1KOMMA5° Raises $81M at a $1.35B Valuation: Is a U.S. Expansion Next?

Germany's best-funded home electrification startup is back in the market and looking across the Atlantic. 1KOMMA5°, the Hamburg energy technology company, has secured a $1.35 billion valuation in a new financing round, according to Tech.eu, citing Reuters.

The round totals €70 million, or roughly $81 million, from existing and new investors, with Japan's Marunouchi Innovation Partners joining through its cleantech fund, Startup.eu reported.

From Solar Installer to Energy AI

1KOMMA5° was founded by Philipp Schröder, its CEO, and Jannik Schall. The company built its business around home electrification, packaging solar panels, batteries, heat pumps and EV chargers for households.

Its strategic focus has shifted toward software. The centerpiece is Heartbeat AI, a platform that automates energy management tasks including electricity trading, billing and metering. By coordinating thousands of home systems, Heartbeat lets 1KOMMA5° operate them as a virtual power plant that can respond to grid conditions and market prices.

The company plans to invest more than €100 million in Heartbeat in 2027. As of October 2025, it was aggregating more than 600 megawatts of flexible energy capacity, with a goal of 20 gigawatts by 2030.

Revenue Targets and IPO Questions

1KOMMA5° reaffirmed a revenue target of roughly $750 million for the 2026 financial year.

The company had previously prepared for a U.S. listing but shelved those plans in April 2025, citing market uncertainty tied to U.S. renewable energy and trade policy. Schröder said 2027 financial performance will determine whether and when an IPO happens.

In the meantime, the U.S. market itself is back on the table. "We're considering entering the US," Schröder told Reuters, pointing to strong investor interest.

A Policy Fight at Home

1KOMMA5° has also been vocal on energy policy. In October 2025, it filed a complaint with the European Commission over Germany's plan to subsidize at least 20 gigawatts of new gas-fired power plants by 2030. The company argued the subsidies would distort competition, raise electricity costs and disadvantage decentralized solutions such as virtual power plants.

That stance is tied directly to its business model. Every gigawatt of flexibility that comes from batteries and heat pumps in homes is capacity that does not need to be built as new gas generation.

Why It Matters

The round follows a €150 million Series C in December 2024 and a reported €500 million raise in May 2026. The addition of a Japanese strategic investor hints at interest in 1KOMMA5°'s model beyond Europe.

The open question is whether a company built on German residential energy can translate that model to the U.S., where utility markets, regulations and incentives vary state by state. If Heartbeat can manage distributed assets profitably at scale, 1KOMMA5° could become one of Europe's clearest climate tech exports.

Source

Tech.eu — "1KOMMA5° reaches $1.35B valuation, plans €100M investment in energy AI"