The venture capital arm of the Phoenix Contact Group is part of a consortium of two companies that is supporting the start-up company urban Energy GmbH i.G. in Berlin as part of a seed financing round. Together with adesso AG in Dortmund, Phoenix Contact Innovation Ventures is investing a seven-figure sum. The seed capital will be used for the promotion of the go-to-market and the expansion of sales and marketing activities.
The solution for a sustainable future
urban ENERGY is developing an innovative IoT platform for smart cities. The platform addresses a key challenge for electromobility: The increasing number of electric cars and therefore also charging stations will lead to increased peak loads and overloaded electricity grids. As a solution, urban ENERGY has developed software that uses artificial intelligence to link energy generation and consumption. Predictive algorithms determine the best possible loading times. This is done on the basis of continuously recorded key figures such as consumption data and energy supply.
Advantages for all sides
For Paul Dittrich, co-founder and Managing Director of urban ENERGY, the merger of the two partners is a stroke of luck: “With adesso and Phoenix Contact, we have two strong players at our side who combine leading IT and electrical engineering expertise. Together, we can realize our vision and play a key role in shaping the energy transition in urban areas with intelligent energy and mobility services. “The advantage of urban ENERGY’s solution for energy producers is that it optimizes grid utilization. The advantage for energy consumers is that they benefit from lower tariffs. The modular platform from urban ENERGY can be used for a variety of applications and business models. For example, housing associations, municipal utilities or commercial and industrial companies can offer their customers, tenants or employees time-based tariffs.
The ideal partner
The founders, formerly senior employees at adesso, also convinced Phoenix Contact Innovation Ventures with their innovative business model. The Phoenix Contact Group offers products and solutions for all aspects of electrical engineering and automation – and is therefore the ideal partner for a joint investment in the young company as a component supplier. Marcus Böker, Managing Director of Phoenix Contact Innovation Ventures: “An important step towards climate-friendly mobility is the nationwide provision of intelligent charging options for electric vehicles. The urban Energy solution supports this goal. In conjunction with our solutions in the field of e-mobility, we are hoping for many exciting projects with our customers.”
The above transaction is subject to approval by the antitrust authorities and public approval.
more information
Marcus Böker, Managing Director
ABOUT URBAN ENERGY GMBH:
urban ENERGY develops individual business models for smart city and e-mobility. This is based on the company’s modular IoT platform, which digitally connects consumers and producers. With the help of data analytics, a decentralized and temporal shift in consumption can be achieved. This makes the start-up a competent partner for the housing industry, municipal utilities, companies and fleet operators.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/urban-energy-gmbh/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ue_Berlin
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/urbanenergyberlin/
ABOUT ADESSO AG:
adesso is one of the leading IT service providers in the German-speaking region and focuses on the core business processes of companies and public administrations with consulting and individual software development. adesso’s strategy is based on three pillars: the deep industry know-how of its employees, comprehensive technological expertise and proven methods for the implementation of software projects. The result is superior IT solutions that help companies to become more competitive. adesso was founded in Dortmund in 1997 and currently employs more than 3,100 people.