Open Cloud

U.S. Department of EnergyThe customer this was delivered for.Action CenterSave this case, request the same outcome from Topcoder, share it, or get in touch.

Delivered 17 Solar Prototypes in 9 Weeks

The U.S. Department of Energy needed to accelerate solar energy adoption by addressing soft-costs and other adoption barriers. It sought a way to source and validate many ideas quickly. It also needed support to move concepts into working prototypes and MVPs. The Department of Energy launched the SunShot Catalyst competition series and used crowdsourcing to attract and engage participants. Seventeen finalists received $25,000 each and access to an online development platform to build prototypes and MVPs. The program also selected five winners who received cash prizes to help launch their businesses. The initiative delivered 17 business prototypes. Work was completed in 9 weeks with participation from 165+ members across 61 countries. The program was recognized as an ISPIM Grand Prize winner for innovation management excellence.

Delivered byVerified outcomeThe customer confirmed this result through Human Cloud verification — it is not the vendor’s own account of it.

Topcoder

U.S. Department of EnergyThe customer this was delivered for.Action CenterSave this case, request the same outcome from Topcoder, share it, or get in touch.

Delivered 17 Solar Prototypes in 9 Weeks

The U.S. Department of Energy needed to accelerate solar energy adoption by addressing soft costs and key adoption barriers. It required a way to move from ideas to testable concepts quickly. It also aimed to attract broad participation and high-quality solutions. The Department of Energy launched the SunShot Catalyst competition series to crowdsource solutions and prototype development. Finalists received $25,000 each to develop prototypes and MVPs. The program also provided access to an online platform to support development and iteration. The effort delivered 17 solar energy business prototypes. A global community of 165+ members from 61 countries contributed to the work. All work was completed in 9 weeks. The program won the ISPIM Grand Prize for innovation management excellence.

Delivered byVerified outcomeThe customer confirmed this result through Human Cloud verification — it is not the vendor’s own account of it.

Topcoder

U.S. Department of EnergyThe customer this was delivered for.Action CenterSave this case, request the same outcome from Ensemble Consultancy, share it, or get in touch.

Registered 62 Teams and 294 Innovators for a $1.85M DOE Prize Challenge

The U.S. Department of Energy needed communications and recruitment support for two American-Made Challenges prize competitions: the Digitizing Utilities Prize (Round 2) and the Lab MATCH Prize. The goal was to foster innovation and collaboration across energy, cybersecurity, and data science. DOE also needed broader reach and stronger diversity and inclusivity among potential solvers. These challenges required targeted outreach to recruit capable innovators and drive engagement on the challenge platforms. Ensemble served as a supporting Power Connector and executed a strategic communications plan across both prizes. The team conducted comprehensive market scans to identify relevant organizations and contacts, then ran personalized email outreach based on engagement and organizational context. It also amplified both challenges through social media promotion on platforms including LinkedIn and Twitter. Outreach intensity increased in the final weeks to boost participation and page engagement. For Digitizing Utilities Prize Round 2, Phase 1 ended with 62 teams and 294 innovators registered on the challenge page. For Lab MATCH Prize Phase 1, 33 teams and 225 innovators registered, leading to 19 Phase 1 winners. The Digitizing Utilities Prize initiative totaled $1.85 million, with Phase 1 prize categories offering up to 8 winners in Track 1 and up to 6 winners in Track 2 at $75,000 each. The Lab MATCH Prize was a $620K competition, and each Phase 1 winning team received a $2,500 award.

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Ensemble Consultancy