The Shell E4 program builds upon the company’s global vision to support the energy sector’s evolving ecosystem. Shell has a rich history of working with entrepreneurs across the energy value chain globally.
Shell E4 Program has four tracks each track is designed to support startups at various maturity levels and their unique needs. Current program tracks are:
Details of each track can be found at the bottom of the webpage
Infrastructure: Incubated start-ups will have access to Shell’s Technology and IT labs in Bangalore to support product development and testing. Additionally, the start-ups will be co-located with other leading energy start-ups in STCB providing them the opportunity to be in the vicinity of other like-minded startups.
Mentorship and Advisory: Start-ups will have access to technical and commercial mentorship by leveraging subject market experts in the organization. Additionally, regular interaction with industry leaders and academia has been built into the program. The Hub will also provide support for organizational functions like HR and legal.
Access to Capital: In addition to investment of up to $20,000, start-ups may raise further funding through Shell investment arms such as Shell Ventures. Besides Shell’s investment arm, start-ups will also have the opportunity to pitch their ideas to other potential investors brought in during the program.
Access to Customers: If found relevant, Shell can be a potential deployment partner and customer. Additionally, where possible, the Hub can facilitate introduction to its network of partners and customers in India and abroad. Start-ups shall have access to infrastructure, expertise, capital and customers to help them accelerate their business growth and test the commercial and technical viability of their business offering. The start-ups will benefit from Shell’s Technology Labs and IT infrastructure, a network of partners and customers, and will also have the opportunity to pitch their ideas to other potential investors brought in during the program.
At the end of the six-month program, the cohort start-ups will have the opportunity to pitch to top investors from India and abroad as well as meet with an array of decision makers from the energy ecosystem, on Demo Day. After the cohort graduates, they will continue their relationship with the program through the Shell E4 alumni network.
At Shell, we are committed to achieving net zero emissions and becoming a low-carbon energy business by 2050.
We believe that engaging eco-system and forming alliances is the way forward to co-create low carbon solutions.
As part of our efforts to contribute towards the growth of the energy start-up ecosystem, Shell E4 has launched the Net Zero Challenge. This challenge is open to emerging talents at educational institutions, research organizations and incubators. It is designed to support the best entrepreneurs by providing them with a global platform to showcase their initiatives and develop market-fit products. Participants will also receive mentoring from global leaders, industry experts, and leverage soft landing and market access opportunities.
The Net Zero Challenge is a tailor-made program focused on identifying and supporting Idea Stage & Early Growth Stage startups. The program is designed to help these start-ups to develop and scale their businesses for the future readiness.
Aspiring Entrepreneurs build product/Services evolving under Net Zero Carbon Emission – Engineering / Non-Technical students / post-Graduate students / PhD students/ Early-stage startups (less than 1 year in existence) pursuing ideas with intent to begin their startup journey.
Startup Category: Idea Stage & Early Growth Stage startups
Clean-Tech, Sustainability, Waste management, Plastic Circularity, Digital AI/ML solution for Net Zero Emission, EV Charging solution, Battery Swapping, Cost reduction carbon capture technologies, Supply chain decarbonization, Carbon Utilization: Novel CO₂ conversion chemistries etc.
a) Understanding of product-market fit
b) Business plan review & consultation of strategy to scale the business
c) 3 Months extensive Bootcamp journey
d) Funding opportunity for minimum viable product
e) Opportunity to learn from leaders & business experts.
f) Opportunity to connect with investors.
Start-ups participating in the Net Zero Challenge will have the opportunity to leverage Shell’s subject matter expertise and global reach, as well as the resources and networks of India’s premier business and technical institutions. Additionally, they will benefit from a curated network of industry experts and advisors to accelerate their business proposition.
Disclaimer: Shell E4 Reserves the rights to alter program at any point of time.
The smart energy track is a program designed for early to mid-stage start-ups that have proven proof of concept (or solution). It is a tailor-made program focused on helping startups scale their businesses and become market ready.
For Founders of startups (early & Mid-stage) focused on the evolving energy industry and who are seeking.
a) product development support & product-market fit and
b) to scale their businesses.
These startups will be able to leverage Shell’s subject matter expertise and global reach, while also benefiting from a curated network of industry experts & advisors to accelerate their business development.
Start-ups that are likely to be considered for this track are those working on innovative solutions with some customer traction and the competence to grow. The company should be able to leverage the resources that are provided to build highly competitive industry-relevant products not just for India, but global markets.
Start-ups that will benefit the most from this program should have:
Phase 1 - Assess: Evaluate the current state of your startup’s, Market, investor and enterprise readiness through a structured framework curated by industry experts & create a customized execution plan. The program will kick off with a 1-week intensive boot camp to define the roadmap of the program.
Phase 2 - Execute: This is the activation phase wherein you will execute your action plan for the next 2 to 4 months specifically on operations and growth. The Shell E4 team will support you in creating an advisory board. Bi-monthly virtual check-in sessions will be organized between you, your mentor and the E4 team to monitor the progress of your plan. You will have full access to the lab infrastructure to help you with your product enhancement plans and verifying product-market fit.
Phase 3 – Mature: Define go-to-market strategies for scale, build market-ready Enterprise solutions, implement strategies to mature potential pilot with Shell & Investor readiness
Phase 4 – Scale: Establish operations and teams to enable scaling, Market penetration/ Global expansion, Investor engagement, Pitch at Demo day.
Beyond the Program: The program’s duration is 6 months. After graduation, the startups will:
To find out more about the Smart Energy Track and download a copy of the brochure please click here for the Smart Energy Track Brochure.
To read about the applications and selection process please go to the 'How to Apply' Section
To know more about Smart Energy Track and other Focus themes of E4, please visit ‘E4 Themes’ Section.
To get in touch please write to: SIMPL-Shell-E4-Hub@shell.com
For energy-related startups working on product development and customer discovery.
The growth track at the Shell E4 Start-up Hub is a 6-month curriculum designed for energy related, early to mid-stage start-ups. We prefer start-ups that have a finished product (or service) and have completed proof of concept testing. Typically, the startups on this program will be in the Pilot phase. This is a comprehensive and tailor-made program to launch startups on an accelerated growth journey.
Boot Camps: Start-ups begin their journey with a 1 week kick off Boot Camp which will include a baseline assessment of the company, sessions on strategy & business planning and introductions with the various Shell businesses (that the start-up may work with during the program to enhance their product, to find customers or to form other types of partnerships).
Focus Weeks: Monthly focus weeks will bring together industry experts to conduct classroom sessions across a range of topics like Product Development, Branding, Business Finance etc. These weeks will be held in Bangalore as well as other major startup ecosystems across India.
Founders Socials: During the program the start-ups will be invited to several networking engagements - the monthly Founders Socials and other events organized by Shell. At the Founders Social you will interact with a curated set of investors, industry experts and corporates. This will be an opportunity to grow your network and make relevant connections.
Executive Series: A key highlight of the Shell E4 program is the Executive Series. This series will host successful entrepreneurs and industry leaders – all of who have been there, done that – for interactive sessions with the cohort on different aspects of their startup journey. These will be scheduled during the Focus week.
Shell E4 Demo Day: At the end of the curriculum, the cohort start-ups will pitch to investors, customers and other members of the ecosystem at the largest energy entrepreneur event in India - Shell E4 Demo Day.
To find out more about the Growth Track and download a copy of the brochure please click here for the Growth Track Brochure.
To read about the applications and selection process please go to the 'How to Apply' Section
To get in touch please write to: SIMPL-Shell-E4-Hub@shell.com
For Founders of startups focused on the Energy Industry and seeking to a) confirm product-market fit and b) scale their business. Shell’s E4 Scale program is designed to strengthen startups’ business strategies and execution capabilities. These startups will be able to leverage Shell and its partners’ subject matter expertise, while also benefiting from a curated network of industry experts & advisors to accelerate their product maturation.
Scale Track Partners
The scale track is a program designed for growth stage start-ups that have deployable product (or solution) with some paying customers. It is a tailor-made program focused on helping scale their businesses and market share in the industry by leveraging Shell’s global reach including those of its partners.
Start-ups that are likely to be considered for this track are those working on innovative solutions with some customer traction and the competence to grow. The company should be able to leverage the resources that are provided to build highly competitive industry-relevant products not just for India, but global markets.
Start-ups that will benefit the most from this program should have:
Phase 1 - Assess: The program will kick off with a 1-week intensive face to face boot camp to conduct a baseline assessment of your company. The sessions during the week will focus on various aspects of strategy, growth/scale-up needs, product market fit, business operations, etc. This is meant to identify bottlenecks and create scale up plans.
Phase 2 - Execute: This is the activation phase wherein you will execute your action plan for the next 2 to 4 months specifically on operations, customer acquisition and growth. The Shell E4 team will support you in creating an advisory board. Monthly virtual check-in sessions will be organized between you, your mentor and the E4 team to monitor the progress of your plan. You will have full access to the lab infrastructure to help you with your product enhancement plans and verifying product-market fit.
Phase 3 – Pilot: In this phase, you along with the mentor and E4 team will work towards potential deployments, build deal flow plans and establish operations at scale.
Beyond the Program: The program is expected to last between 4 to 6 months depending on each startup’s needs and execution of the action plan. Every startup will have access to the Shell labs beyond the end of the program based on agreement with the E4 Hub. The startups will also become part of the alumni pool and benefit from access to a network of India’s best energy entrepreneurs and mentors. Start-ups will be able to pitch to investors, customers and other members of the ecosystem at the largest energy entrepreneur event in India - Shell E4 Demo Day
To know more about the track and download a copy of the brochure please click on Shell E4 Scale Track Brochure.
To read about the applications and selection process please go to the 'How to Apply' Section.
To get in touch please write to: SIMPL-Shell-E4-Hub@shell.com
A comprehensive and tailor-made program enabling digital and energy transition startups to achieve industry readiness and implement strategies for scaling/ global expansion in the Industrial, Mobility & Energy verticals.
The digital track at the Shell E4 Start-up Hub is a multi-partner program for digital startups that fast tracks industry solution maturation towards global market adoption by achieving enterprise readiness, materializing industry deployments and accessing international markets. The startups will benefit from a curated network of industry experts & advisors leveraging Shell + Partners’ global reach.
We prefer start-ups that have a deployable product with at least some paying customers. This is a comprehensive and tailor-made program enabling digital startups to rapidly identify product-market-fit and implement a framework for scaling. The duration of the program is 6 months with continued support via alumni program thereafter.
Startups that will benefit the most from this program should have:
Phase 1 – Asses: Assess the current state of your startup e.g. PMF, GTM, create execution plans to become global market ready, Become Industry ready
Phase 2 – Build: Use case discussion with Shell business and Partners, Verify/ Build product-market fit, Assess and build capabilities / commercial strategies for scale
Phase 3 – Mature: Define go-to-market strategies for scale, build market-ready Enterprise solutions, implement strategies to mature potential deployments with Shell & Partners, Investor readiness
Phase 4- Scale: Establish operations and teams to enable scaling, Market penetration/ Global expansion, Investor engagement, Pitch at Demo day
The program is expected to last up tp 6 months depending on each startup’s needs and execution of the action plan. Every startup will have access to the Shell labs beyond the end of the program based on agreement with the Shell E4 Startup Hub The startups will also become part of the alumni pool and benefit from access to a network of India’s best energy entrepreneurs and mentors. Startups will be able to pitch to investors, customers and other members of the ecosystem at the largest energy entrepreneur event in India - Shell E4 Demo Day
To find out more about the Digital Track and download a copy of the brochure please click here for the Digital Track Brochure.
To read about the applications and selection process please go to the 'How to Apply' Section
To know more about Digital and other Focus themes of E4, please visit ‘E4 Themes’ Section.
To get in touch please write to: SIMPL-Shell-E4-Hub@shell.com