This year’s edition of the ABB Startup Challenge was all about “turning intelligence into impact”, and ABB was searching for startups who could bring algorithms to help ABB apply AI into the data that its products and customers generate. “We are not as such digital and data AI experts, and that's why we look for startups who can come with ideas and complement our technology,” explained Massimo Muzzì, Head of Strategy, Business Development and Sustainability, ABB Electrification.

Discussing the Startup Challenge, Muzzì commented: “It's my favourite day of the year. It's so refreshing to see how new companies and startups address problems and come up with ideas which sometimes we don't think of.”

Talking about the founding of the Startup Challenge, Matt Wise, VP and Head of Strategy and Business Development at ABB Electrification Service, explained: “We’ve been working with startups as ABB for over 10 years, through what was historically called the ABB Technology Ventures Fund, and that was a classic corporate venturing type of activity, where we would invest money in companies that have some interesting technological adjacency to ABB.

“What we realised through doing this sort of work was that there's actually much more you can do with startups. If you pivot from just investing in them like a venture fund, and recognise that through developing concrete collaborations on developing new solutions, that we can make new stuff. It was a period of evolution around moving away from that just money model, and more into how can we work with these visionary entrepreneurs and bring the solutions that they're developing into ABB.”

This year’s event saw five innovative startup winners. They each showcased how their innovative approaches could help make energy use smarter in industry, buildings, power grids, and utilities.

This year’s challenge saw over 155 applications from 37 countries, which was whittled down to 15 finalists for the in-person pitching and workshops. Each winner will receive $30,000 for a collaboration project to co-develop a solution for potential commercialisation. ABB experts will work with each winner to develop a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) with the opportunity to launch a global solution for ABB’s customers and partners. As well as the collaboration project, winners receive mentoring from Microsoft and Synerleap’s startup advisors, ABB’s startup accelerator.

“The ABB Startup Challenge enables us to identify talented entrepreneurs and nurture the fresh thinking that is needed to address key energy issues. ABB and startups have complementary capabilities, so we can support each other with insights and expertise to develop new and innovative solutions and business models,” said Muzzì. “We are actively seeking long-term collaborations and investment with startups as part of our open innovation strategy. Our startup challenges are incredibly important to ABB. More than a quarter of the $80 million ABB Electrification has invested in startups since 2020 has been spent on solutions that we’ve identified and developed through our annual competitions.”

Congratulations to the winners of the 2025 Startup Challenge!

• Emissium from Switzerland won with its proposal for a comprehensive software platform designed to bring real-time intelligence and AI-powered optimisation to Distribution System Operators. This would help to effectively track and reduce emissions, optimise operational and capital expenditures, and improve infrastructure planning. The Emissium tool combines advanced data analytics, forecasting algorithms and digital twins to deliver actionable insights
• Better Futures from Dublin, Ireland, won with EVA, the first AI assistant platform built for engineers that automates up to 80% of the relay configuration and validation process. Engineers spend up to 50% of their time on documentation, verification, and knowledge retrieval. EVA automates these tasks, allowing engineers to focus on high-value work to boost productivity
• Lookthrough from Switzerland proposed an AI-powered software tool for real estate decarbonisation that is able to seamlessly integrate with the ABB energy management ecosystem. This will empower building owners to not only monitor their energy consumption in real time, but also take control of long-term retrofit planning and optimise their buildings as physical assets by modelling different scenarios
• Contextere from Ottawa, Canada pitched ‘ABB Madison DrivePilot’, an AI tool designed to provide immediate insights of drive performance in an operational environment. Built on Madison, Contextere’s foundational insight engine, DrivePilot provides real-time decision support to streamline the commissioning, optimisation, operation and maintenance of motion drives
• Eatron Technologies from the UK was successful with its AI-powered Battery Optimisation Software that enhances battery safety, longevity, and performance. Eatron’s solution uses machine learning, physics-based models, and data analytics to optimise battery performance, predict failures, and reduce downtime.

Each winning project has the potential to become a market-ready MVP within six months. More than 20 MVPs have already been delivered since the annual ABB challenges started in 2020. ABB continues to collaborate with several winners and finalists from previous years, helping them to secure lucrative commercial contracts. 

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