Filip Koprčina (CEO)  

01. Describe the problem/the industry that you are trying to  mediate (and precise the UN SDG-s you are solving). 

Did you know that 78% of the greenhouse gas emissions are caused by the energy sector (Eurostat and European environmental agency)? That makes it the biggest area where we can make a huge impact in. In addition to the pollution created by the production of energy from fossil fuels, there is also a lack of participation from citizens in tackling climate change and global warming, due to the fact that they cannot easily invest in renewable energy. Additionally, the EU and UN mention that we lack funding to meet the 2030 targets that we set. 

At Energy Shift, we are aiming to tackle SDG7(Affordable  Energy) and SDG13 (Climate Action) by enabling citizens to jointly invest in and co-own solar farms.

02. How did the idea to create the company come to mind? How  did your team come to be? 

Our idea came to be when our Founder and CEO, Filip Koprčina, wanted to put solar panels  on the roof of his parents’ house. He wanted to do so because he wanted to make a positive impact on the environment through the use of clean energy and also reduce his parents' electricity bills. Filip expected the process to be fast and easy, but he found that the reality was quite the opposite. The whole process was tedious and took months to complete. Yet, after all of the effort, a profit was not made from the production and sale of  energy as savings could only be achieve from not using energy from the grid.  

As an entrepreneur, he came to the realization that others might have the same problem, and might not be as persistent to go through the whole process of investing in renewable energy. There needed to be a simple way people could invest in renewable energy, do good for the  environment, and accelerate the energy transition, while making a profit. 

Thus, the idea for Energy Shift was born. 

03. Why did you choose to participate in the Techstars Sustainability Paris Accelerator program?  

We chose to participate in the Paris Techstars accelerator program as we believed that it would get us to the next milestone in our business and solve some of the most pressing issues our business was facing. We were interested in joining the Techstars Sustainability Paris team because of its supportive environment and huge network of startup founders, mentors and investors all looking to help you improve your business. Being a part of Techstars Paris is a unique experience, we have truly enjoyed working with the team and being part of an amazing community of founders.

04. What are you the most proud of in your initial journey with  your company? 

The thing we are most proud of is our tenacity and perseverance. We faced many challenges and barriers when starting the business, but never quit believing in our idea. With a lot of determination, we successfully overcame the obstacles in our way. Now, we have a successful startup business with a solution that has already been internationally recognized on numerous occasions.

05. How do you plan to measure the positive impact of your  company in the next 5 years? 

When you invest in renewable energy, you’re automatically reducing CO2 emissions by replacing polluting, fossil fuel energy production with clean and renewable energy. We plan to measure our positive impact in the amount of CO2 emission reduction as well as the amount of clean energy produced. In addition to the environmental impact, investments in clean and renewable energy  are creating additional social and health impacts in the local communities.

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