Start-ups filing for a record number of bankruptcies in Germany, significant decline in the amount of financing rounds: After a challenging CVC year in 2023, the market environment should stabilize again in 2024. This is our current observation as corporate investors in the Phoenix Contact Group.
Because of the challenging market conditions, 2024 is characterized by an even more critical questioning of the desired path to the break-even. Founding teams should prepare for this. Founding teams should continue to adapt to this. Here we summarize further current news from us, the CVC and the industrial world.
Energy Tech Summit: Our 3 key take aways from Bilbao
- For the ideal energy grid of tomorrow, we have to increase our efforts – for a more flexible and decentralised system, that’s the ideal vision for an All-Electric Society
- Collaborative approaches matter even more, from financing to infrastructure, enabling also other financing possibilities next to traditional venture capital to advance and scale energy technologies
- To further leverage the industry know-how, for example in sector coupling technologies, in particular Corporate Venture Capital units can ideally act as a booster to bring technology into our markets
The common task: Resolving contradictions between profit and sustainability
It remains the common task between corporates, investors, and start-ups to push for profitable business models that do not create a contradiction between profit and sustainability. This is what we as investors are also focusing on when searching for investments in the deep-tech B2B sector.
And we are proud to state that we at Phoenix Contact aim high to prove in numerous ways how climate protection works in the electrical industry.
How it works: Climate protection in the electric industry
Shimmering facades and a huge solar roof area from the outside; the production hall of the future from the inside: At our headquarters we show what climate-friendly production of the future will look like. By making as much renewable electrical energy available as possible, we want to contribute to a world worth living. The basic concept: sector coupling.
How this works is also shown in the All Electric Society Park – a park free to visit for everyone, from age 0 to age 99, feel welcome and experience sustainability on more than 7800 square meters yourself.
Finally: As corporate investors, we are all the prouder as the solution of our portfolio company aedifion is integrated in the park.
Just have a look at this video together with the Federal Ministy for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Klimaschutz, German only): Wer, wenn nicht hier: Deutschland kann grüne Industrie – Hier funkt es zwischen Elektroindustrie und Klimaschutz (bmwk.de)
More Portfolio Updates
- WindESCo Launches ‘Pulse’: The First End-to-End Solution for Performance & Asset Health. The leading wind energy analytics company is excited to introduce Pulse as the latest addition to our product offering. Pulse is an AI and machine learning-empowered solution that significantly expands asset health solutions in addition to performance optimizations throughout the entire lifecycle of wind assets. Read more.
- SIGA OT Solutions launces new partners portal. The portal allows their partners to create and update their opportunities and register deals, access SIGA’s unique training and demonstration tools and many more partner resources to display the unparalleled abilities of the SigaGuard solution. Read more.
- aedifion reaches Series A milestone: In around 300 buildings and around 2.8 million square meters, the cloud platform for efficient building management is already ensuring savings throughout Germany and eight other countries.
- TÜV Rheinland certifies aedifion solution to comply with the Building Energy Act: As a BAFA-listed energy management software, aedifion offers a scalable and cost-effective solution for efficient plant operation in accordance with Section 71a (1), (2) and (4) GEG with the Optimization Bundle. Read more.
Contact
Marcus Böker, Managing Director Phoenix Contact Innovation Ventures
Email: Marcus.Boeker[at]phoenixinnovation.de
Phone: 05235 3-40312