Energy Start-up Map: From project development and battery hardware to battery diagnostics and flexibility marketing

The energy sector is undergoing a transformation, as reflected in the growing number of start-up founders active in recent years. Ninety-one start-ups responded to the call issued by Vireo Ventures and pv magazine. Almost half of them operate—broadly speaking—in the field of energy management and optimization, while a quarter are active in energy trading, with multiple categories allowed. Of course, the specific companies that respond are, to some extent, a matter of chance. However, the areas of focus align with the fact that, driven by increasing integration into electricity markets, particularly in relation to battery storage, there is currently a significant need for innovative solutions in these sectors.

The gap separating these from more hardware-oriented areas is not large, however. Around one-fifth of the start-ups are also involved in project development and financing. Similarly, about one-fifth cite analysis and diagnostics as their primary business area, often in conjunction with data collection and evaluation. Engineering and planning account for a slightly smaller share.

Accordingly, around half of the start-ups aim to help improve battery storage performance, while about a third seek to facilitate better financing. We also asked how the companies plan to generate revenue: nearly half rely on software-as-a-service and subscription fees, around a third on product sales, and some combine both approaches. The listed start-ups are distributed relatively evenly across early-stage, seed-stage, and growth-stage companies.

In the linked market overview, you will find the start-ups’ self-classification of their main business areas, details on target groups and technologies, and answers to four interview questions.

• What does your company do?
• Who are your target customers, and what problem do you solve for them?
• What distinguishes your solution from existing solutions on the market?
• What is your business model, and how do you generate revenue?

The complete overview is available here.

We will continuously update and expand the overview. Contact point for start-ups wishing to be included in the next update: [email protected]

Or simply fill out the form, and we will include you in our next update.

You can find the 24 start-ups of the month selected so far from all sectors of the energy industry on our German website.