Stories

eologix-ping, a leading provider of innovative sensor solutions for continuous wind turbine blade health monitoring, announces a significant strategic investment, marking a new era of collaboration with wind turbine operators. The investment round is led by Emerald Technology Ventures, with participation from Nabtesco Technology Ventures, Phoenix Contact Innovation Ventures, and newcomers Helen Ventures, Beraunberri and VERBUND X.

Despite the challenges we face on the way to net zero by 2050, we already have the most effective tool for the advancement of the energy transition at our disposal: technological innovation. enspired, a pioneer for AI-based power trading, has secured € 25.5 million in Series B funding, led by Zouk Capital, to accelerate the energy transition with grid-transforming power asset optimization.

Renewcast, an innovative Italian company specializing in advanced wind power generation forecasting, has successfully closed its seed financing round, raising approximately €850,000. This round was led by Helen Venture of Finland and saw follow-on participation from Tech4Planet, the National Technology Transfer Hub of Environmental Sustainability launched by CDP Venture Capital SGR, along with continued support from funding team and previous investors Beamline Fund, and Mindtitan, the latest as strategic development partner.

In this year’s Building Growth competition organised by the Finnish Venture Capital Association (FVCA) and PwC, Europe’s fastest-growing electric vehicle charging platform, Virta, emerged as the winner. The jury was particularly impressed by Virta’s unique concept, which has been used to systematically build international growth from the get-go.

Entering the 2010s, electric vehicle development as we know it was starting to take shape, but there were only few who held the belief that the future of transportation would be heavily reliant on electricity. Among these few were Jussi Palola and Elias Pöyry, the founders of Virta. With their vision, initial support from Tekes (the Finnish Funding Agency for Innovation, now Business Finland), and a collective effort from Finland’s energy sector, electric vehicle charging platform Virta was born. On its journey to global expansion, Virta has been supported by multiple venture capital and private equity investors. Today, it is the fastest-growing electric vehicle charging platform in Europe, operating in over 35 countries across Europe and Asia.

Indoor climate and energy optimization software provider Freesi today announced a new investment from Swedish Hydda, a fast-growing PropTech group, backed by BLQ Invest and Vasakronan. The investment further strengthens Hydda’s service offering in energy efficiency, ESG and Smart metering.

Voltfang, the clean-tech startup for energy storage from second-life electric vehicle batteries, has secured €5 million in new capital to scale its production. The consortium is led by the lead investor PT1 - PropTech1 Ventures. Other investors include Helen Ventures, Aurum Impact, Eviny, and the existing investor AENU.

Finland-based Virta Ltd, a global leader of the fast-growing Electric Vehicle charging platforms industry*, has secured new €85M growth funding. The funding round is among the biggest in the sector during recent years. The sum consists of €65M equity investment from Virta’s existing investors, led by the private equity firm, Jolt Capital, and co-invested by Future Energy Ventures backed by E.ON., Helen Ventures, Vertex Growth Fund, Finnish Industry Investment, Lahti Energy, Vantaa Energy, and Kotka Energy. 20 million euros will be received from Business Finland, which offers innovation funding for companies and research organizations.

Helen Ventures, Capricorn Partners and energy innovation fund ENERGIIQ are jointly investing €1.9 million in Gradyent, a Dutch energy analytics solution company. Gradyent has developed an artificial intelligence (AI) cloud platform that helps improve the management and efficiency of district heating networks, making them more sustainable and cost-effective. The investment will allow Gradyent to commercialise its services and further develop its innovative software.

Helen Ventures’ Münich-based portfolio company EcoG has closed its Series A financing round.

Mitta Group has acquired Helen Ventures' portfolio company Think Outside on 8 November 2022. Think Outside is a technology startup developing innovative products for hydropower markets with the mission to provide a detailed, digital understanding of mountain snowpack. Based in Bergen, Norway, Think Outside provides accurate snow data – making forecasting faster, cheaper and more accurate, optimising the production of hydropower.