PowerUP Energy Technologies is building products for a sustainable tomorrow
By: Taarini Atal
Tags: Startup, Hydrogen, Green Energy, Estonia, Power Up

In a bid to phase out fossil fuels and slow our planet’s warming trajectory, using hydrogen to produce energy is being considered worldwide.

When hydrogen burns, the only by-product it produces is water. Across Europe, the Middle East and Asia, governments and companies are embracing this most abundantly available fuel to reduce their carbon footprints.

Recently, I interviewed Dr. Ivar Kruusenberg, Founder and CEO at PowerUP Energy Technologies, a start-up focused on producing best in class portable generators using hydrogen fuel cells.

PowerUP Energy Technologies was founded in 2016 in Estonia, based on Dr. Kruusenberg’s 15 years of scientific research in the field of fuel cells. The portable generators produced by PowerUP have use cases in diverse industries such as marine, telecommunications and military to name a few.

In contrast to traditional diesel-based generators, PowerUP’s product range produces zero-emission, is compact & lightweight, operates silently and requires minimal maintenance.

During the interview, Ivar shared his experience of setting up a start-up and what goes behind leading a dynamic team.

Here’s what we talked about:

How would you describe PowerUP Energy Technologies in the simplest way?

PowerUP Energy Technologies is committed to deliver renewable energy technologies to the market. We are currently concentrating on the production and development of hydrogen fuel cell-based electric generators with the ultimate goal to replace diesel generators.

Our mission is to contribute to the emergence of hydrogen economy by offering products and technologies that make everyday lives of people cleaner and safer.

How and when did you come up with the idea of creating hydrogen-based fuel cell generators?

I have been dealing with fuel cell-related research for more than 15 years now. While I was pursuing my PhD at Berkley University, USA, I studied entrepreneurship as a subject. That is when the idea of setting up my company came up. Since I had studied fuel cells as a part of my education, I wanted to build something with my own hands which could help the society in some way. After immense research, I decided to build hydrogen fuel cell electric generators. I simply tried to use my fundamental knowledge into making something real that could benefit society at large.

How is everyday life at PowerUP?

A day at PowerUP is full of hustle. When the office is in full capacity, there are times when there isn’t enough room for everyone. However, the last few weeks have been an exception where people are coming at different times or many are working from home due to the COVID situation, so there is lesser interaction.

How diverse and big is your team?

We currently have 24 people in our team including interns and are looking forward to growing our team in 2021. Talking about diversity, we have people from UK, India, Puerto Rico, Russia, France, Ukraine, Poland, Italy, Saudi Arabia and Estonia. I would say having a diverse team has helped us as everyone brings a different opinion to the table, which ultimately helps us produce better products.

What would you do differently if you had the chance to start building the company from scratch based on your experience and knowledge?

In case I get a chance to start building my company from scratch, hiring more people at the beginning and much faster is something that I would do differently. Also, I would focus more on fundraising. So, everything would be done at a faster pace.

Whom do you look up to?

Honestly, I do not look up to a single person but I really admire a few qualities in different people. For instance, Elon Musk’s selling skills, Steve Hawking’s great mind, Garry Kasparov’s concentration and hard work.

Finally, what would your message be to young entrepreneurs who are just entering the field and want to create something big?

In youth, we learn and with age we understand, so I would say starting young definitely helps one because of the resilience we have during our youth. It is important to be focused and leave no stone unturned while you are working towards building what you foresee.

Until next time,

Taarini Atal

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