Shell House at SXSW
Shell House at SXSW was action-packed, and we owe thanks to everyone who joined us to see how we can build the future of energy together.
From March 12 to March 14, Shell took over the legendary Antone’s Nightclub in Austin, Texas for three days where thousands of visitors from around the world came and explored how Shell and its partners are working together to help reach the goal of Net-Zero by 2050.
From supply chain innovations to climate-smart agriculture, decarbonizing sports to A.I., and how the energy transformation can bring everybody forward, attendees dropping in caught a lineup of expert-led discussions, networking opportunities, and interactive experiences.
Day 1 at Shell House
Shell House kicked off with a fascinating session led by Christine Bassitt (GM Shell Aviation Americas) on how sound policy and new technologies such as blockchain can help incentivize broader adoption of sustainable aviation fuels. Then, it was standing room only for the discussion led by Jessica Hinojosa (NBS Research and Commercial Lead for Shell) featuring startup participants from Shell and THRIVE’s Climate-Smart Agriculture Challenge. The speakers and award winners were:
- Amod Daherkar from Gazelle Ecosystems and Maurice Bryson from Silicate Carbon received the Shell GameChanger Award
- Michael Riedijk from Lucent Bio received the Scale-Up Award
- Ariella Charny from Albo Climate received the Female Founder Award
- Taka Kamezawa from TrueAlgae received the People’s Choice Award
Day 2 at Shell House
Shell House was packed again to hear Shell CIO, Jay Crotts, speak with Sverre Brandsberg Dahl, CTO of Microsoft Energy, and Benjamin Beberness, VP and Global Head of SAP’s Oil & Gas Industry Unit, about the criticality of digital technology in the race to monitor emissions and decarbonize operations from the beginning to the end of every value chain. The conversation continued upstairs between Jay Crotts, Shell CIO, and a large group of bright and curious student leaders from The Knowledge Society, an organization training the next generation of innovators to impact billions.
And then there was Gretchen Watkins, President of Shell USA, joined by the dynamic Paula Glover, President of Alliance to Save Energy, and Eric Drummond, Founder and CEO of Innovation Corridor Investments, in a conversation moderated by Gregory Kallenberg, Director and Producer of The Rational Middle, an award-winning, independent documentary series featuring balanced, fact-based films on controversial topics.
The discussion, kickstarted by episode 6 of The Rational Middle (A Just Transition), centered on the challenges presented by climate change and how society must bring everybody forward into the energy system of the future. You can watch the rest of the series here and should stay tuned for new podcasts coming soon—Gregory and his team were busy interviewing Shell House speakers and Shell leaders all week.
During the last session of the day, attendees heard from three startups on how they are benefiting from seed funding (Shell Gamechanger), accelerator programs (Studio X) and venture funding (Shell Ventures). Shell leaders also shared what they look for in startups and hosted a networking/mentoring happy hour with members of the startup ecosystem.
Day 3 at Shell House
The last day of Shell House finished strong, starting with a breakfast session led by Akilah Leblanc, GM of Shell Commercial Innovation Partnerships, on why diversity, equity, and inclusion is such an important part of the energy transformation. There was “EV 2050: The Future of Driving,” featuring Barbara Stoyko, SVP of Mobility Americas, alongside Stephen Israel from BTC Power and Anne Goering from Ford discussing the updates and infrastructure needed to help drivers make the switch to from ICEs to EVs. And Shell House closed with Kate Balart, Shell North America Supply Team Lead, interviewing Gerg Bethad, CEO and CFO of High Plains Ponderosa Dairy, on how his dairy farm is converting cow manure into renewable natural gas that can power heavy duty trucks.
What many Shell House visitors walked away with was the realization that none of us—no single person, company, or government—can do it alone. But if nations, industries, and communities come together, we can accelerate the energy transformation and move everybody forward toward a net zero future by 2050.
Music at Shell House
While there’s lots going on at Shell House during the day, don’t forget to stay after the sun sets to check out some of the great artists lighting up the Antone’s stage.
Anders Drerup Band
You don’t want to miss the spontaneous and exciting live performance of the Anders Drerup Band. With hints of blues, country, rock and roll, R&B, and Latino inspired music, the Anders Drerup Band’s Americana style brings something for everyone to enjoy.
Ricky Duran Band
With his latest full-length album reaching #1 on iTunes, the runner-up on season 17 of the Voice, Ricky Duran pulls his music and influence from a variety of genres, transcending trends, turning him into an irrefutable talent and electric performer.
Cas Haley
From vintage funky pop to traditional folk to pure B&B ballads, Cas Haley brings a lot of flavors to his music. Bouncing back from personal and professional setbacks, and charting his own path, Cas Haley uses his songs as an internal sanctuary, for which we are glad he does.
Jackie Venson
After becoming the first black woman to win ‘Best Guitarist’ at the 2019 Austin Music Awards, Jackie Venson isn’t done there. She’s since gone on to tour with multi-Grammy award winner Gary Clark Jr. which has skyrocketed her popularity, helping her gain even more fans with her thoughtful lyrics, screamin’ guitar solos, and unforgettable voice.
