Bees & Bears, a Berlin-based green fintech company, has secured €500M in funding to install sustainable energy solutions in private households in Germany.
Bees & Bears provides private customers with instalment payment options through independent tradesmen. The company will use the funds to support the installation of almost 25,000 photovoltaic systems, heat pumps, energy storage systems, and wall boxes.
The new financing commitments came from a listed bank in the DACH region, supervised by the European Central Bank. The bank already finances similar business models in Europe and the US. The financing commitment was implemented with the law firm Linklaters.
Jördis Heckt-Harbeck, financing expert at Linklaters, says, “Additional capital of this magnitude brings additional momentum to the renewable energy industry. At the same time, it helps to make the investment profiles of financial institutions more sustainable. This financing commitment is an important milestone on the way to a sustainably financed energy transition.”
This financing commitment follows the completion of a VC financing round last year.
The financier of green hardware
Bees & Bears connects manufacturers and sellers of sustainable energy products with financing solutions through its digital platform.
The company simplifies the installation process for sustainable energy solutions by allowing tradesmen to create offers and input financial and customer details into a web form. After a real-time credit check, instalment payments are approved quickly, with state subsidies pre-financed.
Founded in 2023 by Jakob von Egidy and Marius Schondelmaier, the company aims to address the global sustainability investment gap, which requires loan capital to close.
The founders’ combined experience in startups and the energy sector led them to create accessible financing solutions for sustainability investments.
Marius Schondelmaier, co-founder and MD of Bees & Bears, says, “Until now, private households who wanted to finance their solar system with credit almost inevitably had to choose one of the few large online installers in the industry – because only they could offer payment in instalments.”
“Our solution changes that: you can combine payment in instalments and the installer you trust. Small and medium-sized installation companies are now on a par with the industry’s major players.”
Jakob von Egidy, co-founder and MD of Bees & Bears, adds, “Uncomplicated financing options for the climate-friendly conversion of private households are an important key to the success of the energy transition.”
“Traditional banks see this large market but have difficulty with the comparatively low loan volumes and the rapid approval requests of end customers. We make purchasing a solar system as easy as purchasing a car.”
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