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Key people at innogy Innovation Hub.
innogy Innovation Hub is a venture capital and accelerator arm based in Essen, Germany, with outposts in Silicon Valley, Tel Aviv, London, and Berlin, investing in and accelerating global energy-related technology startups. The hub drives disruptive business models and paradigm shifts within the energy sector, focusing on AI, IoT, blockchain, cybersecurity, and the machine economy, by partnering with early-stage companies and mentoring them to scale or spin off. To date, it has collaborated with 80-90 startups and scale-ups, cultivating a portfolio valued at 150 million euros. Funded by its parent, innogy SE, which had approximately 43 billion euros in revenue and over 42,000 employees in 2017, the hub has been led by figures like COO Ramona Liberoff and Thomas Birr. The organization was founded by Innogy in 2014.
Key people at innogy Innovation Hub.
innogy Innovation Hub has 1 tracked investment across 1 company. The latest tracked deal is $5.0M Seed in Vicarius in January 2020.
| Date | Company | Round | Lead Investor(s) | Co-Investor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 22, 2020 | Vicarius | $5.0M Seed | Gadi Porat | Goldbell |
innogy Innovation Hub was a corporate venture capital firm and innovation arm of the German energy utility innogy, focused on disrupting the energy sector through investments in startups and scale-ups.[1][2][3] Its mission centered on driving the future of energy via four core trends—decarbonisation, decentralisation, digitisation, and democratisation—by identifying game-changing technologies, providing €150 million in funding, mentoring, and collaboration platforms to over 80 startups.[1] Headquartered in Berlin with teams in London, Warsaw, Essen, California, and Israel, it built a global network in innovation hubs like Silicon Valley and Tel Aviv, emphasizing direct investments and co-creation in energy-related ventures.[1][2][4]
As a corporate VC, its investment philosophy prioritized sector disruption in utilities, electricity, and business model innovation, supporting startups aligned with the evolving energy market.[1][3] Key sectors included energy transition technologies, with a track record of fostering collaborations that influenced the startup ecosystem in clean energy and digital utilities.[1][5]
Launched in 2014 as an affiliate of innogy, a major German energy utility, innogy Innovation Hub emerged to scout and incubate innovations for the shifting energy landscape.[1][4] It evolved from an incubator model to a more direct investment approach, building a €150 million portfolio amid global trends reshaping energy consumption and production.[1][4] Key figures like Kerstin Eismann, a crypto and innovation expert, highlighted its team-driven focus on emerging tech.[3]
The hub's growth tied to innogy's broader operations, which reported $40 billion in revenue, but its activities ceased following E.ON's acquisition of innogy, transitioning responsibilities to E.ON's Future Energy Ventures platform.[1]
innogy Innovation Hub rode the energy transition wave, capitalizing on decarbonisation and digitisation trends amid global pushes for sustainable utilities and decentralized power systems.[1][5] Its timing aligned with the rise of smart grids, EVs, and renewable tech, where market forces like regulatory shifts toward net-zero emissions favored early movers in energy innovation.[5] By funding 80+ ventures, it amplified the startup ecosystem's role in utilities, influencing corporate adoption of disruptive models and paving the way for platforms like E.ON's Future Energy Ventures.[1]
With operations ceased post-acquisition, innogy Innovation Hub's legacy endures through its portfolio companies and the precedent it set for corporate VCs in energy tech.[1] Successors like Future Energy Ventures will likely expand on its model amid accelerating trends in AI-driven grids, EV infrastructure, and hydrogen economies. Its influence may evolve via alumni networks and invested startups, shaping a more democratized energy future—echoing its original vision of sector disruption through bold collaboration.[1]
