HAMBURG, GERMANY | Vilisto, a German startup which provides digital heat management for non-residential buildings has successfully closed a Series-A funding round totalling €5 million from SET Ventures, E.R. Capital Holding and existing investors.
Vilisto’s patented technology enables efficient heating of buildings, addressing a key source of energy consumption and CO2 emissions in the EU. The Hamburg-based company has digitized the heat management of non-residential buildings. Its solution is centred around an intelligent radiator thermostat that automatically manages the individual room temperature. Sensors integrated within the thermostat detect motion, light as well as sound levels and with the help of self-learning algorithms efficiently heat a room only when it is being used. This means that every room uses less energy, resulting in energy and CO2 reductions for companies and municipalities of up to 32 percent.
What makes vilisto’s technology stand out in a sector with many solutions on offer, is its combination of simplicity and efficiency. Vilisto’s solution can be implemented within minutes, during operations and without construction or IT-integration measures – delivering instant savings.
A large portion of vilisto’s Series A funding has come from Amsterdam-based VC, SET Ventures, a firm that has built a track-record of investing in digital technologies for a carbon-free energy system since 2007. Dr. Till Stenzel, the lead Partner from SET Ventures, echoed the simplicity of the vilisto solution saying:
“After looking at several approaches to this problem, the ease of vilisto’s solution is what made them so appealing to SET Ventures. Their technology is easy to implement, it can truly be labelled ‘plug and play’ – a building owner simply installs a vilisto device in each room, and they immediately begin saving on their heating bills. It’s a total quick-win solution.”
Vilisto has an early lead in the German market. With over 200 customers representing around 35,000 buildings, they have achieved product-market fit and are now ready to scale further. And the demand for vilisto is understandably huge with building owners and the public sector representing a total of more than 1.000.000 non-residential buildings all over Europe searching for sustainable energy efficiency solutions.
E.R. Capital Holding, a Hamburg-based investment holding and the other main investors in the financing round, has identified vilisto’s climate impact as another important selling point. “We are looking for solutions that deliver immediate CO2 reductions, and vilisto clearly falls in this category. Vilisto’s product will play an integral part in helping the real estate sector meet its ambitious reduction targets and we are thrilled to support the team on this journey”, says David Falcone Schlüter, Head of Business Development & Controlling.
“We’re primed for exponential growth”, states vilisto’s Co-Founder and CEO Christoph Berger. “Through this funding and collaboration with knowledgeable and experienced investors like SET Ventures and E.R. Capital Holding, we are prepared for the next chapter. Our technology has proven its effectiveness and saving potential many times over. We strive to use our leading position in the market to further improve the energy efficiency of the building sector in Germany and the EU.”
For the future, vilisto plans to introduce more service benefits to serve the additional needs of its customers. “We greatly look forward to working with the vilisto team as they continue to develop their product offering and expand into new markets.”, says Dr. Stenzel. “It’s a critical problem to solve and an elegant solution they have created to do so. We can’t wait to see where they go from here!”
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About Vilisto
vilisto is a Hamburg-based climate protection company that specialises in the development of intelligent heating solutions. At its heart, the vilisto thermostat uses patented, integrated sensors and self-learning algorithms to recognise the heating behaviour of individual rooms and to automatically optimise the heat management of non-residential buildings. This not only saves up to 32 percent of heating energy but makes an important contribution to reducing CO2 emissions.
For further information please visit vilisto.de or contact:
Carolin Guder
Marketing Specialist
+49 40 3346 81200
About SET Ventures
SET Ventures is a lead investor in vilisto’s Series-A funding round. Since 2007, Amsterdam-based SET Ventures has invested in digital technology for a carbon-free energy system by backing pioneering founders with capital, community, and insights. SET Ventures invests in companies with sustainable solutions and a strong digital DNA leading the systemic change of how energy is generated, distributed, stored, and consumed in sectors such as distributed infrastructure, energy retail, buildings, mobility, and industry as well as enabling technologies.
For further information please visit SET Ventures online or contact:
Hayden Young
Head of Marketing
+316 251 46676
haydenyoung@setventures.com
The Vilisto Series-A round is supported by the financial backing of the European Union (“EU”) with capital from the ERP — EIF Facility. The Manager acknowledge being informed, and shall inform the Portfolio Companies, about the origin of the EIF invested capital from the ERP – EIF Facility (including the respective match funding invested by EIF). The aforementioned information shall explicitly be contained in any promotional or informational documents relating to the Fund and the respective contractual documents entered into between the Fund and the Portfolio Companies.
The Manager and Manager further acknowledge being informed, and shall inform the Portfolio Companies, that the EIF invested capital from the ERP monies cannot be classified as a private investment and therefore the Manager, the Manager, the Fund and the Portfolio Companies are responsible for complying with any state-aid regulations or rules applicable.
About E.R. Capital Holding
E.R. Capital Holding (ERCH) is a private investment and asset management group with a global outreach based in Hamburg, Germany. It is active in the fields of real estate, renewable energies, shipping and equity investments. Its belief is that the transformation to a sustainable economy provides unique business opportunities in the group’s core industries. Consequently, ERCH aims to drive this transition in real estate, renewable energy as well as shipping and focuses its equity investments on cleantech companies within the ecosystems of these industries.
