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Realyze Ventures, Zürcher Kantonalbank, existing investors HTGF and Swisscom, and additional new investors back Swiss Climate and PropTech startup viboo with €3.3 million.
viboo will use the capital to launch into the German market.
viboo’s AI-based cloud platform evolves from an energy management tool into a holistic building management solution.
Building automation software company viboo has successfully closed its second financing round, raising €3.3 million. The round was led by Realyze Ventures, with participation from Zürcher Kantonalbank and a group of new and existing investors. The investment by leading PropTech VC Realyze Ventures underscores confidence in viboo’s potential to make buildings more energy efficient without major interventions, achieve significant energy savings, and accelerate the decarbonization of existing building stock.
Buildings account for more than 40% of global CO₂ emissions. The pressure to act is mounting: The EU requires the existing building stock to achieve net zero by 2050. By 2030, 5.38 million commercial buildings must improve their energy efficiency class to at least “E” or risk becoming stranded assets. Already today, low-efficiency buildings lose around 4% of their value annually. At the same time, automation systems are becoming mandatory for many building types. viboo has developed a cloud-based building management system that can be retrofitted easily and wirelessly connects with common IoT devices such as smart thermostats in commercial buildings. Its AI learns heating behavior and controls it proactively – delivering savings without compromising comfort, with minimal investment and a rapid ROI. The solution is already deployed in more than 100 buildings, achieving an average 27% energy savings. Existing customers have multiplied their contract volumes by a factor of eight from winter 2023/24 to winter 2024/25. viboo’s approach is designed for scalability: instead of proprietary hardware, the company leverages the products of leading building technology manufacturers and open software interfaces. Thanks to its installer app, deployment can be carried out quickly and easily by any installer. In addition to direct sales to municipalities and real estate companies, viboo also partners with installation and facility management service providers. The fresh funding will be used to expand into the German market, where strong demand is being driven by the Building Energy Act (GEG). The platform will also be developed from a pure energy management solution into a comprehensive building management tool, including modules such as individual heating cost billing. With its strong LP network in the German real estate industry, Realyze Ventures is the ideal partner. First LPs have already contracted viboo for building implementations. Felix Bünning, Co-Founder of viboo, is thrilled about the completion of the seed round: “We have built a strong foundation in Switzerland – with more than 40 satisfied customers, some already rolling out across portfolios, and significant energy savings in existing buildings. Our solution convinces because it is easy to implement, delivers fast results, and generates immediate savings. Now we are taking the next big step with our entry into our first EU market, where a combination of energy prices and regulation creates strong pull. Realyze Ventures was our preferred partner from the start thanks to their deep industry expertise and excellent network. With Zürcher Kantonalbank, we are also adding one of Switzerland’s most renowned early-stage investors.” viboo is rooted in world-leading research at Empa and ETH Zurich, as well as at top building automation labs at RWTH Aachen and Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. The company and its founders have won numerous prestigious awards, including a BRIDGE Fellowship, all Venture Kick stages, the Gebert Rüf Foundation’s Innobooster, the Swiss GreenTech Startup Battle, the Empa Innovation Award, and an ETH Medal. Marnix Roes, Investment Manager at Realyze Ventures, said: “With viboo we are investing in an innovative software solution that drives the decarbonization of existing buildings and addresses a huge market. The easy and fast implementation combined with rapid ROI leads to high satisfaction among customers and users. Through our broad Realyze Ventures ecosystem, we will actively accelerate viboo’s go-to-market in Germany.” Nicola Leuenberger, Investment Manager at Zürcher Kantonalbank, added: “viboo clearly demonstrates how economic and ecological goals go hand in hand. With a plug-and-play solution delivering 20–40% energy savings annually, viboo should be on every real estate asset manager’s roadmap. We look forward to supporting viboo in the upcoming scaling phase.”
About Realyze Ventures:
Realyze Ventures invests in European technology startups driving climate and process efficiency in the built world – as well as technology companies at the intersection of the real estate and energy sector. By leveraging the expertise of key players from the industry, Realyze Ventures accelerates the net-zero transformation, addressing process efficiency, decarbonization and the shortage of skilled craftsmen. The fund’s ecosystem provides valuable insights for investors, with a network of national and international industry leaders. The experienced management team aims to seize promising opportunities and deliver strong returns for investors.
About ZKB:
Zürcher Kantonalbank (ZKB) is a leading universal bank in the Zurich economic area with national presence and international reach. With 40–50 financing rounds per year, ZKB is one of Switzerland’s most active early-stage investors. As an independent public-law institution of the Canton of Zurich, ZKB is rated AAA/Aaa by Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s, and Fitch. With more than 6,500 employees, ZKB offers its customers a comprehensive range of products and services. Its core businesses include financing, asset management, trading, capital markets, deposits, payments, and card services.
About HTGF – High-Tech Gründerfonds:
HTGF is one of the leading and most active early-stage investors in Germany and Europe, financing startups in deep tech, industrial tech, climate tech, digital tech, life sciences, and chemistry. With its experienced investment team, HTGF supports startups at every stage of their journey to becoming international market leaders. HTGF invests in the pre-seed and seed stages and can participate significantly in subsequent financing rounds. Since its founding in 2005, it has financed more than 790 startups and achieved 200 successful exits. The fund volume exceeds €2 billion. The fund’s public–private partnership investors include the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, KfW Capital, and 45 companies and family offices.
About Swisscom Ventures:
Swisscom Ventures is the venture capital arm of the Swisscom Group. Since 2007, Swisscom Ventures has invested in more than 80 technology companies, with offices in Switzerland (Zurich, Bern, Lausanne) and the US (Silicon Valley).
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SRF: Intelligent thermostats supposedly lower heating demand significantly
We got covered and gave an interview in a radio show by SRF, the Swiss Radio and Television. You can find the audio and a written article online.
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