WattAnyWhere: The Cleantech startup powering electric vehicle fast-charging with ethanol fuel cells

16.10.2023 10:00, Rita Longobardi

Meet Alexandre Laybros, Co-CEO of WattAnyWhere. The Cleantech startup brings a unique solution to charging point operators with a Bioenergy-On-Demand fuel cell system that avoids current grid capacity shortfall.

Name: Alexandre Laybros
Location: Sion, Valais, Switzerland
Nationality: French
Graduated from: E.N.S.E.A (Electrical Engineering School)
Job title: Co-CEO
Number of employees: 5
Money raised: CHF 3.4M
First touchpoint with Venturelab: Venture Kick 

 

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Can you tell us who your product or solution helps, and how?
WattAnyWhere gen-sets help the retail industry and associated charge point operators (CPO) cope with the surge in the demand for clean, renewable electricity. This is possible thanks to the availability of renewable ethanol — an excellent hydrogen carrier, in huge amounts all over Europe and the maturity of fuel cell technology, able to convert the energy stored as ethanol into electricity with the highest efficiency.

What market are you addressing and what is the potential of your startup in that market?
The first target segment addressed by WattAnyWhere are retailers that need to provide high-quality fast charging services to their customers. This includes supermarket chains, gas stations, and large commercial centres that are facing the sudden increase of electricity prices, whilst switching to renewable energy. WattAnyWhere gen-set is silent, pollutant-free and transportable, also addresses adjacent segments such as fleet management and the whole e-mobility industry. The segment size is huge at CHF 1.8B, out of a total addressable market of CHF 140B.

How and where did you come up with the idea for your startup?
The starting point for all co-founders is the urgent desire to contribute actively to the energy transition. We started the ideation phase with a thorough analysis of the renewable energy market, key trends, and new ways to produce and distribute energy, as promoted by the International Energy Agency. From that point on, we’ve searched for the best technology available across Europe to build a clean electricity generator fully aligned with the new distributed energy paradigm, whilst securing a path of unprecedented innovation in the field. In parallel to understanding the need for clean electricity, we’ve also found that Ethanol is the best energy vector compared with other hydrogen carriers like ammonia, methanol, or direct use of hydrogen. By tapping into a supply chain that is fully mature and operating worldwide, we secure the availability of energy at the lowest cost. 

What do you expect from the Venture Leaders Cleantech roadshow, and how will it help you achieve your vision?
This roadshow is focused on the German industry and VCs, it is fully aligned with our Go-To-Market strategy, in which we’ve identified early on the key issues and opportunities of the German market. First, Germany had to re-start coal-based power, generating significant CO2 emissions that can be avoided by using WattAnyWhere gen-sets. In addition, Germany is the second producer of Ethanol in Europe after France, so those two points together make it a very attractive market. Therefore, I expect to add at least two potential customers ready to support our POC phases, as well as secure one additional VC.
 
What are your team’s key achievements to date?
We have key achievements in R&D and Market traction: Thanks to our technical ecosystem made of academic and industrial partners, we performed a first demo in EPFL lab in Sept. 2022. With a concept validated, we’ve moved on and got our first system design deliverables to support further demos at the customer site. On the market side, we’ve signed two contracts, one with an E.Leclerc supermarket, the other with the AUCHAN supermarket chain. Both selected WattAnyWhere for our capacity to innovate whilst responding to their needs in Energy Autonomy. Further launch customers are lined up, such as the utility company OIKEN in Switzerland, and SHELL France for conducting real site demos as well beginning of 2024.

What is the most challenging and rewarding aspect of being a founder?
A founder is primarily an entrepreneur that has identified a significant problem to solve and has a clear view of the solution, that he/she can implement successfully. The latter is the most challenging part, greatly described in the book by Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan called ‘Execution – the discipline of getting things done’, which I strongly recommend reading. Fortunately, today’s startup ecosystem is tailored to offer support and let the founders meet success and rewarding moments at an early stage, e.g. entering the Venture Leaders Cleantech team!

What is the most important lesson you have learned as a founder?
It is important to leverage the ability to make quick decisions to allow flexibility in the design of a solution that is fully aligned with customer needs. At the same time, the founder needs to make sure that the whole team moves forward in the same direction to serve the selected target segment — the one with the highest willingness to pay and the lowest cost to serve to satisfy those needs. Those two points seem antagonistic but must be driven in parallel.

What is your favourite productivity hack/tool and why?
Without the wide adoption of video conferencing, the gestation period of the startup would have taken years instead of a few months. Even through the COVID crisis, leaders and experts from our targeted segment were available and happy to interact with us and discuss the pain points of the energy transition. As of today, collaborative platforms and conf call tools allow us to operate from two locations in Switzerland and France, and work swiftly with partners and customers across Europe.

What was your dream job when you were a child?
As a child, I dreamt of being an inventor. I was inspired by the era when Steve Jobs had already become a household name.

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ABOUT THE PROGRAM
The Venture Leaders Cleantech 2023 were chosen from over 90 applications by an expert jury. The roadshow in Munich will accelerate their ventures’ growth and expand their international presence. Venture Leaders Cleantech is organized by Venturelab and supported by EPFL Lausanne, ETH Zurich, EY, Helbling Technik, Romande Energie, St.Gallisch-Appenzellische Kraftwerke (SAK), Swisscom Ventures, Vaud, and Vischer.

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