New Energy World™
New Energy World™ embraces the whole energy industry as it connects and converges to address the decarbonisation challenge. It covers progress being made across the industry, from the dynamics under way to reduce emissions in oil and gas, through improvements to the efficiency of energy conversion and use, to cutting-edge initiatives in renewable and low-carbon technologies.
Who wants to be a billionaire ‘unicorn’ energy start-up?
2/4/2025
8 min read
Feature
The Energy Institute’s Young Professionals Network (EI YPN) London Branch kicked off 2025 with a sold-out event, ‘Fuelling the Dream: Financing challenges of energy start-ups’, held at the Accenture office in London. Sasha Vaswani, a young energy executive in the making, currently on the Shell Graduate Programme, reports.
A lively atmosphere filled the venue as over 100 young professionals gathered, along with a queue of hopefuls waiting downstairs in case of no-shows! The excitement was further fuelled by pizza and drinks – a start-up staple – setting the stage for engaging discussions and later a fun and interactive game on one of the most pressing topics in the start-up world: how to secure funding for bold new energy ventures.
An experienced panel, balanced with the perspectives of both founders and investors, took centre stage to share their insights: Hannah-Mei Andrews, Investment Director at Climate Investment; Shashank Jasrapuria, Investment Analyst at Clean Growth Fund; Rupert Newland, CEO of Arenko; and Hassen Bali, CEO of Ion Ventures.
Moderated by Belen De Bacco, an Associate at Baker Hughes and committee member of the YPN, their discussion offered real-world lessons on navigating the complex financial landscape of energy start-ups.