Rising Investor Climbs to Top Position in Energy-Unicorn Company
In a strategic move to bolster the renewable energy sector, Sabanci Climate Ventures, the climate investment arm of the Sabanci Group, has announced its investment in 1Komma5°, a unicorn startup based in Europe. This investment comes as part of 1Komma5°'s plans to expand and scale its energy management platform, Heartbeat AI.
Heartbeat AI is a cloud-based platform designed to integrate rooftop solar, batteries, heat pumps, and EV chargers into a virtual power plant (VPP). The aim is to offer an affordable and AI-driven alternative to traditional utilities, enabling millions of homeowners across Europe and Australia to procure the cheapest and cleanest electricity directly from wholesale markets.
1Komma5° plans to invest over €100 million between 2025 and 2027, with a focus on software engineering, machine-learning tools, and customer acquisition. This investment will help enhance Heartbeat AI's capabilities and position it as a leader in the home electrification market.
The recent funding round, which includes Sabanci Climate Ventures as a new shareholder, extends the pre-IPO capital raise originally closed in December 2024. This additional capital boost supports 1Komma5°'s ambition to grow its software revenues, alongside its core hardware business, despite challenging market conditions and economic recession in Europe.
Heartbeat AI, developed by 1Komma5°, already orchestrates over 500 MW of flexible residential capacity for about 120,000 customers, making it one of Europe's largest residential virtual power plants. The platform uses artificial intelligence to optimize energy consumption in households and connect them to renewable energy sources.
Sabanci Climate Ventures' portfolio includes other notable companies like Active Surfaces and Aikido Technologies. This investment marks a significant step for 1Komma5°, which secured 150 million euros in seed funding in December 2024 and has raised almost 400 million euros in equity, remaining debt-free.
Despite two years of recession in Germany and regulatory challenges, 1Komma5° remained profitable, generating 520 million euros in revenue in 2024, a 70 million euros increase from 2023. The company intends to drive its organic growth with the fresh capital, scaling Heartbeat AI to provide more households with affordable and clean electricity directly from the power exchange.
This investment by Sabanci Climate Ventures underscores the growing interest in renewable energy solutions and the potential for startups like 1Komma5° to play a significant role in shaping the future of energy consumption.
The investment by Sabanci Climate Ventures, a finance entity focused on climate solutions, will contribute to the technology-driven expansion of 1Komma5°'s energy management platform, Heartbeat AI, which aims to challenge traditional utilities with its AI-driven offerings in the home electrification market.
With the recent funding, 1Komma5° plans to focus on software engineering, machine-learning tools, and customer acquisition, intending to enhance Heartbeat AI's capabilities and position it as a leader in the home electrification sector.
