Low-carbon energy solutions through the Avatar Innovations collaborative program
The need for low-carbon energy continues to grow. Innovative solutions to promote this technology are constantly being sought out to meet emission reduction goals nationally. Avatar Innovations is a trailblazer in the global energy transition and through their immersive programs generates new and impactful business ideas.
The Avatar program acts as a corporate venture studio focused on industrial decarbonization. Participants create and implement groundbreaking energy innovations within this safe space and unlock new business opportunities. Using a multi-faceted approach, Avatar Innovations is eager to solve the energy sector's most challenging problems.
GHD has again sponsored Avatar Ignite, the first round of the Avatar program, where participants are placed in cross-functional teams to develop business opportunities that address real industry challenges. This year, five GHD professionals participated in this rewarding program.
Charging towards innovative solutions
Innovative ideas power through
The teams worked collaboratively to develop a business case for their proposed solution and pitched their idea to a panel of executive sponsors, which included our global future energy leader Tej Gidda. The 13 most deserving teams advance to the second round, the Avatar Studio program, where energy solutions are acknowledged for being innovative, implementable and groundbreaking. Of the 13 teams to advance to the Avatar Studio round, four included participants from GHD, showcasing the impact our people are having on energy transition solutions.
The goal of the Studio program is to build out, test and validate the concept and transform it into a practical, implementable solution. Then their ideas are pitched to a panel of investors. The final stage, Avatar Ventures, gets awarded to teams selected by the panel. The goal is to award capital for further implementation of the solutions they have developed over the past year. The Studio teams will continue to work on building out their ideas for the next several weeks while everyone at GHD cheers them on.
Making a lasting impact
Our GHD participants were eager to share their experiences as part of the program. All members expressed appreciation for the program and found it to be rewarding and informative. Kevin Tomka, engineer in training at GHD and an Avatar program participant found deep value in attending the sessions: “We gained a better understanding of the problems facing the energy industry today, and what is being done to address them. It felt like an inside look at the industry that we wouldn’t have seen.” Kevin’s team has been selected for the Avatar Studio round, where he and his teammates have come up with a way to create organic waste from insects as opposed to more conventional technologies.
Avatar participants across 55 organizations spanning North America, India, Vietnam and the Netherlands have benefitted from an experience they will never forget. This was a chance to learn from each other and provide innovative ideas during a pivotal time for the industry.
GHD will continue to pave the way for innovations that move toward the future of energy.
About GHD
GHD is a leading professional services company operating in the global markets of water, energy and resources, environment, property and buildings, and transportation. Committed to a vision to make water, energy, and communities sustainable for generations to come, GHD delivers advisory, digital, engineering, architecture, environmental and construction solutions to public and private sector clients. Established in 1928 and privately owned by its people, GHD’s network of 12,000+ professionals is connected across 160 offices located on five continents.