Caeli Wind, a platform for analysing and marketing wind energy locations founded by Ben Schlemmermeier and Heiko Bartels in 2022, announced that it has secured €11 million in growth capital from international investors. The round was led by renowned UK venture capital fund Notion Capital with the participation of Santander Alternative Investments and existing investors such as HTGF.
Caeli has developed an advanced AI-based analysis system and a marketplace to accelerate the expansion of wind turbines. In 2023, the company was able to identify 173 new locations for wind turbines in Germany and allocate them to project developers and energy suppliers. On average, the AI company accelerates the realisation of wind farms by 18 months thanks to its digital analysis and awarding platform.
The company has now attracted the attention of international investors thanks to its successful market development in its home market. The newly acquired capital will be used for international expansion, deepening the value chain and further developing Caeli’s advanced technologies.
“There is an urgent need for digital transformation in the energy market. Bringing landowners and project developers for wind farms together on an equal footing is not just a German issue, but a global one,” explained Heiko Bartels.
“Our technology has shown that complex planning and approval processes can be shortened by 18 months. With the newly raised capital, we will help project developers even more to conserve their human resources and accelerate their business,” emphasised Ben Schlemmermeier.
Stephen Chandler, Managing Partner Notion Capital (Lead Investor), said: “Caeli Wind’s platform represents a significant leap forward in modernising a crucial segment of the wind energy value chain, one that has been largely untouched by software innovation so far. The founders’ deep domain expertise puts them in a unique position to build a global category leader in the wind energy market, thereby accelerating the renewable energy transition. We are looking forward to the journey together.”
Santiago Gil, Lead of Santander InnoEnergy Climate Fund, commented: “Santander is one of the world´s largest financiers of renewables. Our ambition is to accompany companies that make a significant contribution to decarbonisation and have immense growth potential on this journey. We are pleased to support Caeli Wind in its steps abroad with capital and expertise.”
Klaus Lehmann, Partner HTGF and existing investor, said: “We invested in Caeli in 2023 because we recognised that the company could become a game changer in the energy market. Caeli’s development since then has been truly impressive and is reason enough to further increase our investment in this German flagship company.”
Read the orginal article: https://www.eu-startups.com/2024/05/berlin-based-caeli-wind-snaps-e11-million-series-a-to-expand-its-digital-platform-for-wind-energy-sites/
