Ecosummit Zoom 10 March 2022
Climate change, pandemic, war – if we work together globally, we can solve all our problems and save our planet for future generations. Putin’s terrible war in Ukraine kills people and endangers peace, freedom and democracy in the whole world. It also has a huge impact on our climate and the energy transition. Now we must stop burning fossil fuels and reach 100% renewable energy autonomy a lot faster than originally planned. Ecosummit Zoom 10 March 2022 takes place at 10:00-12:00 Berlin time and is a free event for fundraising startups and active investors. Rather than selling tickets we kindly ask you to make a donation to your preferred humanitarian aid organisation (e.g. Aktionsbündnis Katastrophenhilfe in Germany) to support the people and economy in Ukraine.
Read moreNexwafe raises €39M Series C led by Reliance Industries
Solar is the most economic renewable energy on planet Earth. India is the second-most populous country with 1.38 billion inhabitants. On 24 June 2021, Mukesh Ambani, India’s most successful entrepreneur, Forbes top 10 (€86B) and majority owner of Reliance Industries, promised the shareholders to invest €8.6B in the next 3 years to build a new energy business powered by 4 vertically integrated giga factories for solar systems, batteries, green hydrogen electrolysers and fuel cells. On 10 October 2021, Reliance made the first move and acquired the solar manufacturer REC for €667M. Fitting well into Ambani’s ambitious solar strategy, Nexwafe today announces the first closing of their €39M Series C led by the subsidiary Reliance New Energy Solar. Aramco Ventures, Innoenergy and other co-investors participate in the round enabling Nexwafe to further develop and market its green solar wafer manufacturing technology. Next to investing a ticket of €25M, Reliance plans to license and deploy Nexwafe’s technology in its new solar giga factory. This is a strategic proof of scalability for Nexwafe’s green solar wafers.
Read moreRoofit.solar raises €7.85M Series A led by BayWa r.e. Energy Ventures
The Tesla solar roof now has a strong competitor in Europe. Today, Roofit.solar announces its €7.85M Series A (€6.4M new capital and €1.45M converted loans) led by BayWa r.e. Energy Ventures and supported by an outstanding group of Estonian co-investors. The co-investor syndicate includes the family office of Priit Piilmann (largest shareholder of Viru Keemia Grupp), Taavet Hinrikus (Co-founder of Wise, recently listed on LSE) and Sten Tamkivi (ex-General Manager at Skype Estonia), Spring Capital and Helmes Investments. We’re super happy about this transaction because Ecosummit advised the 3 co-founders of Roofit.solar during the 9-month fundraising process and successfully introduced the German lead investor BayWa r.e. Energy Ventures, the main piece in the Series A puzzle.
Read moreInstallion raises €4M Series A led by Eneco Ventures
The energy transition is a hands-on job because somebody has to install all the hardware needed for making, storing and charging solar energy at the customers’ premises. It turns out that finding a good installer can be anything from very tough to simply impossible. In other words, installation is the bottleneck if we want to reach 100% renewables. For the founders among us it’s an obvious startup opportunity. Installion is the installation service provider for the energy transition helping utilities and other solar companies with qualified manpower onsite and on time. On 25 February 2021, we introduced Installion to Eneco and other smart green VCs to find the best lead investor, the main piece in the Series A puzzle. After watching Florian’s online pitch at Ecosummit Zoom 10 March 2021, Eneco was hooked and due diligence started. The deal closed end of July and today we’re breaking the news that Eneco Ventures invests a ticket of €3.2M leading Installion’s €4M Series A. At the same time, Ecosummit gets 1 assist on the startup VC matchmaking scoreboard which proves our value and track record.
Read moreAlantra’s new Klima fund invests in Mainspring
Smart green energy startups in Europe raising Series B or later rounds now have one more financial VC to go to in Madrid. The new late stage VC fund is called Klima (climate in German), focuses on hardware and software startups accelerating the energy transition and achieved its first closing at €80M on 7 June 2021. Klima’s capital is committed by powerful Spanish LPs including the listed investment bank and asset manager Alantra (€18M commitment), the gas corporate Enagás (€30M), the state-owned bank Instituto de Crédito Oficial (€15M), the renewable energy developer Capital Energy (€2M), the German family office Blueworld Group and other undisclosed institutional investors. On 12 July 2021, Klima announced its first investment in Sillicon Valley-based Mainspring, expanding their $95M Series D to $108M together with other investors entering the massive round at the last minute. GP Lucille Bonnet will pitch Klima at Ecosummit Berlin 8-9 September 2021.
Read moreEcosummit Zoom 7 July 2021
This is our last online event before the summer break and Ecosummit Berlin. Let’s connect fundraising startups and active investors at Ecosummit Zoom 7 July 2021, our 15th online event, co-hosted by Gerard Reid and Bart Markus. The agenda presents 12 amazing speakers briefing us on mobile batteries, ecargo bikes, energy flexibility, energy marketplaces, hydrogen production, low-cost fuel cells, energy innovation in Israel, thermal energy storage and smart green corporate venturing: Sebastian Berning (Instagrid, Series B), Hans Cool (Eneco Ventures), Tom Mason (Bramble Energy, Series B), Beres Seelbach (Ono, Series B), James Quinn (Faradion, Series B), James Johnston (Piclo), Richard Lohwasser (Lition Energy, Growth Round), Eran Levy (Enel Innovation Hub Tel Aviv), Doron Brenmiller (Brenmiller Energy), Robert Trezona (IP Group), Johann Boukhors (Engie New Ventures) and Andrés Galnares (H2Site, Series A). Please get in touch if you want to pitch at Ecosummit to accelerate your startup, fund or portfolio. Get your tickets and join us. Let’s co-invest, cooperate and build big startups with big impact.
Read moreGreenCom Networks raises €12M Series C led by Shell Ventures
Breaking news at Ecosummit Zoom today: Founder CEO Christian Feißt unveils the €12M Series C of GreenCom Networks led by Shell Ventures and supported by new co-investor Energy & Environment Investment (EEI), Japan’s leading smart green VC making its first investment in Europe. With the help of EEI, GreenCom is already working on entering the Japanese market and talking to potential customers. Existing investors Centrica, Future Energy Ventures, Munich Venture Partners and SET Ventures, who all happen to be Ecosummit 2020 sponsors, participate in the new financing round of their portfolio star. The Munich-based company was founded in 2011, employs 65 energy, software and innovation experts, has a very strong management team and enjoys increasing commercial traction. In fact, GreenCom launched its Series C at our first Ecosummit Zoom 6 May 2020 and announced the closing 7 months later at our 8th Ecosummit Zoom 2 December 2020. Celebrating this funding milestone and our productive friendship, Christian just renewed their Ecosummit 2021 sponsorship. That’s the way we like it.
Read moreFresh capital for Skeleton, Tibber, The Fctr E, Tier, Dance, Greenbird, Pexapark, Dryad and Clim8
European smart green startups in energy, mobility and cities are en vogue among global investors and have recently closed new financing rounds. It’s about time to celebrate their progress and give you a quick summary of 9 transactions that have impressed us: Skeleton Technologies €41.3M Series D, Tibber $30M Series B, The Fctr E €10M Series A, Tier Mobility $250M Series C, Dance Mobility €15M Series A, Greenbird €5M Series B, Pexapark €6M Series B, Dryad Networks €1.8M Seed and Clim8 Invest £2.4M Seed Extension. Read on to learn why we think that these startups provide a lot of growth, environmental impact and financial return potential. We also note a growing number of serial entrepreneurs with exits who prefer to build a sustainable startup next to maximise their impact until 2030. That’s a really positive and inspiring trend.
Read moreEcosummit invests in smart solar utility Sunvigo
Solar is by far the most important renewable energy on planet Earth. To grow the number of PV systems on global rooftops a lot faster, we have to make the solar purchase decision and PV system operations as simple as possible for consumers. The solution is to package the complex bundle of solar technology, financing, installation, operations and insurance into a super easy solar electricity tariff provided by a new smart solar utility. Sunvigo are the new kids on the block, in this case the residential solar market in Germany. After aggregating a strong partner network including a smart meter operator and several PV installers, the Cologne-based solar-as-a-service startup already have their first happy customers making their own solar power at home while paying only their monthly electricity bill. Most importantly, the 3 co-founders Vigen Nikogosian, Michael Peters and Bastian Bauwens are a great team: intelligent, well educated, modest and ambitious, with impressive track records and highly motivated to maximise their impact until 2030. That’s why Ecosummit invested €50K in the €500K Seed round together with Zurich-based Übermorgen Ventures and other smart green angels.
Read moreInven invests in Cloud&Heat and Eneco invests in Next Kraftwerke
2 European corporate VCs announce their new investments today at Ecosummit Berlin 2017 proving that German smart green startups are innovative, competitive and very attractive investment opportunities. Inven Capital, funded by the Czech utility CEZ, met Cloud&Heat one year ago at Ecosummit and today invests in the Dresden-based early stage startup. Founded in 2011, Cloud&Heat provides energy efficient data centres that use server heat for hot water and heating in commercial buildings, reducing operating costs of data centres by 50%. The Dutch utility Eneco invests in Next Kraftwerke and acquires a large minority interest of 34%. Founded in 2009, the Cologne-based late stage startup operates a large Virtual Power Plant (VPP) across 8 countries in Europe with 2.8 GW of renewable energy capacity under management. After acquiring 50% of Lichtblick in January 2017, this is the second major smart green energy investment of Eneco in Germany.
Read moreFelix Grolman pitches Grundgrün
Ecosummit TV: Felix Grolman pitches Grundgrün at ECO14 Berlin. The Berlin-based startup is building a next generation smart green utility focusing 100% on renewable energy. Grundgrün’s core business is the direct marketing of renewable energy assets that they sell on short-term, long-term and balancing markets as well as directly to households and companies. The key to their success is an integrated IT infrastructure that enables sourcing, trading and distribution of energy as well as innovative energy services such as virtual power plants and production forecasting. Founded in 2011, Grundgrün is a fast-growing late stage startup with a team of 65 employees and backed by the family office Aeris Capital. Grundgrün is currently fundraising to further accelerate growth in Germany and new international markets.
Read morePhilipp Schroeder presents Tesla on its way to the most valuable car company in the world
Ecosummit TV: This year Ecosummit partnered with Tesla Motors to provide Model S test drives and first-hand insight into the automotive future invented in California. Following a 100% electric strategy since its foundation in 2003, Tesla forces the big automakers to accelerate their electric transformation, too. In February, Philipp Schroeder joined Tesla from Sonnenbatterie and now manages sales and business development in Germany and Austria. At ECO14 Berlin, Philipp agreed that Tesla is on its way to become the most valuable car company in the world. When we wrote about the super hero of the smart green economy in May 2011, Tesla was valued at $2.6B. Now it has a market cap of $30.6B and expects to deliver 33.000 cars to its customers in 2014. BMW, the German car maker with the strongest electric mobility strategy thanks to the purpose built EVs i3 and i8 and the inhouse carbon fiber production, is valued at $60.3B delivering 2 million cars this year (BMW investor presentation Nov 2014). When Tesla’s Model III, priced at $35.000, starts racing against the BMW 3 series in 2017, we will find out quickly how car drivers really think when making their next purchase decision.
Read moreJames Johnston pitches Open Utility
Ecosummit TV: James Johnston pitches Open Utility at ECO13 London. The London-based smart green startup was accelerated by Bethnal Green Ventures in 2013 and recently entered Open Data Institute‘s startup programme. Open Utility creates an online marketplace for buying and selling distributed renewable energy. The idea is that energy consumers can buy electricity directly from local energy producers. However, wholesale energy markets were never designed for millions of independent producers. As a first step, Open Utility launched their website to help electricity producers sell their export power by getting quotes for a PPA (Power Purchase Agreement) from utilities. We believe that Open Utility’s vision of a peer-2-peer energy marketplace makes a lot of sense and recommend that you put the startup on your watchlist, too.
Read morePhilipp Rode of LSE talks about smart green cities
Ecosummit TV: According to Philipp Rode, Executive Director at LSE Cities, cities are leading the next economy as we already surpassed 50% urbanisation. Having surveyed 90 cities, Philipp identifies the key sectors driving cities’ economic growth as being green transport, renewable energy, green building retrofits, new green buildings, energy distribution and green goods and services. Cities can learn from each other because they are very different. As for energy, the city of Munich owns 100% of the local utility Stadtwerke München and, as a result, is able to set the goal of 100% renewables in 2025 and manage the transition of local energy generation and distribution following a long-term strategy. It also turns out that cities are willing to collaborate and try out new ideas to facilitate the smart green transition. That sounds like an open invitation for startups to participate in the urban transformation.
Read morePedro Pires de Miranda envisions the smart green urban future for Siemens
Ecosummit TV: Siemens is not Apple. While Steve Jobs envisioned a new HQ from outer space for 12.000 employees, Pedro Pires de Miranda just wanted a smart green city technology showcase, conference centre, public exhibition and cutting edge sales office for the Siemens competence centre Cities. 18 months and €60M later, The Crystal opened doors in September 2012 and already upgraded more than 120.000 visitors to a new understanding of our urban future. 2 weeks ago we celebrated Ecosummit London 2013 at Siemens’ new urbanity palace.
Read moreMarkus Leuenberger pitches the Dutch cleantech institute ECN
Ecosummit TV: Markus Leuenberger pitches ECN at ECO13 Berlin. The Dutch research institute is based in a beautiful location in the dunes north of Amsterdam. 550 researchers and experts develop new green technologies with a strong focus on renewable energy and energy storage including Power to Gas. Recently, ECN launched a new technical due diligence service for cleantech VCs across Europe. This makes a lot of sense as many cleantech VCs don’t have sufficient inhouse competence in each of the many cross-industry cleantech markets. Moreover, the cleantech institute also helps startups during product development. A small version of Fraunhofer in Germany, ECN looks like they are equally smart and very entrepreneurial. If you need deep cleantech technology expertise, go and talk to ECN.
Read moreTorsten Wipiejewski pitches cleantech VC VNT Management from Finland
Ecosummit TV: Torsten Wipiejewski pitches VNT Management at ECO13 Berlin. The Finnish cleantech VC was founded in 2002 and raised 3 funds with a total of €157M under management. The European Investment Fund is one of the LPs that committed €25M to VNT’s Power Fund III. Their large portfolio of 16 cleantech startups is mainly focused on renewable energy and electrical systems. As all of the partners of VNT have got an industrial and engineering background, they prefer to invest in startups that they deeply understand and can really add value to. If you make cleantech hardware and deal with power electronics, VNT Management is for you. However, they sometimes make an exception, so don’t be shy to send over your investor presentation. Torsten and his partner Harri are very relaxed and look forward to getting to know the best cleantech startups in Europe.
Read moreAndreas Spiess pitches Solarkiosk from Berlin
Ecosummit TV: Andreas Spiess wants to bridge the energy divide in Africa as it is the biggest roadblock for development. At ECO13 Berlin, he pitches Solarkiosk that targets 800 million Africans without access to energy. The Berlin-based cleantech startup develops and operates Solarkiosks to provide solar-powered local commerce hubs to offgrid communities. Their vision are entire smart green villages powered by renewable energies. Up to now, Solarkiosk runs 7 sunshops in Ethiopia and 5 in Kenya and has got one year of experience in the field. Having invested €5M Solarkiosk now wants to raise a big VC round to reach the milestone of 100 Solarkiosks in operation. In my opinion, this startup is one of the most exciting I have seen so far, not only because I was born in Nairobi. In fact, I encourage all of us to get involved in at least one renewable energy project in developing countries. Solarkiosk is an obvious candidate.
Read moreMartin Riedel pitches the small wind startup Enbreeze
Ecosummit TV: Decentralised local energy production is a key trend in the Energiewende. While small PV systems are already widespread, small wind is a new market with large potential growing at 30% CAGR. The advantage of small wind is that the wind also blows during the night and on cloudy days. At ECO12 Düsseldorf, Martin Riedel pitches the German early stage cleantech startup Enbreeze that develops small wind turbines.
Read moreJörg Fabri analyses wind energy and recommends operational excellence
Ecosummit TV: The Energiewende, i.e. the transformation to a smart green energy system, is a massive challenge for the energy industry and the government. Globally, renewable energy attracts $200B investment per year to which wind energy contributes one third. In his talk at ECO12 Düsseldorf, Joerg Fabri of allocate, analyses how we can keep up the pace in the European wind energy sector if the level of subsidies further decreases.
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