Big deals, cool events and hot chili

Cleantech is a global business; globally minded people and businesses addressing global issues, and I will bring you insights, interviews, opinions and events from the global cleantech sector. This week we have a very strong US focus, not least as I've just returned from a great trip stateside. Along with my good friend coffee, I'm still battling the jet-lag!

Some Big Deals

I start with one of my favourite Californians, although he's now UK based, he hasn't lost the accent or the attitude. Matt Allen, Mikey Clark and the Pivot Power team have been acquired by EDF Renewables. In the UK at least you will have been hard pressed not to have seen and heard of Pivot Power and their sizeable ambitions in energy storage and eMobility. Matt and the team currently have a portfolio of 40 energy storage projects with a 2GW capacity, with the first projects underway and due to connect to the grid late 2020. Significantly, whist initially the revenue stack will largely come from grid services, it is expected that within 10 years a large proportion of income will be from direct supply to rapid charging EV hubs, with sites specifically chosen with this in mind, as well as access to the transmission grid. A big congratulations to Matt and the team. Matt actually appeared in one of the very first 'This week in cleantech' podcast episodes (so excuse the sound quality being a little off), which you can hear, here.

The other big deal that caught my eye whilst away was the investment in MaaS Global by BP. Sampo Hietanen, the CEO of was first introduced to me some time ago by smart mobility author and Hyperion Executive Search advisor Lukas Neckermann, and I've watched their progress since. Mobility as a Service (MaaS) has long been a model that I have bought into, and it has been great to work increasingly in this space with some pretty cool start-ups, in fact we're recruiting a great role for one of them right now, via our Munich office. Sampo is due to join me on the 'This week in Cleantech' podcast this week, travel permitting, something we agreed before news of this deal broke, so the conversation should be all the more fascinating now.

There are two underlying themes we see now in M&A and Investment in cleantech, one is just how much electric and smart mobility is driving the flow of money. Not just in the crazy world of kick-scooters, as we've seen again with recent investments in Tier and VOI, but across the battery, software and services offering. The other is that many of the acquisitions and investments are coming from traditional utilities, automotive OEMs and Oil Majors, most notably BP and Shell. Both Shell and BP have made some really clever, strategic acquisitions, not least with Hyperion clients Sonnen and Limejump. We live in interesting times.

Cool Events

There are just so many cleantech events going on, pretty much every week, global, national and regional. This week some of the team are at European Utility Week in Paris, and last week, Jon Rose and I were out in the US for two reasons, one of which was to meet clients and contacts at Energy Storage North America (ESNA). It's certainly not the biggest show in the world, but it is focused and has a very useful and interesting conference running alongside. Let's be honest, it's not always the case that the conferences are useful or interesting!!

Whilst many of our clients are now in high growth and scale up mode, and some are established giants, we love working with start-ups, I think we have a unique ability to understand the business, technology and people challenges start-ups have, and how to make key hires, or build teams for them. One such client at ESNA was Malta Inc, a thermal storage company spun out of the Google Moonshot factory, and invested in by Bill Gates Breakthrough Energy Ventures. You can hear from CEO Ramya Swaminathan on the 'This week in Cleantech' podcast here. But I digress, the area I love most at this and many trade shows is the 'Start-up Alley', where in small booths or stands you can see the founders and future successes (and failures, sadly) in the cleantech sector. More on Start-up booths later (if you're a European business looking to expand to the US........)

Hot Chili and an offer you can't refuse!

Either side of the trip to ESNA Jon and I spent time in Austin, TX, looking for office space. Austin will be the latest Hyperion Executive Search office. Having serviced US clients, both in the US, and as they expand into Europe, for some time, it was about time we opened a physical office, or offices, in the US, and Austin is the first location.

Having grown up in a very ethnically diverse part of London, particularly Asian, I love spicy food, so Mexican is also a favourite. This isn't a Good Food guide, but if you're in Austin and looking for a great Chili, this is where you need to go!

But TexMex food isn't why we're heading to Austin, there are many reasons, and Jon Rose, who will be heading out to open the office shared some of those reasons in this recent blog post 'The future of renewable energy is in Texas…'

Seamlessly, as if I planned it, here is that special offer, and it's also Austin based. If you are fan of all things clean energy and mobility there is a fair chance you are aware of the YouTube channel, Fully Charged (if you're not you should be!). Like Hyperion, Fully Charged already have a large US following, and next February they will host their first US Fully Charged Live event, at the Circuit of the Americas.

If you are a European business, and yes, that does still include the UK!, we're hosting the European Pavilion, a 'Start-up Alley' for you to have a presence at the event for a subsided cost. If you have plans to enter the US market, or want to explore that option, this could be the ideal opportunity for you. Places are limited so get in touch promptly. You can see full details of the event, including a short video of what to expect (from the UK shows), including an electric DeLorean and more Tesla's than you can shake a stick at here.

If you've read through this far, thank you. If you've found it mildly interesting, please share this newsletter, and most of all please do let me know your thoughts below, and if you have any suggestions for topics, podcast guests, events, or any other polite suggestions, I'd love to hear from you.

Best regards

David