Where are they now? Accelerator Program Alumni VoltVogel
WHERE ARE THEY NOW? ALUMNI INSIGHTS August 8, 2024 Fridtjof Gustavs VOLTVOGEL’S JOURNEY AFTER THE ACCELERATOR PROGRAM What do the Hardtech Innovation Accelerator Program alumni startups are up to now, after the program ended? To answer this question, we talked to Dr. Katharine Shapcott, CTO of VoltVogel. What do the Hardtech Innovation Accelerator Program alumni startups are up to now, after the program ended? To answer this question, we talked to Dr. Katharine Shapcott, CTO of VoltVogel. What do the Hardtech Innovation Accelerator alumni startups are up to now, after the program ended? In May, we celebrated the end of the Batch 3 during our Demo Day together. Missed out? Catch some impressions of this remarkable evening here. But what actually happens once the program ends? Where are the teams from our previous batches now? To answer this question, we talked to Dr. Katharine Shapcott , CTO of VoltVogel , who was part of the Batch 3. She shared with us what happened after the program, what the future of VoltVogel looks like, and how the program has helped her and the team to continue their journey after these seven intensive months. GET TO KNOW VOLTVOGEL Following the end of the program, the VoltVogel team has been able to continue working on their first paid pilot project in collaboration with Europcar. Just recently, their first working prototype for this pilot project arrived, which made them incredibly proud. Six months ago, we were already able to interview Christine Curtius , CEO of VoltVogel. She described VoltVogel as follows: “We provide a flexible electric vehicle charging service for fleet owners, event organizers, or car parks that do not see a solution in investing in fixed EV charging infrastructure.” Christine explains their idea .“VoltVogel stands for a new era of charging: we bring mobile stations directly to the car and let them charge it up. By using AI, robotics, and sustainable batteries, we reduce EV drivers’ carbon footprints, use renewable energy, and make charging an EV more convenient than filling up at a petrol station.” INSIGHTS INTO THE ACCELERATOR PROGRAM Katharine summarizes: “The accelerator program really helped us to get where we’re today. We had done another program in the past, but it was not especially hardware focused. For us, it was incredibly necessary to learn the hardware-specific aspects of running a startup, because it’s so different to making a software startup. In terms of investing, how to test your ideas, and the prototyping session in particular was so useful for us. It’s completely different how you prototype software and hardware. And also, the community here is amazing: we met so many people that we could ask for advice to find out how do we go about this, who is the good supplier for this, or simply to have a crazy brainstorming session together with people, and they all are just here, in this space. You can’t find it anywhere else.” When asked about the most useful thing learned in the accelerator program, Katharine says: “For me, the most useful thing I learned in the program was how to do the short testing cycles, so you try to really make the minimum version of the product that you need. So if you want to test how it looks, you make it look like a prototype, if you want to test how it works, you make it work like a prototype. But until you get there, there are lots of tiny prototypes that you can make at every stage. Learning how to do this, to iterate quickly and fail fast and cheaply was incredibly valuable for me, and I can definitely use this in the future.” OUR HARDTECH INNOVATION PROGRAM IS SUPPORTED BY JOIN THE NEXT BATCH! Looking back on the time at the Hardtech Innovation Accelerator, all the learnings and experiences the team made during these seven months, Katharine strongly recommends every startup to apply for the next batch. As we are about to open the applications for our next accelerator batch, we invite you to become a part of this journey. Register your interest here and take the first step toward turning your hardtech idea into reality. You will receive a reminder as soon as the applications open on 15th August 2024. The Hardtech Innovation program is supported by funds from the European Union (European Social Fund) and the State of Berlin . JOIN THE HARDTECH INNOVATION ACCELERATOR Prev Previous Article Get ready: Hardtech Innovation Accelerator Batch 4 Next Article Meet The Mentors: Fernando Germán Torales Chorne Next Der Beitrag Where are they now? Accelerator Program Alumni VoltVogel erschien zuerst auf MotionLab.Berlin .
