Shell-Owned ‘Clean Energy’ Startup Features Oil and Gas Projects on Its Job Board

An analysis by The Guardian and Drilled reveals that a new climate tech startup called Onward — that emphasizes a goal to “advance the energy transition” — is owned by major oil company Shell. 

While it may seem like a step in the right direction for a major oil company to develop a startup focused on the clean energy transition, The Guardian and Drilled revealed that the startup’s Projects board, which posts job opportunities, has many gas and oil industry jobs available. Further, the hiring companies are kept anonymous in the job postings, prompting concerns over greenwashing.

Onward is a rebrand of former Studio X and has a ”mission to transform the energy industry and achieve a Net Zero future,” according to a press release. Studio X was originally a startup designed to encourage innovators to change the future of energy exploration. 

In a press release from 2020, Marc Gerrits, Shell’s executive vice president of Global Exploration, said, “To meet increasing global energy demand, oil and gas will remain an element of the energy mix for decades to come. By harnessing efficiencies, embracing new technologies, and deploying digital capabilities, Studio X will be at the forefront as the exploration profession evolves.”

The rebranding to Onward describes it as a “platform for change” on the startup website. The website further reads, “Breaking down barriers, democratizing data and accelerating pathways to energy innovation.”

According to the Onward website, the startup will work toward changing energy systems, particularly to low-carbon systems, strengthening existing energy systems and promoting the benefits of net-zero systems. 

The startup boasts an inaugural advisory board of five people, including Anousheh Ansari, CEO of XPRIZE Foundation; Eric Drummond, CEO and founder of Innovation Corridor; Nils Mellquist, angel investor; Noel Kinder, chief sustainability officer of Nike; and Tina Sharkey, lecturer at University of Southern California’s Iovine and Young Academy.

Yet Onward is still promoting the oil and gas industry via its Projects board, which is meant to offer “breakthrough projects” where people can register for the website, then apply for short-term jobs. At the time of analysis by The Guardian and Drilled, there were five job opportunities with descriptions posted, four of which were explicitly for oil and gas production.

Shell has other projects in addition to Onward that are focused on investing in energy-related startups, including GCxN, Shell Ventures and Shell StartUp Engine. These projects allow “Shell to pretend it’s helping find solutions instead of just accelerating the climate crisis,” Paris Marx, host of the podcast Tech Won’t Save Us, told Drilled.

As The Guardian reported, Shell had over $28 billion in profits from oil and gas last year.