CleanTech Hackathon 2025, the first hackathon dedicated to startups from Romania and South Eastern Europe to identify technologies and solutions for the Romanian energy and sustainability sector, will take place on May 23 and 24 in Bucharest, during ENERGY EXPO 2025, the largest energy fair in the region, which opens its doors on May 22 at Hala Laminor. The initiative is part of the CleanTech Nexus program and will take place in strategic partnership with the Ministry of Energy and PPC Romania, and aims to generate real solutions for industry leaders.
Organized by Techcelerator, the longest-running high-tech accelerator in Romania, ENERGY EXPO, Ascendis, and the Romanian Tech Startups Association (ROTSA), the hackathon provides a strategic framework for identifying technological innovations and AI-based solutions available in the field of sustainable energy.
With prizes totaling €22,000 (cash and development resources) and with the support of relevant players in the energy market, the hackathon is part of a broader program launched by
Techcelerator in June 2024, CleanTech Nexus, which has already attracted over 100 innovative companies from the region and generated collaborations between startups and corporates with impact in pilot projects and commercial testing.
Energy startups and innovators can now apply for prizes and partnerships
The organizers aim through this hackathon to increase the level of adoption of energy and sustainability innovation, to encourage collaboration between startups, engineers, researchers, designers and energy enthusiasts on the one hand, and mature, leading companies on the other. The initiative also aims to form a regional community dedicated to learning, testing, and innovation in the energy sector.
Those interested can apply until May 15 by filling out this form: https://tally.so/r/wMV7zg .
Applicants can be individuals (entrepreneurs, researchers, technology or energy experts, science enthusiasts) or companies from Romania or South-Eastern Europe that share a common interest in solving challenges in the energy industry. The companies can be startups proposing innovative solutions with potential to scale or scale-ups that have developed products and want to test them together with mature industry players.
Challenges from 12 thematic areas
The hackathon challenges are part of 12 thematic areas, including prosumers and energy communities, energy management through data and Artificial Intelligence, grid integration of renewable energy sources, cybersecurity applied to energy infrastructure, innovation in energy storage, circular economy, energy efficiency in buildings, sustainable transportation, energy access, digital solutions for sustainable technologies, as well as an open area dedicated to innovations proposed directly by participants.
Startups and interested individuals can apply starting April 14th, and the first to apply will benefit from information, mentoring, and networking sessions.
Finalists will be evaluated by energy and business development experts and leaders.
Prizes and special mentions will be offered, as well as access to trials and Proof of Concepts (PoCs) with leading energy companies. In addition to the main awards, there will be recognized solutions that apply science in an efficient way, leverage data in a smart way, use technology in an innovative way, and have the potential for local impact.
Sebastian Burduja: Together with Techcelerator we are committed to create a “Unicorn Factory” in Romania
“Since last summer, when we launched CleanTech Nexus, more than a hundred companies from South Eastern Europe have applied to this acceleration program. During the hackathon, startups, scale-ups, but also those passionate about energy or technology can present their solutions in front of highly experienced specialists, validate their ideas and test them with leading companies in the field (POC validation), meet collaborators, whether potential business partners, partners in the innovation process or future colleagues”, stated Cristian Dascălu, Managing Partner Techcelerator.
“Together with Techcelerator we are committed to create a “Unicorn Factory” in Romania. We have supported CleanTech Nexus, a program created by Techcelerator, since its launch, because, as we have often said, Romania can grow through innovation and the rapid connection of innovative founders with industry leaders, with large companies that can make these solutions widely used, perhaps even by every citizen. One part of this program is the CleanTech Hackathon, which aims to bring together startup founders, researchers, tech or energy enthusiasts and company specialists to create and test ideas that can become sustainable and future-proof solutions in the energy sector. The energy sector needs innovation, and the ‘Unicorn Factory’ we are building at the moment can be the source for a 3D energy system – Decentralized, Digitized and Decarbonized”, said Sebastian Burduja, Minister of Energy.
“CleanTech Nexus hackathons are built on the principles of Open Innovation and Challenge-Driven Innovation. We rely on validated corporate innovation models and solid innovation theories precisely to create a genuine collaboration space between startups and large energy companies. It is an approach aligned with the most advanced international practices in terms of partnerships between startups and corporations,” added Marius Opriș, partner at Ascendis, an HR training and consulting company.
Unlike classic hackathons focused on ideas from scratch, the CleanTech Hackathon actively involves corporations, which contribute with real industry challenges, thus accelerating the transition from idea to concrete business application.
“Energy innovation is more about transforming existing services and infrastructures in such a way that they become more competitive, digitized, resilient to meet today’s challenges and customer needs. Currently, PPC Romania is shaping its innovation strategy around several pillars, and among them is the ambition to become a more active presence in startup communities to discover and support innovative solutions,” said Radu Brașoveanu, Director of Digital Solutions, PPC România.
The award ceremony will take place on Saturday, May 24th, starting at 16.00 at the end of the ENERGY EXPO marathon of conferences and workshops. During the ceremony, the winning teams of the CleanTech Hackathon 2025 and the solutions selected for development in partnership with energy companies will be announced.