Startup story #13 - DEC Energy

Sustainability regulations and market trends require corporates to make a disclosed percentage of their electricity consumption renewable, creating a need for an efficient and easy process to acquire green energy. DEC Energy is building a B2B marketplace where solar plant owners can rent single solar panels to corporate clients and make their electricity consumption renewable. In this short interview, Nicola Scarinzi, co-founder and CEO, shares his vision and talks about the story behind the project.

Where did the idea for DEC Energy come from?
Everything started during my first year at USI where I am studying Economics and Business Administration. As part of a course, we were required to draft an innovative, science-based startup idea. Initially, our approach was solution-driven, we knew how to execute the idea but did not yet identify the specific problem we were solving. After months of pivots and intense conversations with different stakeholders, we developed a B2B solution focused on corporate sustainability. This experience shaped the idea behind what DEC Energy has become today.

Who are your customers?
Our target customers are companies with 500+ employees in Switzerland and 250+ employees in the European Union, due to the strict sustainability regulations these organisations are subject to. We are still defining which specific sectors will benefit the most from our solution and gathering early market feedback on this.

How does your solution stand out from existing alternatives?
Companies rely on purchasing Guarantees of Origin (GOs), certificates that confirm energy was produced from renewable sources, issued by governments to meet sustainability targets. This is currently the status quo. DEC Energy offers an efficient alternative by letting companies produce and consume their own green energy and consequently generate the necessary GOs directly. It transforms expensive Scope 2 emission reduction into a profitable opportunity.

How do you balance startup and studies?
Balancing university with entrepreneurship is challenging but also very rewarding. The entrepreneurial experience gives you the right mindset to face challenges and, suddenly, exams become not that stressful compared to selling and negotiating with clients. However, from my personal experience, it is not feasible to have both very high grades and amazing results in your business at the same time. You cannot have your cake and eat it too.

3 quick questions to wrap it up:

• How do you face challenges? - Staying rational and gathering feedback.
• Where do you see yourself in 10 years? - Managing a network of successful companies while enjoying time with family and friends. This has been my goal since I was 16.
• How do you recharge your batteries? - Honestly... I’m still figuring that out.