Why We Backed Aedifion: Building the Climate-Positive Future of Real Estate

If we want to solve the climate crisis, we have to solve buildings.

They’re responsible for nearly 40% of global CO₂ emissions, and most are inefficient, outdated, and deeply analog. Retrofitting them at scale is one of the biggest infrastructure challenges of the next decade—and one of the biggest opportunities for climate impact.

That’s why we’re proud to announce our investment in aedifion’s €17M Series B alongside Eurazeo, World Fund, BitStone Capital, Phoenix Contact Innovation Ventures, and Hopp Family Office.

As both an investor and a strategic partner, we’re excited to work with this exceptional team to shape the future of smart and sustainable buildings—where digital tools and real-time data can cut emissions, reduce costs, and make entire portfolios more efficient.

From University Lab to European Market Leader

Aedifion began as a research spin-off from RWTH Aachen. Today, they operate one of Europe’s most advanced platforms for cloud-based building analytics and optimization.

Their product works across HVAC, lighting, and automation systems—layering AI on top of existing infrastructure to:

• Reduce energy usage by up to 40%

• Cut CO₂ emissions across entire portfolios

• Optimize technical systems without major structural interventions

The result: nearly 500 buildings already running on aedifion’s platform across Europe. That’s not just potential—it’s proven traction.

As CEO Johannes Fütterer puts it:

“Smart buildings and artificial intelligence will play a crucial role in the energy transition. This new funding will enable us to further scale our solution and reduce energy usage by up to 40%. It’s a decisive contribution to the decarbonization of real estate.”

We agree—and we’re here to help make that vision a reality.

Why We Invested

We see aedifion as one of the rare startups that combines:

• Deep technical credibility (built on years of research and engineering)

• Strong commercial momentum (with enterprise adoption at scale)

• A clear and urgent problem (building emissions, operational inefficiency)

But what really stood out was the team’s ability to turn complex engineering into a scalable SaaS product—with measurable ROI, low friction for adoption, and the potential to plug into thousands of assets across Europe.

We also believe aedifion is hitting the market at exactly the right time. Real estate is under growing pressure to decarbonize—from ESG mandates, EU regulations, and rising energy costs. Building owners and operators are actively looking for tools that can help them act—today.

Aedifion delivers exactly that.

More Than Capital: A Strategic Partnership

At Drees & Sommer, our mission is to future-proof the built world. That means we don’t just invest—we partner.

Through this investment, we’re bringing:

• Access to real building portfolios to pilot and scale aedifion’s solution

• Hands-on collaboration across engineering, regulation, and implementation

• Deep experience in energy, infrastructure, and real estate transformation

This is how we believe venture should work: fast, focused, and deeply integrated with the real world.

“This partnership shows how venture and industry can come together to deliver real climate impact—where it matters most: in our buildings, cities, and infrastructure.”

Together with aedifion, we’ll help scale smarter buildings across Europe—from corporate campuses to industrial sites to residential districts.

Celebrating the Team and the Journey

This round is a huge milestone for aedifion—and it reflects the trust and support of an incredible group of co-investors and partners.

We’re grateful to invest alongside:
Eurazeo, World Fund, BitStone Capital, Phoenix Contact Innovation Ventures, and Hopp Family Office.

Special thanks to:

• Manfred Heid, David Nadge, and Dr.-Ing. Mark Windeknecht for their work on the deal

• Steffen Szeidl and Sascha Hempel for their trust and leadership

• Prof. Dr.-Ing. Michael Bauer and his team for their technical support

• Dominik Zalewski, who led this investment on our side with outstanding commitment and clarity

What’s Next: Scaling a Climate-Positive Infrastructure Layer

With fresh capital and new strategic partnerships, aedifion is poised to become a defining company in the digital transformation of buildings.

From where we stand, this isn’t just a venture opportunity. It’s an infrastructure play. Aedifion is building the digital layer that will power energy-efficient, carbon-reduced, AI-enabled real estate portfolios—across Europe and beyond.

We’re excited to be on this journey with them.

✅ TL;DR – Why We’re Backing Aedifion

• What they do: Real-time, cloud-based building optimization using AI

• Why it matters: Buildings = 40% of CO₂ emissions. Aedifion cuts up to 40% of that, fast and without retrofits

• Why now: Regulation, energy costs, and ESG pressure make this a must-have, not a nice-to-have

• Why we invested: Strong traction, smart team, high-impact problem—and a clear roadmap to scale

• What’s next: Deploying across portfolios, proving ROI, and leading the climate-tech wave in real estate

The future of buildings is here—digital, efficient, and climate-positive. Let’s build it.

Want to work together or learn more about our venture strategy? Reach out. We’re always looking for founders and partners shaping the future of the built world.