Rafael Amoedo, a Técnico alumnus and a researcher at Centro de Recursos Naturais e Ambiente (CERENA), and his team at Emissium won the START Summit Award, an annual pitching competition organised by START Global, a European student-led initiative that promotes entrepreneurship. The event, held on 20 and 21 March in St. Gallen, Switzerland, brought together more than 7,000 participants, including companies, international organisations, universities, research centres and investors, with a special focus on technological innovation and the development of new businesses.
Emissium, a cleantech start-up focused on optimising energy consumption, has received a prize of 500,000 euros to invest in and accelerate the growth of the business. Focussed on developing technologies that promote energy efficiency and sustainability, the company provides solutions that make high-resolution electrical data available, allowing companies to make smarter, more economical and more sustainable energy management decisions.
According to Rafael Amoedo, effective communication played a crucial role in winning the competition: “What likely contributed to our win was our ability to simplify a complex topic like electricity into a clear message for both companies and the audience.”
He emphasises the importance of his academic training and the experience he gained at Técnico: ‘Técnico has always been my home. It was here that I trained as an engineer and developed the ability to think critically and take action’. His career includes research at CERENA, where he applies scientific knowledge to the energy sector.
For current students who aspire to create their own start-up, Rafael emphasises the importance of solid knowledge: ‘Be good at what you do, strive to know your field of study like no one else. This is an incredible asset that nobody can take away from you and that will be worth more and more,’ he shares.
The start-up faces several upcoming challenges, including international expansion into markets like the USA, South America, and the Gulf region. Additionally, it aims to develop technological solutions for sectors such as electric mobility, data centre management, and industry.
