-Thompson, Member of the Board of Directors, SMUD

- Mark Dowd, Visiting Scholar (Smart Cities), UC Berkeley

- Stephen Elkins, Chief Information Officer, City of Austin

- Jessica Hamm, Manager of Emerging Technology Strategy, Duke Energy

- Mitch Jacobson, ATI Program Manager, Austin Technology Incubator

- Ann Kitchen, District 5 Councilwoman, City of Austin

- Jeff Norman, Vice President of Industry Solutions, AutoGrid

- Karl Popham, Manager of Emerging Technologies and EV, Austin Energy

- Dr. Noa Ruschin-Rimini, Founder & CEO, Grid4C

- Shailesh Shere, Assistant Director of Power Systems, Public Works & Utilities, City of Port Angeles

+ Brainstorming Session > Building the Innovation Ecosystem | 4:15-4:45pm
- Michael Britt, Vice President of Energy Innovation Center, Southern Company
- Jessica Hamm, Vice President of Industry Solutions, Duke Energy
- Jeff Norman, Smart Grid Tech Strategy and Product Innovation Manager, AutoGrid
- H. Christine Richards, Chief Content Officer, Zpryme [Moderator]

+ Panel > Virtual and Augmented Reality of Infrastructure | 4:45-5:15pm
- Nancy Bui-Thompson, Director, SMUD
- Karl Popham, Manager of Emerging Technologies and EV, Austin Energy
- Erin Hardick, Research Analyst, Zpryme [Moderator]

+ Networking Reception > Winner Announcement & Demos | 5:15 - 7:30pm

For a detailed agenda, visit this page.

--

Start@ets is a contest hosted by Zpryme for early stage startups around the nation to solve real-world problems, turning their ideas into action. Last year’s inaugural event featured a fast-paced event with panels and talks around energy that pushed the knowledge exchange for startups, entrepreneurs, executives, and influencers. Learn more about Start@ets here.

If you have any questions about Start@ets or the event, please contact Rod Kyle Paras, Program Manager at Zpryme at rodkyle.paras@zpryme.com.

Start@ets has no registration fee, but is accepting monetary donations for the local non-profit, Bike Texas.

BikeTexas is a 501 C3 non-profit organization that advances bicycle access, safety, and education while encouraging and promoting bicycling, increased safety, and improved conditions. They unite and inspire people and provide a cohesive voice for people who ride bikes in Texas.

BikeTexas owns and maintains a fleet of 190 bicycles. They use these bikes to take policymakers, transportation planners, and other municipal on tours of bicycle or other urban infrastructure facilities. They also host events and rent out their fleet as a sustainable source of income to subsidize their other educational programs.

The fleet consists of 150 hybrid comfort bikes, 25 electric-assist bikes, and 15 children’s balance bikes. They use two 20-ft trailers to transport the fleet anywhere in the continental United States. They have hosted many rides for groups such as the National Conference of State Legislators. These rides show state legislators and their staffs how good bicycle infrastructure encourages healthy lifestyles and significant amounts of traffic congestion relief. They have hosted such rides in Chicago, Seattle, Boston, Minneapolis, Atlanta, San Antonio, and other major US cities.

The fleet of hybrid bikes is aging. They maintain a basic repair shop for maintenance. Fleet maintenance requires 20 hours of labor per week. Their events require helmets and water bottles for each participant. Will you help them maintain the unique resource?

Finalists

- DataCapable

- EVmatch, Inc.

- Grid 20/20, Inc.

- Omega Grid

- Yotta Solar Inc.