Berlin-based Smalt secures €8M to tackle the lack of skilled workers in energy transition: Here’s how

Berlin-based Smalt, a talent development and technology services platform for the green trades sector, announced on Monday that it has secured €8M in a pre-emptive seed funding round.

The round was led by noa (formerly A/O) and joined by existing investors General Catalyst, Owl Ventures, and Heartfelt (formerly APX).

The German company will use the funds to accelerate its growth within commercial solar and maintenance sectors, as well as expand into southern Germany and beyond.

“This funding round will accelerate our plans to expand into the commercial PV space, as well as regionally into the south of Germany and beyond. We are super excited to welcome the noa family to the cap table with its deep expertise in the built world, to complement our existing investors from the education and B2B software technology space,” says, Khurram Masood, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Smalt.

Smalt: Talent development and technology services platform

Currently, Europe’s energy transition is held back by a fundamental problem — the broken system of talent supply needed to install and service climate tech products.

Here’s where Smalt comes into play!

Founded by Harvard and Stanford alumni and education entrepreneurs, Khurram Masood and Marius Westhoff, Smalt is tackling this issue with its workforce development and service delivery platform, which increases labor supply and productivity at scale.

“Our franchise platform enables the European craft ecosystem to work more efficiently and thus strengthens European sovereignty in the renewable energy sector. The new financing will accelerate our growth in the commercial solar and maintenance segment,” says Marius Westhoff, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Smalt.

Since its operations started in September last year, it has already built 200+ PV systems including large commercial and multi-family buildings. 

Smalt customers include Germany’s leading energy, clean-tech installation, and OEM companies such as Thermondo, Otovo, and Enviria in residential and commercial projects.

The company offers subcontracting services as well as full-service solutions including consultation, financing, and installation. 

The German company has launched its accredited academy in Berlin and four hubs across Germany, to expand through a continent-wide network of franchised installation and servicing stores led by experienced leaders, local entrepreneurs, and skilled trades workers.

Smalt is backed by prominent investors including noa (formerly A/O), General Catalyst, Owl Ventures, Heartfelt, and a group of esteemed angel investors.

The investor

Based out of London, noa vc (formerly A/O) invests in pioneering founders and breakthrough technologies that decarbonise the built world.

Arjun Jairaj, Investor at noa, says, “The shortage of skilled workers is a key bottleneck in Europe’s energy transition. Smalt offers a holistic approach to tackling this problem by attracting fresh talent into the industry and expediting their entry to the jobsite by blending digital and on-site training, and combining this with a technology platform to ensure repeatable high-quality service delivery.”