Technology
Reonic raises €13 million to help small installers of green technologies such as heat pumps and solar panels
European regulators are pushing for greener energy. The REPowerEU plan calls for 10 million more heat pumps by 2027, and solar panels are also on the rise.
However, most installations are performed by small corporations that might increase efficiency through higher work processes.
This is where the German startup was born Rheonic is available in. “We give renewable installers the tools to be extremely efficient, and we do that primarily by providing them with scheduling and workflow software,” said co-founder Tristan Menzinger (seated on the proper within the photo above).
Menzinger, Lars-Manuel Schneider (seated in the center within the photo above) and their fellow student and third co-founder Udo Sill worked at a research institute investigating the use of renewable energy sources. This piqued their interest in founding Reonic, but they’d to listen to real customers to bridge the gap between theory and knowledge. They concluded that installers needed comprehensive software, not separate tools.
Startups in other sectors have come to similar conclusions, but it could be a troublesome sell when your target market is already set of their ways. Reonic guarantees it’ll be price it by helping installers sell faster and sell more. “The ability to combine heat pumps with solar systems, for example, doubles sales volume,” Schneider said.
Unlike some competitors with narrower niches like solar, Reonic focuses on renewable energy as an entire, whether it’s photovoltaics, battery storage systems, wall boxes or heat pumps. Beyond a selected type of installation, the larger goal they see is for each household or business to change into energy self-sufficient, Schneider said. “And that’s something at the core of our product that always works the same way, no matter where we are.”
The promise of accelerating the adoption of renewable energy sources is clearly resonating with investors; in a bid to expand across Europe, Reonic just raised €13 million in a Series A funding round led by Northzone, with participation from existing investors Point Nine and Puzzle Ventures.
This is consistent with enterprise capitalists’ preference for climate-focused startups, which, when entering the market, expose themselves to market risk relatively than the scientific risk related to inventing a brand new technology.
Even then, the market risk remains to be real. Aurora Solar, a U.S. company that gives software that helps solar installers manage sales, laid off 20% of its staff of about 500 earlier this 12 months after losing $523 million.
But with 21 team members and €16 million in funding, Reonic is more like smaller corporations like Arch, EnerfloLun and Solar Spoon.
The company can also be seeing growth typical of early-stage corporations which have found product-market fit, tripling its recurring revenue previously six months, the corporate said. “While we’ve had real momentum since we launched three years ago, we honestly feel like we’re just getting started,” Schneider said.
While subsidies and other regulatory frameworks vary by country, Reonic’s internationalization is being driven by its founders’ belief that it could enter latest markets without much customization. After the DACH region, the corporate entered the market in France and also held a soft launch in Italy, said Menzinger, who oversaw much of the method.
The company remains to be headquartered in Augsburg, Bavaria, but almost half of its staff is predicated in Berlin, where a second office opened earlier this 12 months to help recruit international talent. It’s one other major expansion that the brand new round of funding will fund.
Technology
Revolut will introduce mortgage loans, smart ATMs and business lending products
Revolutthe London-based fintech unicorn shared several elements of the corporate’s 2025 roadmap at a company event in London on Friday. One of the corporate’s important goals for next yr will be to introduce an AI-enabled assistant that will help its 50 million customers navigate financial apps, manage money and customize software.
Considering that artificial intelligence is at the middle of everyone’s attention, this move shouldn’t be surprising. But an AI assistant could actually help differentiate Revolut from traditional banking services, which have been slower to adapt to latest technologies.
When Revolut launched its app almost 10 years ago, many individuals discovered the concept of debit cards with real-time payment notifications. Users may lock the cardboard from the app.
Many banks now can help you control your card using your phone. However, they’re unlikely to supply AI features that might be useful yet.
In addition to the AI assistant, Revolut announced that it will introduce branded ATMs to the market. These will end in money being spent (obviously), but in addition cards – which could encourage latest sign-ups.
Revolut said it plans so as to add facial recognition features to its ATMs in the longer term, which could help with authentication without using the same old card and PIN protocol. It will be interesting to see the way it implements this technology in a way that complies with European Union data protection regulations, which require explicit consent to make use of biometric data for identification purposes.
According to the corporate, Revolut ATMs will start appearing in Spain in early 2025.
Revolut has had a banking license in Europe for a while, which implies it may offer lending products to its retail customers. It already offers bank cards and personal loans in some countries.
Now the corporate plans to expand into mortgage loans – some of the popular lending products in Europe – with an emphasis on speed. If it’s an easy request, customers should generally expect immediate approval and a final offer inside one business day. However, mortgages are rarely easy, so it will be interesting to see if Revolut overpromises.
It appears that the mortgage market rollout will be slow. Revolut said it was starting in Lithuania, with Ireland and France expected to follow suit. Although all these premieres are scheduled for 2025.
Finally, Revolut intends to expand its business offering in Europe with its first loan products and savings accounts. In the payments space, it will enable business customers to supply “buy now, pay later” payment options.
Revolut will introduce Revolut kiosks with biometric payments especially for restaurants and stores.
If all these features seem overwhelming, it’s because Revolut is consistently committed to product development, rolling out latest features quickly. And 2025 looks no different.
Technology
Flipkart co-founder Binny Bansal is leaving PhonePe’s board
Flipkart co-founder Binny Bansal has stepped down three-quarters from PhonePe’s board after making an identical move on the e-commerce giant.
Bengaluru-based PhonePe said it has appointed Manish Sabharwal, executive director at recruitment and human resources firm Teamlease, as an independent director and chairman of the audit committee.
Bansal played a key role in Flipkart’s acquisition of PhonePe in 2016 and has since served on the fintech’s board. The Walmart-backed startup, which operates India’s hottest mobile payment app, spun off from Flipkart in 2022 and was valued at $12 billion in funding rounds that raised about $850 million last 12 months.
Bansal still holds about 1% of PhonePe. Neither party explained why they were leaving the board.
“I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to Binny Bansal for being one of the first and staunchest supporters of PhonePe,” Sameer Nigam, co-founder and CEO of PhonePe, said in a press release. His lively involvement, strategic advice and private mentoring have profoundly enriched our discussions. We will miss Binny!”
Technology
The company is currently developing washing machines for humans
Forget about cold baths. Washing machines for people may soon be a brand new solution.
According to at least one Japanese the oldest newspapersOsaka-based shower head maker Science has developed a cockpit-shaped device that fills with water when a bather sits on a seat in the center and measures an individual’s heart rate and other biological data using sensors to make sure the temperature is good. “It also projects images onto the inside of the transparent cover to make the person feel refreshed,” the power says.
The device, dubbed “Mirai Ningen Sentakuki” (the human washing machine of the longer term), may never go on sale. Indeed, for now the company’s plans are limited to the Osaka trade fair in April, where as much as eight people will have the option to experience a 15-minute “wash and dry” every day after first booking.
Apparently a version for home use is within the works.
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