SET Tech Festival 2023
The seventh iteration of the SET Tech Festival will take place alongside the Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue on the 28 March 2023, in Berlin.
SET @ the Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue
The SET Tech festival 2023 is a one-day event bringing together a global network of innovators shaping the future of energy (start-ups, innovation-driven corporates, investors, & public organisations). Join us for the 7th iteration of the festival on 28 March 2023, in Westhafen Event and Convention Center (WECC) in Berlin!
The SET Tech Festival 2023 will take place alongside the Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue (BETD), an international conference organized by the Federal Foreign Office and the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK). Therefore, we offer the possibility to all SET Tech Festival 2023 participants to attend the second day of the BETD (29 March) and meet the thousands of energy stakeholders, convening from across the globe (+90 countries).
Join us and enjoy an exciting programme featuring inspiring panels, workshops, matchmaking sessions and the dedicated SET exhibition area for start-ups to showcase their solutions. Of course, the day finishes with the glorious SET Award Ceremony, announcing the 2023 winners of the five SET Award categories, followed by a drinks reception and entertainment.
Main Stage
09:30 – 9:40 | WELCOME ADDRESS
Andreas Kuhlmann, CEO, German Energy Agency
Dr. Angela Wilkinson, Secretary General & CEO, World Energy Council
9:40-09:50 | A WORD FROM THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION
Speaker tbd.
Keynote
09:50-10:30 | OFFSETTING BUILDING: CARBON NEGATIVE ARCHITECTURE & BUILDING TRENDS
Speakers tbd.
Panel
10:30-11:00 | RESILIENT & SMART CITIES
Speakers tbd.
Fireside chat
11:00-11:30 | BUILDINGS & CONSTRUCTION
Moderated by
Julia Padberg, SET Ventures
Felix Krause, Vireo Ventures
SET Award finalist pitches
11:30-12:00 | MOBILITY & TRANSPORTATION
Moderated by
Julia Padberg, SET Ventures
Felix Krause, Vireo Ventures
SET Award finalist pitches
12:00-13:10 | NETWORKING LUNCH BREAK
13:10-13:40 | ALTERNATIVE SUPPORT MECHANISMS FOR ENERGY INNOVATORS & START-UPS
Speakers tbd.
Fireside chat
13:40-14:20 | OUR BLUE PLANET: EXAMINING THE ROLE OF H2 IN FUTURE GLOBAL ENERGY TRADE
Speakers tbd.
Panel
14:20-14:30 | A WORD FROM THE UN FRAMEWORK CONVENTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE
Speaker tbd.
Keynote
14:30-15:00 | QUALITY ENERGY ACCESS & SDG-7
Moderated by the World Fund
SET Award finalist pitches
15:00-15:30 | ARE LONG DURATION ENERGY STORAGE SOLUTIONS THE NEXT FRONTIER IN CLEAN ENERGY TRANSITION?
Speakers tbd.
Fireside chat / Panel
15:30-16:10 | SURVIVING THE START-UP VALLEY OF DEATH
Featuring former SET Award winners & finalists
Start-up showcase
16:10-16:40 | CLEAN ENERGY & STORAGE
Moderated by
Julia Padberg, SET Ventures
Felix Krause, Vireo Ventures
SET Award finalist pitches
16:40-17:10 | INDUSTRY
Moderated by
Julia Padberg, SET Ventures
Felix Krause, Vireo Ventures
SET Award finalist pitches
17:10-17:50 | ENERGY INVESTMENT INSIGHTS: VCs TAKE THE HOT SEAT
Speakers tbd.
Panel
17:50-18:00 | CLOSING REMARKS
19:00 | SET AWARD CEREMONY & EVENING RECEPTION
Announcement of the SET Award 2023 Winners
Side Stage
Agenda released soon!
Past speakers

Dr. Anna Christmann
Member of the Bundestag, Alliance 90/The Greens
Anna Christmann is the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action’s representative for the digital economy and start-ups, as well as the coordinator for German aerospace. A member of the Green Party (Alliance 90/The Greens) since 2003 and representing Stuttgart II since 2021, she is also a member of the Bundestag’s Committee for Education, Research and Technology, and a deputy member of the Committee for Digital Affairs. With a background in economics, political engagement, and science policy, Christmann is at the forefront of Germany’s digital transformation.

Chibeze Ezekiel
Founder, Strategic Youth Network for Development (SYND)
Chibeze Ezekiel coordinates the Strategic Youth Network for Development (SYND), a youth-oriented NGO that promotes youth inclusion in the governance of the Natural Resources & Environmental (NRE) sector. He’s a member of the board of 350.org and the International Experts of the Environment of Peace 2022 (EP2022) project.
He chairs the Youth in Natural Resources and Environmental Governance (Youth-NREG) Platform and the 2020 Goldman Environmental Prize Recipient for Africa. As a strong climate activist, he holds the conviction that young people must be at the heart of climate solutions in that young people have a pivotal role to play in winning the fight against climate change. He coordinates the Intergenerational Climate Justice campaign of his organisation targeting children, young people and the older generation.

Kendra Rauschenberger
General Partner, Siemens Energy Ventures
Kendra Rauschenberger is General Partner at Siemens Energy Ventures, the venture arm of Siemens Energy, focused on building, piloting with and investing in startups that can provide sustainable, affordable and reliable energy to the world.
Kendra has worked for Siemens companies for more than 20 years and has extensive experience in the areas of sales, business development and strategic projects across innovation and renewable energy. Her previous role was in Additive Manufacturing, one of Siemens’ key innovative technologies, where she was Head of Business Development, Sales and Marketing and responsible for developing new business for this exciting technology with global customers across multiple industries. Prior to this she worked in the UK and Denmark for the company now known as Siemens Gamesa in various management roles including Head of Sales, Bids and Strategic projects.
Kendra also holds an MBA in New Venture Creation from the University of Louisville and is located in Erlangen, Germany.

Danijel Visevic
General Partner, World Fund
Danijel Visevic is a recognised climate tech thought leader and expert in public policy, communications and brand building. Before initiating the World Fund, he worked for Project A – one of Europe’s most successful venture capitalists. Before that he was co-responsible for the Angela Merkel’s media image, and a journalist and founder focussing on climate tech, startups and venture capital.

Shweta Bahri
Co-Founder, Earth Warriors Global

Andrew Mack
CEO, Octopus Energy Germany
Andrew Mack is the CEO of Octopus Energy Germany. A British native, he founded an energy startup in 2016 that became part of global EnertTech player Octopus Energy in 2019. Prior to that, he spent several years as chief strategist at British utility OVO Energy and was a director at Boston Consulting Group. He studied engineering, economics and management at Oxford University and holds an MBA from INSEAD. As an energy expert, he advocates for decarbonisation and consumer protection in the field of energy politics.

Damilola Ogunbiyi
CEO & Special Representative, UN Secretary General for Sustainable Energy for All

Dr. Advenit Makaya
Advanced Manufacturing Engineer, European Space Agency
Dr Advenit Makaya is an Advanced Manufacturing Engineer at the European Space Agency (ESA). He supports the development of advanced materials and processes for space applications and provides support to ESA missions. He is coordinating technology development activities for on-orbit and on-planet manufacturing. He is also supporting the SOLARIS preparatory programme proposal preparation.

Ellen Kugelberg
CPO, Einride
Tech industry veteran Ellen Kugelberg joined Einride in September 2020 as Chief Operations Officer to scale the operations team and strengthen customer and data driven operations and development. In early 2022, Kugelberg moved into the Chief Product Officer role where she oversees the entire product, technology and manufacturing function at Einride, leading teams across all electric, autonomous and digital product offerings and driving continued technical innovation.

Dr Chris Gentle
Senior Advisor, Partnerships & New Ventures, World Energy Council
Dr Chris Gentle is Senior Advisor, Partnerships and New Ventures at World Energy Council. He is responsible for the Council’s global partnerships, impact projects and its ambitious Centenary Campaign. Chris is also an advisor to The Conference Board and teaches at London Business School.
Chris has over 25 years international experience in strategy consulting working at board level in over 35 countries around the world. He spent 17 years in Big 4 firms KPMG and Deloitte where he was Partner working for F500 clients on strategy and organisational design. He has also held roles at WPP and the European Commission. He has advised both the World Trade Organisation and United Nations. He works at the highest levels of influencing including the UK Prime Minister, President European Commission and WEF in Davos. He is also the author of two books and numerous press and management articles including the Financial Times and the Californian Management Review.

Louise de Laat
Team Manager, TU/ecomotive
In addition to her studies in Industrial Design and Data Science at Eindhoven University of Technology, Louise de Laat is the team manager of TU/ecomotive this year. She is passionate about innovation and entrepreneurship and is involved with the innovation and the statistical point of view of the newest car within the TU/ecomotive team.
A solution-oriented exhibition
#SETTF23 looks to strengthen the impact of innovative start-ups working toward energy transition, providing them with viable opportunities for garnering much deserved visibility and focuses on forging lasting partnerships between impactful corporates, political stakeholders and budding entrepreneurs.
In collaboration with
