The Cologne-based GreenTech startup Planted has received €5 million in Seed financing to develop its AI software that offers full Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) management, from materiality analysis and carbon footprint to CSRD reports and biodiversity protection.
The investment is backed by TechVision Fonds, WENVEST Capital, neoteq ventures, AWS Gründungsfonds and Smart Infrastructure Ventures to further develop the ESG software.
In addition to the investors, business angels Nina Kani, Felix Schürholz (Co-Founder & MD SoSafe), Frank Piotraschke (CRO SoSafe), Arno Nonnen and Julius Göllner (ARRtist) are supporting the investment.
“We are turning the CSRD obligation into an opportunity,” says Wilhelm Hammes, CEO and Co-founder of Planted. “Instead of spending months on CO₂ measurement and reporting, we automate these processes. This allows companies to focus their resources on effective measures, such as decarbonisation.”
Founded in 2021 by Wilhelm Hammes, Cindy Schüller, Heinrich Rauh, and Jan Borchert, Planted is a provider of a holistic ESG management solution. Jonas Quilitz joined the team as CPO in February 2023. With this financing round, Julian Grunewald joins as CFO, bringing extensive experience in finance and strategy.
With a combination of software and personal consulting, Planted supports companies in their sustainability transformation – from materiality analysis, carbon accounting and decarbonisation to the final CSRD report.
Planted combines “compliance with real transformation” and integrates active environmental protection: companies can protect forests locally or plant their own company forest.
More than 350 companies, including Caritasverband Bruchsal, Senacor Technologies AG and Insta GmbH, rely on Planted to achieve their sustainability goals.
“Through smart automation, Planted combines ecological responsibility with economic success – and makes sustainability measurably profitable,” says Dr Ansgar Schleicher, Managing Partner of TechVision Fonds. “Planted is already supporting over 350 customers in Germany with their sustainability strategy.”
The market for ESG software is highly competitive. According to Planted, what makes them unique is that the platform is not limited to pure compliance but enables companies to undergo a complete transformation towards sustainable value creation. In addition to meeting regulatory requirements, Planted supports decarbonisation – often with a reported reduction in emissions of more than 50%.
Customers can also get involved in local environmental protection efforts, such as planting mixed forests.
Planted uses AI technologies to implement the CSRD. For example, the software can extract specific data from documents, identify suitable reduction measures and highlight impacts, risks and opportunities in the double materiality analysis. This reportedly saves users up to 75% of their time.
Christophe Aumaître, Partner at WENVEST Capital, says: “Planted offers companies an intelligent solution to not only document sustainable transformation, but to actively shape it. The team combines in-depth ESG expertise with state-of-the-art technology and goes significantly further than many other solutions on the market.”
Read the orginal article: https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/02/going-green-greentech-planted-secures-e5-million-for-esg-management-platform/
