Hamburg, Germany · Startup1KOMMA5° (named for the 1.5°C climate target) is one of Europe’s fastest-scaling energy transition companies, reaching unicorn status in roughly 21 months. Based in Hamburg, the firm tackles the “last mile” of decarbonization by combining a roll-up acquisition strategy with a software-defined energy platform. Instead of only selling solar panels, 1KOMMA5° acquires local installer businesses across Europe and digitizes them to deliver end-to-end home electrification — solar, batteries, heat pumps, and EV chargers — with consistent quality and financing. The company’s differentiator is Heartbeat, a proprietary energy management system that turns these assets into a virtual power plant. Heartbeat orchestrates when batteries charge or discharge based on real-time spot prices and grid conditions, allowing households to capture savings from dynamic tariffs and to export power during peak demand. In 2025, the system expanded to automated trading of household energy, making “free” electricity periods during windy or sunny hours a tangible consumer benefit. This blending of hardware deployment and energy-software automation allows 1KOMMA5° to capture margin both on installation and on recurring software and energy services. Founder Philipp Schroder (former Tesla country director and Sonnen executive) used his industry network to skip early accelerators, and the company instead embedded itself in the Hamburg Startup City ecosystem. Its acquisition engine is relentless: by buying regional market leaders, it locks in the most scarce resource in the sector — skilled installers — while rapidly expanding geographic reach. By early 2026, 1KOMMA5° had expanded beyond DACH into the Nordics, Spain, and Australia, positioning itself for a cross-continental footprint ahead of a public listing. The company has signaled an IPO-readiness push, backed by record turnover reported for 2024 and an expansion into branded hardware components to increase margin and supply-chain resilience. Its investor base blends strategic and growth capital: Porsche Ventures provided early backing, G2VP brought Silicon Valley cleantech expertise, Eurazeo and eCapital added European growth capital, and Norrsken VC underscored the impact thesis. In 2026, 1KOMMA5° is a case study in how Europe can scale climate tech through operational execution rather than pure technology — a disciplined roll-up with a software heart that turns millions of households into coordinated energy assets.
StartupGrowthCleanTechEnergyIoT
Zurich, Switzerland · StartupClimeworks is a Swiss climate tech pioneer specializing in direct air capture (DAC) of CO₂ – essentially technology to filter carbon dioxide directly out of the atmosphere. Founded in 2009 as a spin-off from ETH Zürich by engineers Jan Wurzbacher and Christoph Gebald, Climeworks has the distinction of building the world’s first commercial DAC plants. Its modular CO₂ collectors use a special filter that binds CO₂ when air passes through, then releases pure CO₂ when heated, allowing it to be captured and stored or reused. In 2017 Climeworks opened a prototype DAC plant in Iceland in partnership with Carbfix, where captured CO₂ is injected underground and mineralized into rock. By 2021, they launched “Orca” in Iceland – the largest DAC plant at the time – able to remove 4,000 tons of CO₂ per year, selling carbon removal as a service to corporate clients like Stripe, Microsoft and Shopify. Climeworks gained widespread attention as the first DAC unicorn: in April 2022 it raised $650M in an equity round (Europe’s largest-ever climate tech funding) at a valuation reportedly around $2 billion. Investors include Carbon Removal Partners and Big Oil venture arms, reflecting broad interest in negative emissions tech. As of 2025, Climeworks is scaling up “Mammoth,” a 36,000 tCO₂/yr plant in Iceland, and planning multi-megaton facilities by 2030. The EU and US policy push for carbon removal (with 45Q tax credits, etc.) strongly benefits Climeworks. The company also sells captured CO₂ for reuse in drinks and agriculture (a smaller market) and operates demonstration units in countries like Switzerland and Italy. With global climate goals increasingly reliant on carbon removal, Climeworks is positioned as a leader in an emerging industry. It touts a goal of removing 1% of global CO₂ emissions by 2050. While challenges remain (DAC is energy-intensive and currently expensive, around $600/ton), Climeworks has achieved real progress – turning sci-fi into reality. Its name comes up frequently in climate policy discussions, and it was highlighted at COP26 as an example of scalable climate innovation. In summary, Climeworks is a trailblazer in direct air capture, turning a bold lab idea into the world’s first commercial carbon removal service, putting Zurich on the climate tech map.
StartupGrowthClimateCleanTech
Essen, Germany · AcceleratorLaunched 2013. Energy and cleantech accelerator with a 3-month program, up to EUR 22,000 funding, coaching, and access to E.ON's network. Support: seed funding, mentorship, utility industry access. Scope: National.
AcceleratorEnergyCleanTech
Lisbon, Portugal · AcceleratorVC arm of utility EDP investing in energy technology, cleantech, and electric mobility.
AcceleratorSeries A to Series BEnergyCleanTechMobility
Eindhoven, Netherlands · AcceleratorEstablished 2010. EU-backed accelerator and investor driving sustainable energy transition with funding, IP support, and industry partnerships; 248 investments and 8 exits, including early backing of Northvolt. Scope: International (EU).
AcceleratorEnergyCleanTechSustainability
Stockholm, Sweden · StartupExeger manufactures Powerfoyle, a patented solar-cell material that converts both indoor and outdoor light into usable electricity. The flexible material is designed for seamless integration into consumer products, enabling self-charging devices without external cable charging in many use cases.
StartupGrowthHardwareCleanTechMaterialsConsumer Electronics
Warsaw, Poland · StartupDeep-tech company founded in 2020 building photocatalytic air purification systems. Its titanium-dioxide-based approach targets gases, bacteria, and viruses without traditional replaceable filters, enabling deployments in transport, buildings, and food environments.
StartupEarly StageDeep TechCleanTechHealthTech
Berlin, Germany · Event OrganisatorLeading event series organiser focused on accelerating the decarbonization of data centres and other industries.
Event OrganisatorEventsSustainabilityCleanTech
Berlin, Germany · EventEurope's leading event focused on accelerating the decarbonization of data centres, bringing together industry experts.
EventEventsSustainabilityCleanTechData Centers
Munich, Germany · StartupProxima Fusion is a deep-tech fusion energy company spun out from the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics in 2023. It is developing quasi-isodynamic stellarator systems designed for stable, commercial fusion power generation and is targeting a demonstrator pathway toward net-energy performance in the next decade.
StartupGrowthDeep TechCleanTechEnergyClimate Tech
Barcelona, Spain · AcceleratorFounded 2013. Impact accelerator and investment fund for social enterprises in health, cleantech, and energy. Runs acceleration programs and an impact fund; has accelerated 50+ startups. Support: mentoring, CSR partners, impact investment up to EUR 400K. Scope: National.
AcceleratorImpactHealthCleanTechEnergy
Tallinn, Estonia · StartupSkeleton Technologies develops high-power energy storage solutions based on Curved Graphene for transportation, grid, and industrial use cases.
StartupGrowthEnergy StorageCleanTechIndustrial
Copenhagen, Denmark · EventNordic community-driven summit at Lokomotivvaerkstedet with around 7,500 attendees. Strong programming for life sciences, cleantech, and food systems, plus trust-first networking culture and investor access.
EventEventsLife SciencesCleanTechFoodTechMaritime TechFintech
Porto, Portugal · Venture StudioVenture Catalysts is an innovative venture studio and venture builder program based in Porto, Portugal, specializing in spinning up companies from scientific research and technical projects. Founded around 2015 (with roots as a university initiative), Venture Catalysts takes a hands-on approach to pair scientists and engineers with business co-founders to create startups in fields like medtech, cleantech, and AI. The program identifies promising technologies (often from local universities like University of Porto or from labs across Portugal) and provides a structured process to form a company, develop an MVP, and obtain early funding. Each year, it selects a batch of projects and offers resources such as lab access, initial capital (seed grants or investment from partnered funds), and a network of corporate partners for pilots. A distinctive feature is how it integrates venture building with funding: Venture Catalysts can provide seed capital through grants or its partnered VC funds (often up to €200k), and also connects teams with larger investors for follow-ons. The studio’s track record includes helping create SWORD Health (digital physiotherapy startup that became a unicorn) and AddVolt (electric truck battery solution acquired by Daimler). These successes highlight the model’s efficacy – both companies started as technical projects in Portugal and through Venture Catalysts’ support, gained product-market fit and international traction. The venture studio is backed by both private and public stakeholders (it has worked with Portugal’s innovation agency and corporates like EDP in energy tech). Located in Porto’s up-and-coming innovation district, Venture Catalysts has contributed to making Porto a deep-tech startup hub beyond the usual Lisbon scene. The program puts heavy emphasis on team formation – often recruiting experienced entrepreneurs or MBAs to join scientific founders as CEOs or business leads, ensuring startups have both technical depth and commercial acumen. With a regional focus, it has kept many high-tech startups in Northern Portugal, strengthening the local ecosystem. In summary, Venture Catalysts serves as a venture co-founder for scientists – turning lab breakthroughs into viable companies by providing the missing pieces (business talent, early capital, industry links). Its portfolio’s achievements, like SWORD Health’s growth, demonstrate the powerful potential of the venture studio model in catalyzing innovation.
Venture StudioAIMedTechCleanTechVenture Building
Warsaw, Poland · Venture CapitalEstablished in 1993, WEG invests evergreen capital in growth-stage B2B technology firms. Typical focus areas include Industry 4.0, smart manufacturing, cleantech, and cybersecurity with long-term value creation priorities.
Venture CapitalGrowthB2BIndustry 4.0CleanTechCybersecurity
Warsaw, Poland · StartupCleantech spinout from Warsaw University of Technology building autonomous floating WaterStation units for inland water monitoring. The platform combines disposable electrochemical sensors with forecasting models to detect and predict ecological threats.
StartupEarly StageClimate TechCleanTechWater Tech