In March, KE announced the first cohort of pioneering innovators and startups has been selected for the 7/11+ Innovation Challenge. Organizations and individuals across Pakistan were invited to submit applications within UN SDG 7 and SDG 11 – affordable energy for all and sustainable cities and communities respectively. Furthermore, KE had issued specific challenge statements in specific operational areas of the utility, inciting innovative solutions.
More than 300 applications were received from Pakistan as well as abroad, which were systematically evaluated in two rounds, with 30 finalist applications being selected from those that passed the evaluation process to become part of the first cohort – 18 of the participating teams are from the startup and entrepreneurship space, while the remaining 12 are students or researchers. The group is working on a wide variety of challenges, including automating the utility’s meter reading system and utilizing Artificial Intelligence to improve fault detection mechanisms. Additionally, demand forecasting is being automated and ways of utilizing electricity efficiently is being explored.
As the next step in the process, the cohort will now undergo intensive capacity building training for 6 weeks under the mentorship of experts from KE and the larger industry. During this time, they will learn how to embed financial, marketing, and sales strategies into their ideas and shape them into well-rounded proposals. At the end of the training period, the cohort will present their ideas to a jury for further scrutiny before advancing to the final stages.
Chief Strategy Officer, K-Electric, Naz Khan stated “The overwhelming response to our call for applications is a testament to the manifold innovative efforts being done in Pakistan’s energy and power sector. As a forward-looking utility, KE is keen to provide a platform to innovators across the start-up and university space. As the challenge progresses, we will be closely following the growth journey of the successful applications into comprehensive solutions. We wish the very best of luck to our first cohort in their endeavors.”