The European start-up landscape
Summary
TLDRIn this European Utility Week interview, Sandra Routine, co-founder of boutique Energy Solutions, discusses the challenges and progress of startups in the energy sector. She highlights the conservative nature of the industry and the need for startups to innovate not just technologically but also in processes and mindset. While acknowledging the difficulty of changing regulations, she advises startups to build their business models on current regulations and adapt to the evolving market dynamics. Routine also touches on the cultural shifts in the energy industry, with utilities becoming more open to innovation and startups driving a change in work culture, emphasizing work-life balance and international collaboration.
Takeaways
- 💡 Startups in the energy sector face challenges due to the conservative nature of the industry, which relies on heavy infrastructure.
- 🚀 More startups are entering the energy space, offering not just technology but also innovative services for the future of energy.
- ⚖️ Regulation in the EU presents challenges for startups, as it is slow to change and is built on existing market structures and technologies.
- ⏳ Startups should not base their business models on the assumption that regulation will change quickly; instead, they should adapt to the current regulatory environment.
- 💼 Despite regulatory challenges, startups are making significant progress in the energy sector by finding ways to navigate these obstacles.
- 🏢 Utilities have become more open to innovation, recognizing the need to adapt to the increasing pace of change in the industry.
- 🌍 The culture within the energy sector is shifting, with utilities adopting startup accelerators and venture arms to foster innovation.
- 🤝 Startups are often founded by young people and operate with modern communication methods and diverse, international teams.
- 🏠 Work-life balance is becoming increasingly important for newer generations, leading to healthier work environments and long-term benefits for companies.
- 👥 The evolution in the way people work is beneficial for both employees and companies, as it helps reduce burnout and promotes better health and well-being.
Q & A
What is the main topic of discussion in the interview?
-The main topic of the interview is the role of startups in the European energy space and how they are navigating the regulatory environment and market challenges.
How does Sandra describe the energy industry's approach to innovation?
-Sandra describes the energy industry as conservative and infrastructure-heavy, which makes it challenging for startups to introduce new innovations that require changing processes and mindsets.
What advice does Sandra give to startups regarding the regulatory environment in Europe?
-Sandra advises startups not to build their business models on the assumption that regulations will change in the near future, as regulation changes can take years. Instead, startups should operate within the current regulatory framework and adapt accordingly.
How have utilities' attitudes towards innovation changed over the past few years?
-Utilities have become more open to innovation, moving away from the 'do-it-yourself' mentality to seeking external collaborations and recognizing the value that startups can bring to the industry.
What cultural changes are happening within utilities and startups according to Sandra?
-Cultural changes include a shift towards more international and diverse teams, increased use of technology for communication, and a growing emphasis on work-life balance.
What is Sandra's view on the importance of work-life balance for startups and utilities?
-Sandra sees work-life balance as increasingly important, noting that it benefits individual health and the company environment by reducing burnout and promoting self-care among employees.
How does Sandra perceive the role of startups in challenging existing market structures and technologies?
-Sandra acknowledges that startups introducing new technologies can clash with existing market structures and regulations, creating difficulties but also opportunities for innovation.
What does Sandra suggest as a strategy for startups to deal with the regulatory challenges?
-Sandra suggests that startups should deal with regulatory challenges by focusing on the current regulations and finding ways to innovate within that framework, rather than waiting for regulatory changes.
How does Sandra describe the pace of change in the energy industry?
-Sandra describes the pace of change in the energy industry as increasing, which even large utilities with abundant resources struggle to keep up with, necessitating a more open approach to external innovation.
What is the impact of younger generations on the startup culture according to the interview?
-The impact of younger generations on startup culture includes a preference for technology-based communication, a more international team dynamic, and a stronger focus on work-life balance.
How does Sandra view the role of traditional utilities in the face of technological advancements and market changes?
-Sandra views traditional utilities as needing to adapt to the rapid pace of change by becoming more open to innovation, collaboration, and embracing new ways of working that startups often exemplify.
Outlines
🚀 Startups in the Energy Sector
In this segment, Sandra Routine, co-founder and head of business development and marketing at boutique Energy Solutions, discusses the challenges and opportunities for startups in the energy sector. She highlights that while the industry is conservative and infrastructure-heavy, there is a growing trend of startups bringing innovation, both in technology and services. Sandra emphasizes the importance of startups not relying on the expectation of regulatory changes for their business models but instead adapting to the current regulations and being aware of potential future shifts.
🛠 Regulatory Challenges and Utility Innovation
This paragraph delves into the regulatory environment's impact on startups in the energy sector. Sandra explains that existing regulations are often a barrier to new technologies and market structures, advising startups to navigate the current regulatory landscape without assuming imminent changes. She also touches on the cultural shift within utilities towards openness to innovation, as they move from a self-reliant model to one that embraces external contributions. The discussion underscores the importance of adaptability and the recognition that change is a gradual process.
🌐 Cultural Shifts in the Energy Industry
In the final paragraph, the conversation shifts to the cultural changes within the energy industry, particularly focusing on how utilities and startups are adapting to new ways of working. Sandra notes the rise of technology-driven communication, the internationalization of teams, and the increasing importance of work-life balance. She points out that these changes are beneficial for both individual well-being and the company's long-term interests, as they help prevent burnout and promote a healthier work environment.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡European Utility Week
💡Startups
💡Energy Space
💡Innovation
💡Regulation
💡Business Model
💡Mindset
💡Utilities
💡Accelerators
💡Cultural Shift
💡Work-Life Balance
Highlights
Good afternoon and welcome to the last stay here at European Utility Week with Sandra Routine, co-founder and head of business development and marketing at Boutique Her Energy Solutions.
Sandra discusses the startup landscape in Europe, noting the increasing number of startups entering the energy space despite the conservative industry nature.
Startups face challenges not only in bringing new technology but also in changing processes and mindsets within the industry.
Regulation within the EU is challenging for startups as it is difficult to change and should not be the basis for a startup's business model.
Utilities are becoming more open to innovation, realizing the need to adapt and collaborate with startups to keep up with the pace of change.
The traditional mindset of utilities doing everything themselves is shifting, as they recognize the value of external innovation.
Startups, often founded by younger generations, are driving a cultural change in the way work is conducted, with a focus on technology, communication, and diversity.
The growing international nature of teams within startups is leading to a more diverse and inclusive work environment.
Work-life balance is becoming increasingly important, with a focus on preventing burnout and promoting employee well-being.
The change in work culture is not only beneficial for individuals but also for companies in maintaining long-term relationships with employees.
Sandra emphasizes the importance of startups adapting to current regulations and not relying on the assumption of future regulatory changes.
Startups are bringing innovative solutions not only in terms of technology but also in services, shaping the future of energy.
The energy industry is traditionally conservative and built on heavy infrastructure, making it difficult for new innovations to be adopted.
There is a growing recognition among utilities of the need to be more open-minded and collaborate with startups to drive innovation.
Startups are navigating the regulatory environment by focusing on adapting to current regulations rather than waiting for changes.
The interview concludes with a discussion on the importance of startups being proactive in dealing with regulatory challenges and the potential for positive change.
Transcripts
[Music]
good afternoon and welcome to the last
stay here at European utility week with
me this afternoon
I have Sandra routine who is the
co-founder and head of business
development and marketing boutique her
Energy Solutions Sandra thank you so
much for joining joining us this
afternoon thank you also to be in here
with you thank you very much see you
spoke yesterday I believe it was yes yes
around the startup landscape in Europe
could you possibly expand a little bit
on how startups are operating in this
market how they change it things in this
moment yeah so right now luckily we see
more and more startups coming into the
energy space and still for them it's
quite a difficult environment because
it's a quite conservative industry
building on heavy infrastructure so if
you want to bring bring in new
innovations you do not even have to
bring the technology but you also have
to change processes and also the mind of
people but we see we are on a good path
there more and more companies are trying
and it's really great what kind of
solutions they bring not only in terms
of technology but also in terms of
services for our future our energy
future how is regulation within the EU
supporting the role of startups so if I
look at the topic of regulation it's a
bit challenging because regulation is
there and to change regulation is quite
difficult so also in our panel yesterday
we came to the conclusion if you are a
startup going into the energy space
right now in Europe don't think that
regulation will change fast or don't
build up your business model on the
hypothesis that regulation might change
at some point in the future for sure it
will but the prediction on when this
exactly is going to happen and to build
your business model or your full company
based on that assumption
yeah can be really challenging so the
advice I would think is take the
regulation as it is today it's depending
if you go more into the technology or
service phase if it's more or less
challenging but take it as it is yes
have an Outlook on how it might be in
the future and how this can help you but
in that current environment you have to
bring up your your startup and make it
roll right do you think the regulatory
environment as it is makes it difficult
for startups to operate or do you think
that they are still managing to make
amazing progress regardless yeah I think
it's it's challenging right because the
existing regulation has been built on
the technology which is already in place
for a long time and also the market
structures which are in place for a long
time so if you bring now in a new
technology which starts on challenging
that existing market structure or
existing technologies then for sure you
become you come at a point where you
clash with existing regulation right so
this is the point where I would say yes
for sure it gives you difficulties it
gives you challenges but right now there
is no way around it because to change
regulation it will take years yeah so
yes for sure it's difficult but there
are possibilities we see that also with
all the startups in the initiator
happened also the growing companies also
like ours here in the energy revolution
space so there are possibilities but you
have to deal with that regulation topic
for sure and it can keep you quite busy
helps that the utilities are open to
innovation I mean they are looking at
how they can change the way they operate
so that does help a little bit that they
are not closed
- what startups can bring to the dynamic
yeah I think that has changed yeah
especially through the last three or
four years that utilities became much
more open before they had more the
thinking I do everything myself right
I'm a big utility I have my network
department my technology department I
service departments oh yes I have
everything right I have all the
resources why I'm why should I not be
able to do it myself now they see that
also the pace of change is increasing so
even if you have other resources you
also need to align them internally to
keep up with that pace right and then
it's much more easy to look outside and
also look what other people are bringing
which are also more open-minded because
they are not stuck in their existing
working environment I always say it's
those people that don't know what they
don't know exactly exactly you are fully
rated you're fully vetted so one of the
things that obviously all of these
changes and evolutions and rebuild
revolutions is bringing is a change in
culture a change in the way we work
how is this affecting utilities has it
affected startups I mean look I I
imagine it's affecting business globally
but yeah specifically in this in this
industry yeah so I think there are two
angles on that one so you have the
utilities which are more like
traditional companies working also more
in a traditional working environment now
what they do they have their own startup
accelerators they have their venture
arms which are changing in their working
environment and then on the other side
you have startups which are often
founded by young people and what I even
have to realize in my at my age the next
generations are working quite different
then even I learned it at the beginning
and to give you some examples there is
everything is based on more technology
right so you you're sitting together in
an office and for sure you talk to each
other but now you have all these skype
channels and select channels and you
communicate over the social media with
each other we're just getting more and
more common I think if you would look
for that in any kind of traditional
utility will be difficult to find we see
that in our our company yes as well and
then it's also all the teams get much
more international so to give you the
example in our company with 40 people we
have 14 different nationalities right so
you deal with different cultures you
have to align on one language at least
where everyone can communicate with so
this is changing totally and then the
last part is also the work-life balance
is getting interestingly more important
again which is good which is good for
the individual health which is good also
for the environment of each individual
but I think probably the last 20 20
years it was more like okay I go to work
and I work like crazy until the late
evening whatever is necessary with the
newer generations are thinking more like
well you know I'm happy to work I'm
happy to give all what I can do for for
the work but there's also point where I
want to stop
to take care of my family and my
surrounding life ultimately that's gonna
be to the benefit of the companies yes
first of all yeah because we're not
going to be experiencing as much burnout
yeah yeah yeah people people take better
care of themselves and also of their
health it's much more in focus which is
which is good because normally as an
employer you have a long term
relationship right with your employee
and you want to make sure that it's good
for the employee first and for the
company senator thank you so much I wish
that we had more time yeah unfortunately
the time is always an issue thank you so
much for joining us thank you very much
as well as the thing from European
utility week thanks so much for joining
us
[Music]
[Music]
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