WattAnyWhere - Annual report 2021

Could you please tell us a little bit about WattAnyWhere and the problem it’s trying to solve?

WattAnyWhere is a start-up founded in 2021 with the objective of participating in the ongoing energy transition by contributing to the availability of clean electricity across Europe. By 2030, about half of the cars on the road around the globe will be electric vehicles. However, the world lacks adequate power infrastructure for fast charging. WattAnyWhere has taken up this challenge and developed an environmentally friendly solution to deliver high power to electric charging stations and avoid current grid capacity shortfall. Our unique Energy-On-Demand system, developed with the support of EPFL, HES-SO Valais/Wallis and industrial partners, is based on solid oxide fuel cells and fueled by renewable ethanol, a liquid hydrogen carrier that is safe and economical. Nowadays, ethanol is mixed with gasoline to fuel conventional cars. Demand for ethanol will progressively decrease as combustion engine cars are phased out. Our solution upcycles surplus ethanol to boost electric mobility!

Could you explain why you decided to establish your headquarters in Switzerland, and in particular Sion?

We chose Energypolis for the sake of honing our capabilities in Fuel Cell based systems and chemical engineering. Here, we can work closely with EPFL and HES-SO Valais/Wallis, which are both based on campus and have a strong track record in working with different types of fuel cells as well as in developing and implementing real time optimizers. We strongly rely on this collaboration for the maturity, development and growth of our company.

THE WATTANYWHERE TEAM | © WATTANYWHERE

What are the advantages of being based on the Energypolis campus?

The Energypolis campus is a great environment for a start-up like WattAnyWhere. There is a nice, open vibe, and we can easily interact with peer start-ups who face similar challenges. The laboratories of EPFL and HES-SO Valais/Wallis are just a couple of floors down from us, which allows for more efficient cooperation. We have also received amazing support from the coaches of The Ark Foundation, also based on site. They have helped us with building our business plan, crafting our communication strategy, fine-tuning our investor pitch, and identifying the right partners for our project.

How has GGBa supported you?

GGBa was instrumental in choosing the right location in Switzerland for the successful development of our activities. Thierry Baglan, one of the agency’s representatives in France, helped us navigate the Swiss ecosystem with its many incubators, support initiatives and innovation players. Since our project was largely driven by the search for cutting-edge expertise in fuel cell technology, he pointed early on to the canton of Valais and the Energypolis campus as the best framework for us. It was a match! The initial support provided by GGBa and Economic Promotion Valais is still bearing fruit today as we strengthen our synergies with Energypolis and the various local players they purposefully introduced us to.

GGBa was instrumental in choosing the right location in Switzerland for the successful development of our activities.

What’s your vision for WattAnyWhere in Switzerland? Where do you see the business in five years’ time?

The next step for us is a proof of concept in the lab, which is funded by an Innosuisse grant throughout 2022, as well as contributions from The Ark foundation and the FIT foundation. In parallel, we will start targeting professional investors. We will subsequently work on the Minimum Viable Product (MVP), i.e. a functional prototype developed in collaboration with our industrial partners. We will then move onto the industrialization phase, while also focusing on expanding the capabilities of our solution, especially in terms of power. In five years, WattAnyWhere will be a 50-person company, headquartered in Valais and harnessing the local innovation ecosystem.

Didier Roux Chairman and CEO WattAnyWhere

Philippe Ruez VP R&D Systems & Integration WattAnyWhere

Alexandre Laybros Co-founder, Deputy CEO & CMO WattAnyWhere

Patrick Brennan CFO WattAnyWhere

Olivier De Bruijn VP R&D Fuel Cell WattAnyWhere

Could you please tell us a little bit about WattAnyWhere and the problem it’s trying to solve?

Could you explain why you decided to establish your headquarters in Switzerland, and in particular Sion?

What are the advantages of being based on the Energypolis campus?

How has GGBa supported you?

What’s your vision for WattAnyWhere in Switzerland? Where do you see the business in five years’ time?

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