Companion.energy secures €7.8M for real-time energy solutions for businesses.

      The seed funding round, spearheaded by Realyze Ventures and Pi Labs, aims to facilitate the expansion into Germany and Spain as fluctuating power markets challenge large industrial companies beyond their traditional spreadsheets.

      Historically, electricity prices were influenced by seasonal changes. Presently, they vary minute by minute, and the spreadsheets that large industrial firms continue to depend on for management are inadequate.

      Companion.energy, a startup based in Ghent that streamlines how large enterprises purchase and utilize power, has secured €7.8 million in seed funding to promote its vision throughout Europe. The investment round was led by Germany's Realyze Ventures and the UK’s Pi Labs, with Paris-based impact investor Asterion Ventures participating in its first investment outside of France, alongside existing investors.

      Founded in 2022 by engineers Thomas Vyncke and Jonas Verstraeten from Belgium, Companion.energy develops software for industrial and commercial entities that spend millions annually on energy.

      Its platform integrates a company's energy contracts, operational systems, and distributed assets—such as batteries, solar panels, and electric vehicle chargers—into a cohesive system that forecasts demand, analyzes market exposure, and automates decisions as prices fluctuate.

      The business case hinges on a fundamental transformation in European power markets. With the increasing adoption of renewable energy and greater electrification within industries, prices that previously followed predictable seasonal trends now vary throughout the day.

      “Energy prices that used to change with the seasons now fluctuate in real time,” Vyncke noted, explaining that most companies still navigate this complexity “using fragmented tools, spreadsheets, and static procurement methods.”

      Dhruv Gupta, a principal at Pi Labs, characterized this transition as a shift “from a recommendation engine to a system of execution,” suggesting that enterprise energy software is evolving into a proactive tool rather than solely a consultative one.

      Companion.energy claims that its platform currently manages more than 2 TWh of annual energy consumption and production, roughly equivalent to €500 million in total expenditure and revenue, with revenue having increased tenfold over the year leading to mid-2026 to exceed €1 million in annual recurring revenue.

      The company states that its automation technology reduces clients' energy costs by 10 to 30 percent—figures that are self-reported and have not undergone independent verification.

      The software consists of two components: Prism, which analyzes a company's operational and financial energy data to identify areas for improvement, and Propel, which transforms those forecasts into autonomous decisions that manage assets in real time.

      The new funding will enhance the optimization across various assets and markets and support commercial growth throughout Europe, beginning with Germany and Spain. This follows a €2.1 million funding round in 2024 and underscores the swift shift in investor interest toward the less glamorous software segment that underpins the energy transition.

      Verstraeten stated plainly that the transition will necessitate every large industrial company to actively manage power, and they “cannot accomplish this with spreadsheets and quarterly check-ins.” Whether Companion.energy becomes the foundational system for these companies or merely demonstrates the demand for this kind of solution for larger competitors to pursue will be a question for the next decade. For now, it holds €7.8 million to bolster its argument.