Joule: Five Years of Startup Innovation and Energy Transition in Action

Innovation is redefining how startups grow, support each other, and transform markets and regions. In this context, Joule, Eni's business school for enterprise, celebrates five years of work focused on startup innovation and the energy transition.

Joule's annual report describes a model that unfolds along several axes: entrepreneurial support, training, institutional collaborations, and integration with the local ecosystem. Here are the key experiences and projects that marked the five-year period.

Yasika in the Republic of the Congo: Innovation and Local Development

In the Congo, Joule supports Yasika, an acceleration program aimed at training a new generation of startups and local entrepreneurs. The initiative targets the intersection of agriculture and technological innovation as a driver of economic development. In 2025, a new partnership between Eni Congo and the Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprises of the Republic of the Congo was announced to consolidate growth paths for local entities and integrate them into a stronger institutional ecosystem.

Within Joule's vision, Yasika represents a key piece of the territorial development strategy: turning innovation into social and economic value in the intervention areas.

In Kenya: KAEP, Agritech Value Chains and Sustainable Development

In Kenya, KAEP (Kenya Agribusiness Entrepreneurship Program), promoted by Eni Natural Energies Kenya and Joule, together with the E4Impact Foundation, recently closed its third edition in Nairobi. Beyond recognizing the award-winning startups, the most significant takeaway is the continuity of commitment: over three years the program supported the growth of 30 startups, consolidating sustainable agricultural value chains aligned with the needs of the energy transition.

Empowerment in Rwanda: Skills as a Lever for Transition

In October 2025 in Kigali, 40 young people completed a specialized training pathway in welding and metal carpentry, tied to the clean cooking project. The program, part of the EnI for Clean Cooking initiative with the support of Joule, aims to industrialize low-emission cooking solutions and overcome gender barriers, offering new professional opportunities.

Basilicata Open LAB and Italy that Innovates

In Basilicata, the Open LAB program, launched in 2023 with the support of Shell Italia E&P and in collaboration with PoliHub and Consorzio ELIS, focuses on agritech, sustainable mobility, bioenergies and local development. The 2024 edition saw 120 startup applicants, 50 Lucanian companies involved and 9 proofs of concept; 24 talents trained and co-innovation awards have consolidated the model as a real engine of growth for the territory.

ORa! Ravenna: Energy Transition as a Matching Platform

In Ravenna, ORa! – Outpost Ravenna for Energy Transition – has become a reference point for Blue and Green Economy technologies. In three years it has analyzed over 720 startups and engaged 32 local companies in open-innovation pathways, with a strategic matching approach and industrial challenges to transform technological challenges into growth opportunities and concrete partnerships.

Desks and Bio-based Initiatives in Taranto and Porto Torres

In Taranto, Joule promotes a dedicated desk for startups and innovators, inside the Al Salto di Quota space, offering tools, guidance and connections for the innovative enterprise. In Porto Torres, by 2025 BIOS — Bio-Based Innovation Outpost in Sardinia — has developed a vertical hub dedicated to biomaterials, green chemistry, agritech and waste management, with the aim of linking startups, SMEs and universities into a tangible industrial ecosystem.

Intrapreneurship and Decarbonization as a Model

Change starts from within: Joule promotes intrapreneurship to stimulate entrepreneurship among Eni people through dedicated programs and Joint Development Agreements (JDA) that foster co-development between startups and research. The goal is to integrate innovation into industrial processes, combining the agility of startups with the technological robustness of the company.

Decarbonization as a System

The mix of African and Italian projects shows a vision beyond individual projects: an ecosystem that enables skills, links value chains, and validates technologies in real-world contexts. The Taranto and Ravenna presences and BIOS in Porto Torres are concrete examples of how Joule operates as a transition infrastructure, shifting emphasis from narrative to entrepreneurial execution.

This topic warrants critical analysis: on one hand, the synergy between large enterprises, public institutions, and local realities can accelerate by bringing capital, training, and networks; on the other, there are risks of dependence on corporate funds or of replicability. It is necessary to ensure transparency, impact measurement, and adaptability to different contexts. Moreover, co-development must promote inclusion and economic justice, avoiding that benefits remain in large cities or in already advanced regions. A balanced assessment requires clear indicators, accountability, and ongoing feedback with the involved communities.

In summary, the Joule model offers a practical toolbox for those operating in the world of startups and decarbonization: from public-private partnerships to open-innovation pipelines, through talent development and the growth of local ecosystems. For a founder or innovator, the key lessons concern not only promoting projects but building networks, co-developing with existing companies, and adopting practices of environmental and economic responsibility.

Reflecting on how to adapt this model to your context opens up new paths: creating local-impact accelerators, structuring co-development tools with large companies, investing in qualified human capital, and promoting the use of new technologies for sustainable industrialization. Ultimately, it is about turning projects into value chains, ideas into companies, and territories into laboratories of open innovation.

Conclusion: if you want to transform your startup into a player in the energy transition, study Joule's models, learn how they built ecosystems, partnerships and training paths, and assess which elements can be replicated or adapted to your context. Innovation is not just technology: it is a development strategy that unites people, resources, and common goals.

Fonte startupitalia.eu