Over 4 million euros for the energy transition of apartment buildings: VIRIDA invests in Marcley

Hanover, 30th July 2024 – Today the greentech startup MARCLEY from Hanover announces the successful completion of its latest financing round of over 4 million euros. The round was led by investors Virida Capital, a new energy hardware VC (part of the Green Giraffe Group), Munich-based VC Venture Stars and well-known business angels including Emma Tracey and Florian Bennhold. The previous investors, such as the Hanover investment fund managed by Enjoy Ventures and the investor Climate Founders, also took part in the round again. In addition, this round was expanded by MBG and banks in the form of debt and mezzanine capital.

MARCLEY offers multi-family home owners an innovative solar solution that allows residents to benefit from green electricity that is far cheaper than any other provider. “This funding will enable us to expand on our pioneering status in communal building supply (“Gemeinschaftliche Gebäudeversorgung”). This means we can supply residents of apartment buildings with solar power from their own roofs more quickly and reduce their annual electricity costs by several hundred euros.” says Friedrich Grimm, co-founder MARCLEY.

“At Virida Capital we focus on new hardware- based technologies and business models which will accelerate the energy transition. As such we are delighted to have MARCLEY among our seed portfolio companies of our newly launched fund. Their approach makes green electricity more accessible and affordable for tenants. We are proud to be part of this journey and look forward to supporting MARCLEY as it continues to expand its leadership position in the community building space.” says Niels Jongste of Virida Capital.

Access to green electricity without high organizational effort and costs

The goal is to provide access to green electricity without investment costs or effort for the owners and to also provide residents with inexpensive, environmentally friendly electricity.

“We know the special challenges of multi-family homes as well as the energy industry and use our expertise to develop a win-win solution for everyone involved. With our support, multi-family homes can finally make a significant contribution to the energy transition and at the same time benefit from the economic advantages of solar energy,” says Florian Schnipkoweit, co-founder MARCLEY.

“Our investment in MARCLEY reflects our commitment to startups seeking to disrupt promising markets with innovative solutions. We believe MARCLEY’s disruptive solar solution will have a major impact on tenants’ participation in the energy transition. The market potential is unparalleled. Our mission is to support such pioneers and create sustainable growth together.” says Martin Junker of Venture Stars.

About MARCLEY. MARCLEY was founded by energy experts Florian Schnipkoweit, Florian Schulte and Friedrich Grimm. The company is a pioneer in making use of the new regulation of the renewable energy sector. MARCLEY allows tenants of multi-family buildings to generate their own electricity in an environmentally friendly and cost-saving way – without investment costs or organizational effort.

About Virida Capital. Virida is a European-based venture fund established in 2024 and backed by Green Giraffe Group. Virida invests in energy transition scale-ups and supports them with capital and sector expertise to help them grow. Virida Capital in particular helps founders to accelerate the deployment of new hardware-based technology solutions and business models.

About Venture Stars. Venture Stars is a venture capital fund from Munich with a focus on early-stage investments in innovative, digital B2C and B2B business models. The Venture Stars team typically invests 0.5 – 1.5 million euros initially and up to 3 million euros per company. The Venture Stars partners are serial start-up entrepreneurs themselves and work closely with the founders of the portfolio companies.

The collaboration with Venture Stars usually goes beyond the investment of capital and includes, among other things, know-how, network and operational support on topics such as strategy, organizational development, financing and exit