In June and July, the 20 best entries will be selected on the basis of the quality and potential of their business model, innovative technologies and digital solutions.

These Top 20 start-ups and scale-ups (10 per track) will be invited for deep-dive interviews. The interviews will be conducted by Rockstart, Shell and YES!Delft experts at the beginning of September to select the Top 10 finalists (5 per track).

The Top 10 finalists (5 per track) will be announced in September and invited for Finals Week, taking place late October.

The Top 10 finalists (5 per track) will be invited to join the Finals Event and the three weeks leading up to this, taking place late October.

Track One
For the start-up finalists, this includes a 3-day validation lab by YES!Delft and Shell GameChanger. An extensive network of coaches and experts will help the finalists validate their business proposal, find their product-market fit, and prepare to pitch for an expert jury during the Finals Day event.

Track Two
For the scale-up finalists, this includes 2 days of training and sessions with expert mentors of the Rockstart and Shell network to help shape and strengthen their business and pilot proposal, and prepare to pitch for an expert jury during the Finals Day event.

Finals Day
All 10 finalists will pitch in front of a jury of experts who will select the winners of the New Energy Challenge 2021. The winning start-up will be admitted to the Shell GameChanger programme. The winning scale-up will further develop and potentially execute a pilot, together with Shell Ventures and Shell’s Renewables & Energy Solutions business