Q&A with Maria Koycheva, Tech Tour
Maria Koycheva is a Senior Project Manager at Tech Tour and Group Manager at D2XCEL.
Tech Tour is Europe's largest tech entrepreneurship and investment community, shaping the tech's future for 25+ years. The company engages the most promising tech entrepreneurs selected by the most active investment experts to raise funding and grow through smart partnerships and strategies in collaborative programs leading up to events.Tech Tour is leading the consortium of 12 partners that are behind the D2XCEL project and is responsible for the market opportunity group on Renewable Energy Production as part of Open Call 2.
What change are you aiming to achieve for the European innovation ecosystem as part of D2XCEL?
Through the D2XCEL project, we aim to catalyze growth for 100 high-potential European ventures, empowering them with comprehensive resources and support to succeed in the dynamic deep tech and digital landscape. By enhancing their ability to scale and innovate in key sectors—sustainable logistics, trade, energy, construction, mobility, and smart cities—we are fostering an ecosystem where these ventures can expand their impact and reach across European markets.
Why is this market opportunity (Renewable Energy Production) important to you?
Focusing on renewable energy production in Open Call 2 is natural continuation of the strategic focus of the D2XCEL Project and its prime goal to drive sustainability and sovereignty in key sectors in Europe.
After exploring Large-scale stationary energy storage in Open Call 1, we are now excited to deep dive in the Renewable Energy Production sector and attract a new wave of technologies with huge potential in the energy sector.
This market is important because it addresses critical global challenges like climate change, energy security, and sustainability. Renewable energy sources—such as solar, wind, and hydropower—offer a cleaner alternative to fossil fuels, helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, the renewable energy sector is rapidly growing, creating economic opportunities and jobs while fostering innovation. Transitioning to renewables is essential for a sustainable future, making it a vital area of focus."
What potential do you see for deep tech and digital innovation in this MO?
The potential for Renewable Energy production is enormous and we are focusing on quite broad spectrum of technologies to cover as many challenges as possible - from solutions for solar and wind energy to relevant smart & AI-based solutions for energy & grid management.
Therefore, we look for technologies which per-se have been identified as catalyzer of the change we want - to assure energy production at all times and to strengthen European sovereignty by strongly reducing the dependency on critical materials and imports from outside Europe. We believe European deep tech and digital startups has the powerhouse to unleash the entire potential of the sector and we are looking namely for them.
From your perspective, why should ventures that fit in this MO apply for the ongoing open call?
The D2XCEL Programme is the right place for ventures to really work on solving their challenges - either strategic and long-term challenge or a pain that keeps ventures awake at night and needs immediate support. In addition, the programme will strengthen the knowledge on specific topics well-known to be always critical and will expose the ventures to industry experts, investors, and customers to establish strong and valuable partnerships.
D2XCEL invites deep tech and digital ventures across Europe, operating in the field of Renewable Energy Production to check the eligibility requirements and join our scaling programme!
Apply here and join one of our live webinars for interested companies and stakeholders, where you can get all the information you need!
This project has received funding from the European Union under grant agreement Nº101121100. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.