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About BPT & the PURE Power Now Initiative

For more than a century, BPT d.o.o. has stood at the crossroads of industry and innovation. Founded in 1885 as a textile mill powered by its own hydropower plants, BPT has evolved into a modern clean energy and real estate company leading the charge toward a sustainable future.
Today, BPT’s legacy of engineering excellence fuels a new vision — to turn its historic industrial site in Tržič into a living laboratory for green innovation.

Pure Power Now is the beginning of a bold transformation — turning the historic BPT industrial campus in Tržič into a clean-energy innovation hub. With a planned €15 million revitalization, the site will evolve into a 5-hectare ecosystem where renewable energy production, innovation, and collaboration come together. The initiative builds on BPT’s strong energy foundation operating hydropower plants, expanding into solar and battery systems and sets the stage for new projects in smart infrastructure and sustainable real estate.

At its core, Pure Power Now is designed around four pillars that will shape its growth: the Innovation Sandbox, a testbed for clean-tech and energy pilots; Smart City, a model for modern, self-sufficient energy management; Collab Mind, an interdisciplinary hub connecting startups, researchers, and industry to co-create climate-tech breakthroughs; and the Expo Experience, a showcase and matchmaking platform that will keep the ecosystem alive year-round.

The initiative will also look to support startups with funding, mentorship and access to space (up to €50k starter support), and aims to turn the site into a year round living lab where entrepreneurs, researchers, municipalities and investors co-create scalable clean-tech solutions.

This hackathon marks one of the first steps in bringing that vision to life. Inviting you students, innovators, and creators to help design how the Pure Power NOW ecosystem will function and grow.

Learn more about Pure Power Now here

💡 The Challenge: Power to Connect

Main Theme

Power to Connect: Building the Pure Power Now Ecosystem

From community to collective power — co-creating an innovation hub where collaboration drives innovation, competitiveness, and sustainable growth. Living innovation network that creates real value.

2. From Community to Collective Power: Co-creating the Pure Power Now Innovation Hub

How might we turn innovation into an everyday practice, not just an event or project?
What kind of collaboration models, shared resources, or incentive systems could strengthen the network effects and make the ecosystem self-sustaining over time?

💡 Core Challenge Areas

1. Future Energy Innovation Alliances: Designing BPT’s Collaboration Model

How can BPT — a company rooted in energy and industry — evolve into a strategic enabler of innovation, connecting industry, startups, and researchers to accelerate market-ready solutions?
How can partnerships within the ecosystem (BPT, Pure, Arcus, startups, universities, municipalities, investors) be structured to create tangible economic value through joint initiatives, new ventures, or accelerated technology transfer?

3. The Year-Round Expo Effect: Turning Momentum into Movement

How can Pure evolve into a continuous platform for meaningful matchmaking between innovators, investors, and operators?
What business and engagement models can make this ecosystem financially viable and attractive for long-term participation?

💬 Additional Guidance

The challenge does not require a technical energy solution — focus on designing concepts, models, or prototypes that strengthen the innovation ecosystem and its economic impact.
The outcome should demonstrate a clear value creation logic — either direct (revenue, cost efficiency, new business) or indirect (synergies, access to knowledge, partnerships, scalability).
Main emphasis: building a connected and functional innovation ecosystem that generates measurable value through network effects, collaboration mechanisms, and cross-sector partnerships.