- 6
- September
2023
Smart green VCs you should know
There are many smart green VCs in Europe and the US that back startups in energy, mobility, buildings, cities, materials, food and circular economy to create impact as well as environmental, financial and strategic returns for their fund investors (LPs). In the VC food chain, early stage investors prefer to invest, at lower valuations and higher risk, in the Seed, Series A and Series B financing rounds of young startups working on product market fit and traction (users, customers, revenues). On the other hand, late stage VCs like shorter holding periods and time-to-exit and, consequently, advanced startups with more than €5M revenues, experienced management teams and fast growth. The existence of KPIs, ideally going up over time, makes the life of every investor easier. Facing climate change, technology revolution and global competition, the majority of corporates have adopted corporate venturing and open innovation strategies in order to invest in and do business with startups. The result are different investment strategies and sometimes competing portfolios that startups should know before pitching. Let’s co-invest and meet at Ecosummit Berlin 4-5 June 2024.
Read more- 24
- August
2021
Installion 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 more- 12
- February
2021
Ecosummit Zoom 10 March 2021
We focus on connecting fundraising startups and active investors to foster 100% electric mobility, 100% renewable energy and 100% sustainable cities. Ecosummit Zoom 10 March 2021 is co-hosted by Christoph Ostermann (ex-Sonnen), Gerard Reid (Alexa Capital) and Bart Markus (GAP Technology Holding). The agenda features 10 exciting speakers including 3 CVCs with portfolio pitches: Nils Aldag (Sunfire) building a global hydrogen powerhouse, Jan Lozek (Future Energy Ventures) managing Europe’s largest energy startup porfolio, Nick Woolley (ev.energy) optimising EV charging, Erin Hallock (BP Ventures) investing in game-changing energy startups, Tom Anderson (Grid Edge) providing AI for building energy systems, Nicolas Milerieux (Encevo) redefining smart energy corporate venturing, Arnaud Legrand (Energiency) enabling energy intelligence for manufacturing, Davor Sutija (NexWafe) advancing solar wafer deeptech, Florian Meyer-Delpho (Installion) scaling the installation service provider for the energy transition and Janice Goodenough (Hydrogrid) developing the autopilot for hydropower plants. Please get in touch if you want to pitch at Ecosummit Zoom to accelerate your startup, fund or portfolio. Now it’s your turn to get your tickets and join us.
Read more- 27
- January
2021
Ecosummit Zoom 10 February 2021
Our mission is maximising our impact until 2030, the global deadline for carbon neutrality. We focus on connecting fundraising startups and active investors in smart green energy, mobility and cities. We kindly invite you to our 10th Ecosummit Zoom 10 February 2021 featuring 7 amazing speakers, including one of the most successful impact entrepreneurs who is a free business man again, recently rejuvenated and exploring new adventures: Christoph Ostermann (ex-Sonnen) is joined by Simon Koopmann (Envelio) who is launching their Series B, Freerk Bisschop (Rockstart), Michael Peters (Sunvigo), Erin Ericson (Vestemi), Monica Vaksdal (Think Outside), David Hunt (Hyperion Executive Search) and our co-host Gerard Reid (Alexa Capital). Please get in touch if you want to speak at our monthly online events to pitch your startup, fund or portfolio. Our goals are 100% electric mobility, 100% renewable energy and 100% sustainable cities – this sounds like we all have a lot of work to do.
Read more- 12
- December
2019
Envelio raises €6M Series A from Ecapital, HTGF and Demeter
Today Envelio announced the successful closing of its €6M Series A led by Ecapital and joined by the existing investors HTGF and Demeter that both increased their share more than pro rata. Envelio is an Ecosummit startup as we like it. Co-founded in 2017 by 5 PhDs and researchers at RWTH Aachen, the German smart grid startup first pitched at ECO18 Berlin and then opened its Series A on 15 May 2019 on stage at Ecosummit Berlin. This was the start of 2 busy days for Envelio’s Founder CEO Simon Koopmann running through a myriad of hot VC meetings including the first deal flow conversation with Ecapital’s Hannes Schill.
Read more- 18
- May
2017
Ecosummit Berlin 2017: An ecosystem for a growing smart green startup community
275 startups and investors flocked to Ecosummit Berlin 2017 to pitch their ideas, to network and to discuss a common vision for the future. Under the motto “Smart green unicorns made in Europe”, a total of 95 speakers took to the stage – including 61 startups, all looking for funding or partners to help their ideas grow. “Our investors are all innovative, creative and share our vision,” Christoph Ostermann from Sonnen explains. “And that is very important from my point of view.” The young German company offers solar energy storage for private homes, and allows private solar energy producers to share excess energy within the so-called sonnenCommunity. Sonnen is not far from becoming a unicorn itself. “Our revenue in 2016 was 42 million euros and we increased our capital by 76 million euros last year,” says Ostermann. And while he is not currently looking to raise new capital, he loves attending the Ecosummit to meet with current investors and potential partners. “Five of our seven investors are here this year, and over the years, I initially met all five investors at Ecosummit, who ended up investing in our Series A, B, C and D.”
Read more- 20
- February
2017
Call for smart green startups: Pitch at ECO17 Berlin and apply for ECO17 Award and Ecosummit Europe 100
Since 2010, we have established Ecosummit as Europe’s leading smart green innovation and impact conference for startups, corporates and investors active in energy, mobility, buildings, cities, materials and food. In 2017, we organise 4 conferences in Berlin, Amsterdam, Stockholm and London presenting over 150 startups. Our flagship event Ecosummit Berlin 2017 takes place on 9-10 May 2017 at the Radialsystem, unites over 300 participants and is supported by an innovative group of sponsors. Now we call the best smart green startups in Europe to get promoted by pitching at ECO17 Berlin, applying for ECO17 Award and getting featured in our new startup list Ecosummit Europe 100. Past Ecosummit Award winners include Sonnen (Series D), Heliatek (Series D), Tado (€20M from Inven) and Kiwigrid (Series C).
Read more- 18
- October
2016
Sonnen raises €76M Series D led by Envision Energy and targets IPO
This is a massive financing round. In fact, it is the biggest equity round raised by any Ecosummit startup so far because Sonnen‘s €76M Series D is pure equity. Christoph Ostermann pitched for the first time at Ecosummit Düsseldorf 2012 when he was still working on his Series A. Having secured €20M in three prior funding rounds, the total venture capital raised now amounts to €96M. The new investors are the Chinese wind turbine maker Envision Energy and the family office of Thomas Pütter, ex-CEO of Allianz Capital Partners. At the same time, GE Ventures that were announced as a new investor in June 2016 and the early investors Ecapital, SET Ventures, Munich Venture Partners and Inven Capital all participated in the Series D, too. Make no mistake, Sonnen is a well-funded and licensed utility that challenges all incumbent utilities by inventing new energy services and making electricity free for owners of PV and battery systems.
Read more- 1
- October
2016
Ecosummit accelerates smart green London on 11 October 2016 at CodeNode
We believe that startups need corporates and corporates need startups. Startups need corporates as development partners, customers, distribution channels and investors to make better products and grow faster. At the same time, corporates need startups to sell new products to their customer base and survive the global competition. By connecting the companies that should be connected, Ecosummit accelerates startups, investors and corporates with a focus on smart green energy, mobility and cities. Our unique conferences are a physical marketplace enabling personal meetings and long-term relationships in a relaxed and productive atmosphere. Our next Ecosummit takes place on 11 October 2016 at CodeNode in the City of London. The agenda features 37 startup pitches and the conference will be recorded for our YouTube channel Ecosummit TV. Check out our participants, get your tickets and join us. Let’s warm up with a few innovation stories that will be elaborated at ECO16 London.
Read more- 21
- March
2016
Corporate VC panel featuring Baker Botts, Inven Capital, Siemens Venture Capital and Sonnen
Ecosummit TV: Startups need corporates and corporates need startups. At ECO15 London, Tim Lafferty (Global Corporate Venturing) moderates an exciting corporate VC panel featuring Neil Foster (Baker Botts), Petr Mikovec (Inven Capital), Michael Hochholzer (Siemens Venture Capital) and Oliver Koch (Sonnen). It is a good idea to get in touch and start building relationships with corporates in the early stage of the startup. Even if corporates tend to invest at a later stage in a syndicate with financial VCs and other corporates, the strategic alignment of interests between corporates and startups is a key success factor and needs time to be elaborated well. A corporate minority investment usually doesn’t lead to an acquisition. For example, Siemens acquires around 10% of their portfolio companies and this seems to be the industry average. The contractual relationship between startups and corporates should be designed in a smart way that guarantees the strategic and operative freedom of the startup. Every line in the term sheet is flexible if experienced entrepreneurs with good lawyers sit at the table and multiple investors are interested in participating in the startup: Rights of first refusal can be negotiated out and liquidation preferences should not be higher than 1x.
Read more- 6
- February
2016
SET Ventures raises €60M SET Fund II from EIF, Sitra, Shell, Essent, Delta and Korys
Fundraising is tough, time- and travel-intensive and needs a fair amount of salesmanship – not only for startups but also for VCs. Fund managers have to convince fund investors that they can make money for their Limited Partners (LPs). First, General Partners (GPs) need to build a strong portfolio by wisely investing into the best startups they can find. Then they need to create a lot of value post-investment by quickly growing their portfolio companies with the ultimate goal of realising successful exits, i.e. trade sales (the rule) or IPOs (the exception). GPs Rene Savelsberg and Wouter Jonk are Amsterdam-based smart energy VCs who raised their first SET Fund I in 2007 after having learned the trade as Corporate VCs at Philips. Up to now, they have 3 good exits under their belt: Epyon to ABB in 2011, AlertMe to British Gas in 2015 and Sefaira to Trimble on 8 February 2016. Good exits are a key requirement for raising a second fund as LPs look for track record in terms of proven capability to generate returns. Yesterday, SET Ventures announced the first closing of SET Fund II at €60M and plans to add a few more LPs until March 2016.
Read more- 9
- December
2015
Petr Mikovec pitches corporate VC Inven Capital
Ecosummit TV: Petr Mikovec pitches Inven Capital at ECO15 London. Prague-based Inven Capital is the new corporate VC of CEZ Group, the largest and most profitable utility in Eastern and South Eastern Europe. Equipped with a €180M fund, Inven Capital invests preferably in late stage startups with a proven business model, experienced founders and sustainable revenues. In 2015, they invested in Sonnen (the startup formerly known as Sonnenbatterie) and Sunfire – both Ecosummit Berlin Award 2015 winners. It looks like Inven Capital likes smart green startups made in Germany and Ecosummit. The Inven team is super cool and we strongly recommend to all ambitious smart energy startups in Europe to get in touch with Petr, Petra, Ivo and Kristyna.
Read more