Success story from
Riko Kruit
Success story from
Riko Kruit
Riko Kruit
Evise
2020
It started, like many good ideas, with frustration. Riko Kruit and his partner Sjoerd Vleugel saw a problem in the energy transition that no one was really solving: how do you provide temporary power to a location when there is no grid connection at all? They got to work. At home, in cafes, on every table that was available. Until they decided it was time for a real workspace. They found that at Inqubator.
Evise develops two products that both share the same starting point: the world isn't connected everywhere, but it needs energy everywhere. The Powernomad is an autonomous energy system in a container: bio-propane, a generator, and a battery, allowing you to have 400 kWh per day available for ten days without a grid connection. Useful for construction sites, events, or any other time when temporary power is needed in a place where it simply isn't available.
What began as an off-grid charging system for electric cars grew into something with a much broader application during development. "The charging station turned out to be limiting," says Riko. "We initially thought that was where the market was, but the system is relevant in many more places. You only really realize that when you start testing it and showing it to people." The second product, the Dockchain, builds on that same principle of smart sharing. It is an extension cable for DC fast chargers: ten plugs on one charging station, which charge in turns without loss of speed. For parking lots of transport companies or places where many cars spend the night or are parked for longer than 8 hours, that is a game changer.
Riko had owned a company before, in mobile charging stations. A different startup and a different market, but a familiar dynamic. "Back then, I was just winging it. That comes with ups and downs, and you don't have much to fall back on afterward." With Evise, he wanted to approach things differently. The guidance and programs you find at Inqubator helped him take steps faster and more purposefully. No less adventurous, but with more focus.
For Sjoerd, it was his first venture. Together, in Riko's words, they have become "more mature and more focused." Not through grand insights, but by doing. "Get to a physically working prototype as quickly as possible. Show it, test it, and then move on. Don't be led by people who say it isn't relevant. Stick to your idea."
Riko and Sjoerd worked from Inqubator for almost a year. The space provided structure, but above all, it provided people. Like-minded entrepreneurs around you, conversations you don't have anywhere else, and connections you couldn't have planned. The collaboration with Energiso is a good example of that. Energiso brings expertise in the areas of permits, regulations, and subsidy processes, and plays an important role in the further development of the Powernomad. That connection was made through Inqubator. "Conversations there were really fun and interesting. They made you creative."
After Inqubator, a spot followed at the Energy Knowledge Center in Leeuwarden, a testing ground for energy-related startups where there was more room to really test products. Evise now works from its own office in Grou. All the subsidy applications they submitted with BDF (the parent company of Inqubator) were granted. A 100% success rate.
"The conversations at Inqubator with like-minded entrepreneurs make you more creative and create connections you couldn't have planned yourself."
"We make our problem a little bit bigger every week," says Riko, laughing. "But we are getting closer to the solution." The Dockchain is being further developed for alternative drives. The Powernomad is looking for new markets outside the charging world. And when the demo model is ready, the big names in transport and public transit are on the list for a demonstration. "And, of course, every company that contacts me as a result of this article," Riko concludes with a laugh.
