vilisto’s digital plug-and-play heat management solution enables immediate cost and CO2 savings in non-residential buildings. The startup was founded at Hamburg University of Technology (TU Hamburg) and has raised 5 million euros in a recent financing round from its main investors SET Ventures and E.R. Capital Holding as well as existing investors. The financing sum is to be used for the company’s growth and the development of further products and services.
Christoph Berger’s business idea came about while he was studying energy technology at the TU Hamburg: in his master’s thesis, he dealt with the prediction of room temperatures in unknown rooms and buildings. He worked with algorithms that take into account the outside temperature and solar radiation. In 2014, he saw a sign on campus: “Want to start up? Come by!” advertising the newly established TU Hamburg Startup Dock, which is now called Startup Port @TUHH. For Christoph, the simple sign was a sign at the right time: a product idea emerged from the concept of his scientific work, which was put through its paces by the consultants in terms of its business idea. Together with Christian Brase and Lasse Stehnken, Christoph then founded the startup vilisto, whose mission is the nationwide introduction of digital heat management for a climate-neutral building stock in Germany and many other countries.
Today, vilisto’s patented technology enables the efficient heating of buildings and thus addresses one of the main sources of energy and CO2 emissions in the EU. With its solution, the company digitizes the heat management of non-residential buildings. The focus is on an intelligent radiator thermostat that automatically regulates the individual room temperature. Three sensors integrated into the thermostat – motion, light and sound – detect whether a room is in use and only heat it if it is, with the help of self-learning algorithms. As a result, each room consumes less energy, leading to a reduction in energy consumption and CO2 emissions of up to 32 percent for companies and local authorities.
What sets vilisto’s technology apart in a sector with many solutions on offer is its combination of simplicity and efficiency. The vilisto solution can be implemented during ongoing operations within minutes and without any structural or IT integration measures – resulting in immediate energy savings.
A large part of the Series A funding comes from Amsterdam-based venture capitalist SET Ventures, which has made a name for itself since 2007 by investing in digital technologies for a carbon-free energy system. Dr. Till Stenzel, Managing Partner of SET Ventures, underlines the simplicity of the vilisto solution: “After looking at different approaches, it was the simplicity of vilisto’s solution that convinced SET Ventures. Their technology is easy to implement, it really can be described as ‘plug and play’ – building owners install the vilisto devices in each room and immediately start reducing their heating costs. It’s a solution that benefits everyone.”
vilisto has a pioneering position on the German market. With more than 200 customers owning around 35,000 buildings, vilisto’s solution has proven itself many times over and is now ready to be scaled up further. And the demand is understandably huge: building owners and the public sector with a total of more than 1,000,000 non-residential buildings across Europe are looking for sustainable energy efficiency solutions.
E.R. Capital Holding, a Hamburg-based investment holding company and the second main investor in the financing round, has identified vilisto’s climate protection effect as another important selling point. “We are looking for solutions that enable immediate CO2 reduction and vilisto clearly falls into this category. vilisto’s product will make a significant contribution to the real estate industry achieving its ambitious reduction targets and we are delighted to support the team on this journey,” says David Falcone Schlüter, Head of Business Development & Controlling.
“We are ready for exponential growth,” emphasizes Christoph Berger, co-founder and CEO of vilisto. “Thanks to this financing and the cooperation with competent and experienced investors such as SET Ventures and E.R. Capital Holding, we are ready for the next chapter. Our technology has already proven its effectiveness and savings potential many times over. We want to use our leading position in the market to further improve the energy efficiency of the building sector in Germany and the EU.”
In the future, vilisto plans to introduce further services to meet the additional needs of its customers. “We are very much looking forward to working with the vilisto team as they continue to develop their product offering and expand into new markets,” explains Dr. Stenzel. “It’s a critical problem to solve and an elegant solution they’ve created for it. We can’t wait to see what happens next!”
About vilisto
vilisto is a Hamburg-based climate protection company that specializes in the development of intelligent heating solutions. At the heart of vilisto’s digital heat management solution are thermostats with integrated presence detection and self-learning algorithms that recognize the usage behavior of individual rooms and automatically optimize the heating behavior of non-residential buildings. This not only saves up to 32 percent heating energy, but also makes an important contribution to reducing CO2 emissions.
About SET Ventures
Since 2007, Amsterdam-based venture capitalist SET Ventures has been investing in digital technology for a CO2 emission-free energy system by supporting pioneering founders with capital, contacts and know-how. SET Ventures invests in companies with sustainable solutions and a strong digital DNA that drive systemic change in the generation, distribution, storage and consumption of energy in sectors such as decentralized infrastructure, energy retail, buildings, mobility and industry as well as enabling technologies.
