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Join the fast lane to
bring your project to success
like an entrepreneur
We help you bring speed and clarity into your existing projects or those you are considering starting with super practical, in-depth, intensive mentoring from both TenneT and external startup coaches.
THE AIM OF THE PROGRAM
Introduce you to the innovative way of tackling projects that matter for TenneT for their effective and efficient execution
We offer mentoring, honest feedback, leadership attention, fast decisions, and the possibility of securing a sponsor for your project. By joining the program, you’ll undergo a series of workshops and mentoring sessions with your external coach, culminating in pitches to key decision-makers.
Work like an
entrepreneur
within TenneT
WHAT YOU WILL GET OUT OF THE PROGRAM
Make “project results” your middle name
Join PowerLab and make a 360° assessment of your project. We’ll guide you through the proven way forward and connect you to valuable internal stakeholders.
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Fast decisions
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Leadership attention
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Budget
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Innovative way to tackle projects
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Coaching and mentoring
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Learnings valuable for career advancement
MEET YOUR JULY COACHES
Get supported by an experienced
startup coach
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Georg Horn
Georg is an experienced two-time founder and business consultant who knows how to speak startup and corporate. With his founding experience spanning from e-commerce to SaaS and machine learning, Georg is versed in all venture steps from ideation to market launch or even exit. Georg has a strong passion for ventures, business models and innovation. He will help your and your team achieve your targets.
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Eva Zingerle
Eva is great at leading large and complex project settings. She has deep knowledge in developing lean MVPs and managing stakeholders. Eva has an entrepreneurial mindset and a broad experience in the corporate world, which she gained as executive assistant and by driving innovation at the world’s leading insurer in multi-million dollar projects.
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Mario Eibl
With over 15 years of engineering experience, Mario not only successfully established and scaled his own international electric mobility company to seven-figure revenue with a team of 20, but he also played a crucial role in guiding numerous startups, either as their first team member, consultant, or during M&A processes. His passion for environmentally impactful startups is deeply intertwined with his background in engineering and management.
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Daisy Ireton
With three years of experience at a tech startup working in government innovation Daisy is no stranger to bringing new ways of working and thinking to large organisations. Her communications background makes her the perfect person to translate complex topics and convey them clearly to a range of audiences, securing buy-in in the process.
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Federica Succio
Federica is a seasoned expert in guiding corporate project teams through the intricate landscapes of corporate innovation. With a successful track record in executing market validation and market entry strategies — resulting in customer acquisition across 15 countries globally — she has demonstrated her prowess in navigating the global market. Her expertise and supportive coaching approach empower project teams to achieve their objectives and drive meaningful innovation within the corporate framework.
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Jannis Kuhrt
Jannis is passionate about entrepreneurship, be it at TenneT or his own venture. With 14+ years of experience at national and international levels, Jannis excels in efficiency, innovation, and business growth. His vast network at TenneT and deep knowledge of the intricacies of bringing a project to success in our organization make him an excellent mentor for your team.
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Dr. Christian Stumpf
Jannis is passionate about Christian is an expert in intrapreneurship and sustainable performance, with a strong background in developing corporate and startup innovations. Having coached and trained hundreds of employees and startup founders, Christian is a great mentor to guide your project at TenneT to success.
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WHAT TO EXPECT
Detailed program
PowerLab requires no additional time commitment beyond 20% within your regular working hours. You will follow the path in three phases: Explore, Develop, and Establish. Depending on the maturity of your project, you can either start in the Explore or the Develop phase after the Bootcamp.
Step 1
Submit your application
We consider all projects and ideas. If you don’t have a team yet, we’ll guide you to find the proper setup.
Step 2
PowerLab Bootcamp
In a three-day on-site workshop with your coach, you’ll do a 360° assessment of your project. Three more Bootcamps are planned in 2024: in July, September, and November (the exact dates will be set). These are your chances to join the program. In case neither of these fit time-wise, we encourage you to nevertheless apply, and we’ll find a solution.
Learn more
Phase in a nutshell:
In the Bootcamp you’ll focus on clearly outlining the challenge your project is solving for TenneT and gathering evidence that this challenge is worth solving. The Bootcamp will end with a short pitch session in front of the PowerLab core team, who will determine if it makes sense for the project to go further in the program and, if yes, at which phase (Explore or Develop).
- ✔ Challenge definition
- ✔ (Internal) customer profile & journey mapping
- ✔ Next phase roadmap design
- ✔ Pitch to the PowerLab core team
In the Bootcamp you’ll focus on clearly outlining the challenge your project is solving for TenneT and gathering evidence that this challenge is worth solving. The Bootcamp will end with a short pitch session in front of the PowerLab core team, who will determine if it makes sense for the project to go further in the program and, if yes, at which phase (Explore or Develop).
Step 3
Ramp-up Phase
You’ll focus on building the team for your project in the span of two weeks. If your team is already complete, this phase will go by faster.
Step 4
Coaching & workshops
Using the “Lean Startup” approach, you will refine your project and move forward with its implementation. In four to five months, you will participate in three half-day remote workshops (KickOff, MidTerm, and WrapUp) and coaching sessions (about one hour per week).
Learn more
Explore phase:
Develop phase:
Develop phase:
- ✔ Desk research
- ✔ Customer interviews
- ✔ Stakeholder mapping
- ✔ Business model coaching
- ✔ Networking
- ✔ Development of entrepreneurial mindset
- ✔ Proof of desirability
- ✔ First solution definition
- ✔ Definition of further validation hypotheses
Develop phase:
- ✔ Development of a prototype of your solution
- ✔ Testing of the prototype with potential internal and external customers
- ✔ Feedback collection
- ✔ Improvement of your solution based on the feedback
- ✔ Coaching by an external venture architect
- ✔ Support from technical experts
Develop phase:
- ✔ Launching a small-scale pilot of your project
- ✔ Testing all aspects of your solution
- ✔ Growing your project
Step 5
Decision Day
One-hour pitch meeting with the project sponsor. Decision on the way forward within or outside of the program.
DON’T TAKE OUR WORD FOR IT
See what your colleagues have got to say about the program
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PowerLab really helped our team to make great progress with our project
Hi, I’m Annelie. Together with my colleagues Jakob and Christian we wanted to execute our initiative that focuses on improving the knowledge access for new employees. PowerLab showed us how to validate our project, which helped us to save time and generate valuable learnings with just one day per week on this topic.Annelie Grömer, Team Brain Connectors
Advisor Competence Management, Grid Field Operations Excellence, Strategy & Business Support
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I see the benefit of PowerLab two-fold
On one side, it helps further support and implement projects with high relevance and great potential for success. And on the other side, as a TenneT employee you get to work with innovative methods and tools, execute your project like an entrepreneur, and ultimately advance your career.Christine Schneider
Head Board Office, TenneT
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WE HAVE PROVEN SUCCESS CASES
Get inspired by our projects
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Smart Joint
The modular smart joint enables the repair of HVAC submarine cables up to a voltage level of 155 kV regardless of the cable manufacturer or type. The Smart Joint is the logical next step from already existing components.
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Offshore Subsea Converter
The hybrid offshore subsea converter is an invention-based asset design for offshore wind energy integration. It is improving the state-of-the-art technology towards a simple, modular, and scalable solution. Unlike the platform of today, most on the technical inventory can be exchanged and maintained at land.
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TenneT Basic Week & Trainingszentrum
Enabling our new people to do their job 30% faster and more comfortably. We identify the knowledge that new colleagues really need and impart it at the time it’s really needed. We also aim to make knowledge accessible and more independent from single experts.
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Accelerate the Circular Economy
Reuse of (materials of) high voltage transformers to accelerate the circular economy within TenneT. With this solution we aim to stabilize the material prices and have better and faster availability of the transformers.
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Lessons Learned
Relaunching ‚Lessons Learned‘, LPO‘s central knowledge management repository, with significantly improved usability for submitters and those seeking to benefit from past learnings, plus — most importantly — reviving the spirit of sharing across all LPO project teams.
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ChatGIP
ChatGIP is a large language model-based chatbot that provides instant answers to process-related questions for buying indirect goods and services, including materials, standard services, and consultancy services. The chatbot aims to speed up the indirect procurement process for TenneT employees by reducing waiting times for queries.
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NEED A BIT MORE CONVINCING?
PowerLab was recognized amongst the best innovation programs in Germany in 2023
We are extremely proud of this achievement and want as many TenneT employees as possible to experience the benefits of the innovative way of working.
Apply now with your project and work like an entrepreneur within TenneT
REACH OUT TO US
Still have questions?
We’ve got you covered!
Who is eligible to apply?
PowerLab is a company-wide program open for applications from all TenneT employees with an entrepreneurial mindset who are working on or conceptualizing a project and want to speed it up and bring it to life.
Do I need to have a team to apply?
A team (of up to four people) is preferred but not mandatory. In a team, you can split up the project work and use the diverse skill sets to achieve a joint goal which is why we encourage you to look for additional team members. That being said, applications by individuals are still welcomed, and we will support you in finding a proper setup.
What do I need to bring to the table?
- A project or an idea for a project that will solve a challenge for TenneT. If this project is already known to and is supported by a manager, this is a plus.
- Most importantly, passion for working in a start-up-like environment to bring your project to life and motivation to learn new methods and approaches.
What types of projects can I apply with?
We’re looking for projects that address relevant problems and needs, both for our customers and operations. Regardless of whether your project drastically improves our operations or explores new products, services, and business models, it should have the potential to be scaled across multiple divisions of our company. If you and your team have the curiosity and motivation to succeed, it doesn’t matter whether you’re still at an early stage or have already begun actively working on the realization of the project.
If you’ve any doubts or questions about whether your project is a match for the program, don’t hesitate to contact the PowerLab team at powerlab@tennet.eu.
In what language can I submit my application?
The language for the application is English. If you can only apply in another language or need language assistance, please contact the PowerLab team at powerlab@tennet.eu.
How do projects get selected?
Once the application phase ends, a committee of cross-divisional experts and the PowerLab core team will evaluate all projects and decide which ones will be shortlisted. The shortlisted teams are then notified and invited to the first phase of PowerLab – either Explore or Develop, based on your project’s maturity.
What happens with my current position?
Your current position will not be affected by your participation in PowerLab. There will be no changes to your salary and other benefits. Your contract stays untouched. 20% of your work time will go into PowerLab in alignment with your manager.
Where can I get additional information about PowerLab?
Download the PowerLab pitch-deck for more information here. Feel free to share it with your colleagues as well as the link to this webpage. If some of your questions are still not covered, please contact the PowerLab team at powerlab@tennet.eu.
Hi, I’m Chris from TenneT PowerLab. Your question is still not answered? Fill in the form or call me directly at +49 151 1674 2870.