SmartHelio Named Start-Up of the Year at RE+ Start-Up Live Competition Sponsored by Mercom Capital Group

Predictive solar software company stands apart in a group of ten clean energy start-ups

LAS VEGAS & AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mercom Capital Group (Mercom), a global clean energy research and communications firm headquartered in Austin, Texas, announced that solar software developer SmartHelio has been named Start-Up of the Year at the 2023 RE+ Start-Up Live Competition. The company also received a marketing and communications package from Mercom valued at $10,000.

There were 70 start-ups that participated at RE+ in 2023. SmartHelio was among 10 finalists to showcase their technologies to a live panel of judges that included:

• Raj Prabhu, CEO of Mercom Capital Group
• Stephanie Annerose, Director, energy & power investment banking, Piper Sandler & Co.
• Mike Reynolds, Managing Director at investment firm Ultra Capital

“We had a diverse group of participants, but what separated SmartHelio was that they identified a particular pain point, created a much-needed solution, paired their solution with advanced tech like AI, and demonstrated that their solution can help those in the market,” Annerose said. “This solution is addressing a problem that many solar farms are facing. Having an effective platform to see the issues with a given asset is important.”

SmartHelio is the developer of analytics tools that detect faults in underperforming solar assets and promises to deliver significant performance improvement to solar assets.

IMAGE #1: SmartHelio CEO Govinda Upadhyay pitches at the competition in front of a live audience and judging panel.

“All of the companies pitching in this competition were strong contenders, making it even more exciting for SmartHelio to be singled out as Start-Up of the Year,” said SmartHelio Founder and CEO Govinda Upadhyay. “The exposure we’ll get from Mercom’s services will increase our visibility among customers and investors as we expand in the U.S.”

“The RE+ Start-Up Live Competition is always among the more highly anticipated parts of the conference, but it was especially relevant this year because of the opportunity to get in front of investors and companies who are looking for ways to leverage the dollars going into cleantech through the IRA,” Prabhu said. “SmartHelio and the other finalists clearly demonstrated a growing number of technology solutions that are being developed to solve the problems facing the advancement of clean energy.”

IMAGE #2: Mercom Capital Group CEO Raj Prabhu (center) presents the Start-Up of the Year Award to SmartHelio CEO Govinda Upadhyay (left).

“There were a lot of compelling pitches, and these companies are solving big challenges. This is what the energy transition needs,” Reynolds said. “Kudos to all the companies for the work they’re putting in. It’s encouraging to see these innovators at work.”

The complete list of competition finalists includes:

• Civ Robotics Technologies
• Daanaa
• Derapi
• Enurgen
• New Sun Road
• Paces
• PowerDev
• Rhino-Eco
• SmartHelio
• Sunairio

With 40,000 attendees and 85+ media outlets at RE+, the Start-Up Live Competition is a key event for start-ups with innovative products and solutions within the clean energy industry to network, find new customers and investors, gain media attention, and add thought leaders and leading companies to their network.

“Congratulations to SmartHelio on its win and to all of the worthy participants from this year’s start-up competition,” RE+ Events Partnerships and Business Development Director Lesley Fondren said. “The event drew a great crowd, and we’re thankful to Mercom for organizing and putting this event together. Mercom’s expertise in clean energy makes them a great partner because they have a firm grasp on the direction and trends within the industry, giving them the ability to position companies at the forefront of the clean energy sector.”

About Mercom Capital Group

Mercom Capital Group is an integrated communications, research, and media firm focused exclusively on clean energy markets in the U.S., Europe, India, and the Middle East. Our communications division helps clean energy companies build powerful relationships with media, analysts, government decision-makers, local communities, and strategic partners. Our research division produces industry-leading market intelligence reports on solar, storage, smart grid, and hydrogen. Our exclusive quarterly global funding and M&A reports are the industry’s primary source to track funding activity in the sector. These reports and trackers are crucial for monitoring market, technology, and sector trends, serving as essential tools for investor targeting. Learn more at: www.MercomCapital.com. Sign up for Mercom's clean energy reports: https://mercomcapital.com/clean-energy-reports/.

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About SmartHelio

SmartHelio, a B Corp certified AI company, has developed cutting-edge algorithms to enhance the sustainability and profitability of solar assets. Their innovative approach focuses on fault prediction and prescription through predictive maintenance techniques. Their software offers two essential products: a climate risk assessment tool for investors, providing long-term solar forecasting based on climate change, and Autopilot, designed for real-time fault detection and prediction, ensuring peak solar asset performance, resulting in a 10% revenue increase and an 80% reduction in manual interventions for many customers. The company has offices in Switzerland, the U.S., and India.