By Aldo Sciacca, R&D and Portfolio Manager at ABB Electrification’s Smart Buildings Division
Last April saw the culmination of ABB’s sixth annual Startup Challenge, bringing months of collaboration and innovation to a close and celebrating the five winners who pitched innovative AI-powered solutions to make energy use smarter in industry, buildings, power grids, and utilities.
With more than two decades’ working in innovation at ABB, I’m consistently inspired by the passion, curiosity, and ambition of the startup founders we meet. To solve the world’s biggest sustainability challenges, we need bold ideas and strong partnerships. That’s one of the reasons ABB created the Startup Challenge: to help early-stage innovators scale and accelerate the transition to a more sustainable world.
The business case for climate tech
Climate technologies play a crucial role in the transition to net-zero. According to McKinsey, they could address up to 90 percent of global man-made emissions by 2050, and unlock $9 trillion to $12 trillion in annual sales by 2030 across transport, power, and consumer goods. The opportunity is huge, for the planet and for business.
As demand for low-carbon solutions accelerates, companies that innovate and scale effectively will gain a significant competitive advantage. Through initiatives like the Startup Challenge, we’re proud to help turn early-stage ideas into real-world impact.
Corporates as catalysts for innovation
At ABB, we recognize the role corporations can play in scaling climate tech. By collaborating with startups, we help de-risk investments, create new markets, and accelerate the adoption of breakthrough solutions. It’s a commitment we’re pleased to see is growing across the industry with incumbents increasingly stepping up their investments in clean energy.
Beyond capital, where corporates can bring real value is through mentorship, infrastructure, and commercial partnerships. The Startup Challenge is one way ABB is helping emerging businesses to secure the resources, technical guidance and visibility they need to thrive.
What makes the Startup Challenge really special is the diversity of people it attracts - from first-time founders brimming with fresh ideas to seasoned experts mentoring and collaborating on solutions. This blend of perspectives is key to tackling the complex, cross-generational challenge of climate change.
As a former judge for the 2022 cohort, I’ve kept a keen eye on the startups and the ideas coming through. What’s particularly exciting is seeing those ideas become market-ready. More than 20 MVPs (Minimum Viable Products) have launched since the Challenge started in 2020, offering real solutions to ABB’s customers worldwide.
Mavenoid - from startup to scaleup
AI-powered product support platform, Mavenoid, is one of the standout success stories from the initiative. Stockholm-based Mavenoid won the very first ABB Startup Challenge in 2020 and just two years later, the company went on to secure a series B fundraise with ABB Smart Buildings as an investor.
Today, Mavenoid is working with ABB to deliver smarter, more sustainable customer support. Despite the trillions spent annually on customer support, half of all queries still go unresolved. Mavenoid’s platform automates product troubleshooting, enabling digital self-service and reducing unnecessary site visits and hardware replacements.
Already live in select markets through ABB’s ABB-free@home® smart home solution and ABB-Welcome door entry system, Mavenoid has achieved a 60 percent self-service resolution rate, easing the load on support centers while contributing to more efficient building operations. The collaboration also delivers valuable user insights to help accelerate product innovation and strengthen ABB’s relationships with installers and end-users.
Lookthrough and the future of smart buildings
This year’s smart buildings category winner is Lookthrough. The Swiss startup’s AI-powered software for real estate decarbonization will integrate with ABB’s InSite energy management system’s cloud platform, InSite Energy Pro, enabling real-time monitoring and reporting of energy consumption across multiple locations.
The combined solution will enable building owners to manage retrofit planning more effectively and improve long-term sustainability. It offers scenario modelling, enhanced analytics, and regulatory-ready sustainability reporting powered by AI.
The collaboration has great potential to support our customers in achieving their sustainability goals and improving energy management practices across the real estate sector. Working at the forefront of smart building innovation, I’ve seen firsthand the impact buildings can have in advancing energy efficiency and sustainability outcomes, and I’m excited to see how this partnership develops.
Scaling impact through partnerships
The ABB Startup Challenge is more than a competition. It’s a platform for meaningful collaboration, combining early-stage innovation with ABB’s global scale and technical expertise.
Whether it’s reducing service visits through AI-powered customer support or helping building owners improve energy management practices, these partnerships demonstrate how sustainability can fuel innovation, unlock efficiency, and build long-term resilience. Most importantly, they highlight how by working together - across generations, industries and geographies – we can scale solutions faster and shape a more sustainable future for all.
At the heart of net-zero isn’t just technology but people. Entrepreneurs, engineers, mentors and partners, all playing a part in driving the shift to a smarter, cleaner and more connected world.
About the author
Aldo Sciacca
Aldo Sciacca is the R&D and Portfolio Manager at ABB Electrification’s Smart Buildings Division. In this role, he oversees innovation and strategy across a global portfolio of energy distribution and smart building technologies. With almost three decades at ABB, Aldo has held senior global leadership roles across product groups, portfolio management, R&D and corporate research. He has contributed to the development of advanced smart building solutions that improve energy efficiency, enhance sustainability and support the transition to net-zero.
As a strong advocate for industry collaboration, Aldo believes technology and teamwork are key to accelerating sustainability and smart building transformation. He served as a judge for the 2022 edition of ABB’s Startup Challenge, an annual competition supporting early-stage climate tech startups developing innovative solutions for smart buildings, smart power, distribution, and sustainability. Prior to his current position, Aldo was Global Head of Energy Distribution for ABB’s Smart Buildings, where he played a key role in shaping energy distribution strategies and advancing product development. Based in Italy, Aldo holds a Master’s degree in Physics from the University of Milano and has received industry recognition for his contributions to technical innovation.
