Month: Januar 2025

We are pleased to announce the 12 innovative start-ups selected to pitch at the E-world energy & water 2025 in Essen.

This year’s application process was highly competitive, with over 60 companies from 13 countries applying. The calibre of ideas was exceptional, and selecting the final participants was more challenging than ever.

Here are the 12 winners driving innovation in decarbonising urban spaces:

• Podero
• Gridcog
• Pleevi
• VEIR
• BitWatt Systems
• j4energy
• Optimeering
• encentive
• Blindleister
• clever-PV
• reLi Energy
• Klimashift

These companies will present their solutions at our Call for Start-ups Pitch Event on February 11, 2025, addressing an audience of industry leaders, investors, and innovation stakeholders, including DSOs, TSOs, utilities, Stadtwerke, VCs, and accelerators.

📍 Join us at the 𝘍𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘍𝘰𝘳𝘶𝘮 in Hall 5 at 11:00 to learn more about their work and explore potential partnerships.

Last year, this platform proved pivotal in fostering meaningful collaborations and advancing critical discussions on sector coupling, digitalisation, and green mobility. We look forward to continuing this tradition in 2025 and thank all the applicants for their contributions to driving the energy transition forward.

We hope to see you in Essen for E-world 2025.

🌍Our Magaging Partner, Matthias Engel, is one of the featured investors of the “Strata Virtual Pitch Event: Decarbonisation Innovations Shaping the Future”.

Based in Berlin, Matthias brings decades of expertise in the energy industry and venture capital. At Vireo Ventures, he focuses on early-stage investments in energy tech, energy transition, and electrification. Previously, Matthias led corporate venture activities for major utility groups RWE AG and innogy SE and has been in the middle of the transitioning energy industry in the past 20 years, making him a powerhouse of knowledge in the energy sector.

Alongside other featured investors, Matthias will be exploring 5 startups decarbonisation and sustainability:

🚗 AI-powered battery tech for safer, cost-effective operations.
☀️ Solar cells replacing silver with copper—cheaper and greener.
🌬️ Wind propulsion cutting shipping emissions by up to 30%.
⚓ Zero-emission marine propulsion reshaping maritime sustainability.
🔋 Long-duration energy storage scaling from 10MW to 100MW.

👉 Register here: https://lu.ma/mcx7cuts
📅 See you at 15:00 CET on January 29th!

Today Vireo Ventures joins over 100 leading cleantech innovators and investors from across Europe in an open letter calling on the European Commission to deliver an ambitious Clean Industrial Deal. The letter, addressed to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and relevant Commissioners, emphasizes the urgent need for action in 2025 to address Europe’s geopolitical challenges, energy costs, and intensifying global competition.

To succeed on these fronts, the Clean Industrial Deal must send two clear market signals:

📈 Boost demand for cleantech: help industries become more competitive by adopting state-of-the-art cleantech, establishing lead markets, and integrating innovation into public procurement. This also includes maintaining the ambition of the Hashtag#ETS and Hashtag#CBAM – with startups such as ARTEM Technologie AG enabling efficient and effective reporting mechanisms.

💶 Unlock private capital through public de-risking: Expand EU funding and guarantees to mobilize Europe’s €38 trillion in private capital, scaling cleantech manufacturing while ensuring fiscal efficiency.

This is a make-or-break moment for Europe’s industrial future. With the right mix of policies and incentives, the Clean Industrial Deal can establish a compelling business case for clean technologies, drive industrial transitions, and pave the way for a prosperous and sustainable future for European citizens.

📄 Read the full open letter and join us in shaping Europe’s clean industrial future

Our portfolio company Green Fusion GmbH has raised €12M in a Series A round to revolutionize heating systems with AI-powered optimization. 🔥

Led by HV Capital and XAnge, this funding round includes participation from us at Vireo Ventures, alongside existing investors BitStone Capital, Übermorgen Ventures, kopa ventures, and Brandenburg Kapital GmbH .

Green Fusion is tackling a massive challenge: inefficient, carbon-intensive, and costly heating systems. With Germany targeting climate neutrality by 2045 and rising CO₂ prices pressuring the housing industry, property owners are racing to make buildings more energy efficient.

Their cutting-edge software uses real-time monitoring and AI to optimize systems, reducing both heating costs and emissions. On average, their solution saves 16% on heating costs – translating to €233,000 annually per 100 systems.

With this financial boost, Green Fusion will scale operations, expand into new European markets, and advance renewable energy integration. By 2025, they aim to equip 3,000 apartment buildings with their software.

We’re proud to support Green Fusion on their journey to transform the housing industry and accelerate the heating transition – not just in Germany but across Europe.

Congratulations to the entire team on this incredible milestone!