EnergyLab, the not-for-profit that has helped nurture some of Australia’s most successful climate and energy start-ups, has announced the 10 companies to join its accelerator program in 2025, including one of the rooftop solar industry’s best-known names.
Leading Australian distributed solar and storage consultancy SunWiz joins a group of nine other businesses that will take part in EnergyLab’s 2025 Climate Solutions Accelerator program, linking them with a 400-strong mentor network and some of the country’s most active green investors.
Alongside SunWiz, the 2025 cohort includes Brightspace, a start-up that uses AI to optimise building energy use, and Flipped Energy, which is developing tech to help energy retailers unlock the benefits of demand response and dynamic pricing.
Another energy-focused company selected to participate in the program this year includes Bspkl, which is developing catalyst-coated membranes that aim to dramatically cut electrolyser costs, in a bid to make green hydrogen production more commercially viable.
Now in its twelfth cohort since launching in 2017, EnergyLab counts some major energy market success stories as alumni of its Climate Accelerator program, including VPP innovator National Renewable Network (NRN), which last week completed a $67 million Series A capital raise.
Another very well known alumnus is Amber Electric, which participated in the Climate Accelerator program back in 2018, and has gone from strength to strength as an alternative retailer offering a consumer-focused solar and battery-based virtual power plant product.
“They are a huge success story, really, in a very difficult sector,” EnergyLab CEO Megan Fisher told Renew Economy’s Solar Insiders Podcast last week.
“It’s very difficult to come in and create a disruptive model, selling on the wholesale cost of energy. But I believe now they’ve raised $80 million in capital.
“This battery unlock [through the federal Cheaper Home Batteries rebate] for Amber, I think, is going to be big, and they’ve been building towards this for years now, getting ready to be able to work with solar batteries and and EVs, they’re definitely ready for it.”
In 2024, EnergyLab alumni in Australia raised $147 million in private capital, representing 25% of all investment in Australian clean energy and climate tech startups, according to the Cut Through Venture State of Startup Funding report.
EnergyLab says the companies selected this year – in consultation with energy industry partners and EnergyLab’s collective of angel investors – represent the best in innovative technologies across the energy sector.
And not all of them are start-ups. SunWiz, for instance, applied to take part in the accelerator program to help take its well established business model – valuable distributed energy data on market share, product characteristics, pricing, market trends, and leading installers – to the global market.
“I was really surprised to see [SunWiz founder and managing director] Warwick [Johnston] on the on the list… but also incredibly flattered,” Fisher told the podcast.
“He’s been a real veteran of this industry, which is amazing, but he knows it’s time to shift…There’s growth opportunities internationally and they want… help and advice. …And our network is perfectly suited to help.”
“We’re not the first to use Australia as a springboard to the world, and we value the opportunity to connect with and learn from people who’ve successfully navigated that journey before us,” says Johnston.
“EnergyLab’s support will be invaluable in our success.”
Fisher is also excited about helping Flipped Energy, which sits at the other end of the scale to SunWiz as a “really new” company specialising in automated energy demand response.
“This is interesting, because demand response has been talked about for a long, long time and it’s been very hard to get right,” Fisher told the podcast.
“One of the areas that sort of really piqued my interest when I first talked to [Flipped Energy] is they’ve been diving into data centres.
“They’re looking at data centres and how they can create those automation activities where they can turn things up and down, but not really affect anything that doesn’t matter.
“So this is exciting and necessary, I think, for us to be able to keep up with the demand in data centres as they move forward, but something that can also be used in other sectors.
“So I can’t wait to see what they do around demand response. Because, again, it’s been talked about for a long time, but not really nailed.”
With the 2025 cohort now locked in, EnergyLab, over the coming six months, will connect it with industry partners, sharpen the companies’ sales strategies, open doors to commercial opportunities, and connect them with investors.
The program will also help founders prepare for capital raises and develop international expansion plans, ensuring they leave ready to scale their impact in Australia and beyond.
