Sales end soon

Wednesday, May 21

Synergy 2025 @ Upstream

For the investors, changemakers, and artists that shape our Energy Future

By Synergy Ecosystem

Date and time

Wednesday, May 21 · 10am - 5pm CEST

Location

Annabel

20 Schiestraat 3013 AH Rotterdam Netherlands

Agenda

10:00 AM - 10:30 AM

Wake up with barista coffee

10:30 AM - 11:00 AM

Opening & presentation Synergy 2025

Arthur Tolsma

Arash Aazami

Welcome by Arthur, bring the community together, and learn about Synergy's plans for 2025-2026!

11:00 AM - 11:40 AM

Panel 1: Local Integrated Energy Economies - Making Local Energy Bankable

Marjolein Bot - Topsector Energie

Sebastian Kuntz - Multiple companies

Pascal Kartan - Dockwize

Freerk Bisschop - BigCircle Ventures

What is the benefit of an integrated energy system? How do we make local energy systems scalable, investable, and reliable?

11:40 AM - 12:20 PM

Innovator Pitches (round 1)

Vera Hofman - St. Oranje Advies 2051

Koen Mulders - Currentt

Don Ritzen - Shift.world

Mohammed Hussein - Hyer Power

Pitch time! 4 founders/innovators present their solutions.

12:20 PM - 1:15 PM

Networking lunch – “Collect the Handshakes”

Lunch meets matchmaking. You meet the relevant ones. Speed date your way through a savory meal.

1:15 PM - 1:25 PM

Count the handshakes

Arthur Tolsma

After lunch we will ask you what meaningful connections you have made. Be prepared for pop up mic time!

1:25 PM - 1:40 PM

Keynote: Energy Circularity for Peace

Cécile van Oppen - Copper8

How can we achieve conflict-free energy? What about materials, rare earth metals, can we achieve regenerative energy systems without them? About the speaker: Cécile is an idealist at heart. As one of...

1:40 PM - 1:55 PM

GoodUp * Synergy - to make our impact fly, we multiply

Bart Lacroix - GoodUp

In this fireside chat Bart Lacroix, crowdfunding and impact entrepreneurship virtuoso, shares the vision of a crowd platform for multiplying the good that we do together. Don't miss it!

1:55 PM - 2:25 PM

Innovator Pitches (ronde 2)

Jacco Patist - Stroomlijnen

Arnoud van Putten - Bennex

Fabien Berger - Fractal Energy

Three innovators join the stage & present potential breakthroughs.

2:25 PM - 3:00 PM

Panel 3: Festivals as Pop-up Societies

Esmee Bouwmeister - DGTL

Tijl Couzij - Lab Vlieland / Into the Great Wide Open

How do festivals provide the perfect soil for breakthrough innovations? Learn about how Synergy chooses festivals as the perfect living lab for deep innovation, and how you can be part of it. Join Ti...

3:00 PM - 3:30 PM

Break - meet - connect

3:30 PM - 4:00 PM

Pitch round 3

Satish Jawalapersad - LV Energy

Mike Out - HomeZero

Giancarlo Stanco - EnergySwap

3 innovators pitch and engage with the Synergy community!

4:00 PM - 4:40 PM

Panel 4 - tech for breakthrough

Nils Beers - Kickstart.ai

Michel Sintenie - Vattenfall

Arno Laeven - European Decentralization Institute

4:40 PM - 4:59 PM

Closing remarks

Arthur Tolsma - BRAVE

Arash Aazami - Synergy

Closing words for the day, opening words for the rest of an innovation-laden year!

5:00 PM - 7:00 PM

Drinks (with all Upstream participants)

Energize, Inspire and Connect

About this event

Event lasts 7 hours

No buzzwords — real breakthroughs.
Join Synergy @ Upstream and meet innovators, investors, artists, and system thinkers who are reshaping the energy economy. Discover how art, tech, and bright minds collide to break old systems—and spark a future where clean energy is shared, owned, and open to everyone.

Organized by

Synergy Ecosystem