Philipp Herrmann

Powering the Next Phase of Europe’s Energy Transition

The session’s core message is that Europe’s energy transition is moving beyond isolated renewable technologies into system integration, infrastructure change, and multi-sector coordination — and that this complexity can become a strength for Germany if startups learn to navigate it. The host framed the discussion around current pressure points: German companies, especially chemical companies, struggling with energy prices; low gas storage levels contributing to price concerns; and energy’s surprisingly low visibility in Germany’s startup and scale-up strategy compared with AI, biotech, defense, and security. Pia Dorfinger of the German Energy Agency and the Startup Energy Transition Platform, alongside Philipp Herrmann of BRYCK, were introduced as ecosystem builders who support founders rather than simply building energy companies themselves. Pia explained that recent energy startup activity is less about entirely new technologies and more about infrastructure, system integration, and changing a running system. Earlier waves focused on wind, solar, bioenergy, and then hydrogen; now startups increasingly address integrated energy systems across the whole economy. AI has entered this space both as a demand driver, especially through data centers, and as a tool inside energy-transition solutions. Philipp agreed, adding that sectors such as water, real estate, and chemistry now seek energy solutions even if they previously looked only within their own domains. He described energy as becoming “system tech”: a cross-sector opportunity that also creates multi-stakeholder complexity around production, storage, purchasing, regulation, and corporate decision-making. When asked why energy is not explicitly prioritized in the startup and scale-up strategy, both speakers rejected the idea that Germany has given up on it. Philipp argued that energy is a “game changer” and that many international startups want to come to Germany because its complex market can serve as a reference point for piloting and investor confidence. Pia said energy is embedded in deep tech and hardware, and that broader startup-support frameworks can still benefit energy startups by helping public money mobilize private investment. Both nevertheless said explicit mention of energy would help. The discussion then distinguished energy tech from earlier labels such as renewables, clean tech, climate tech, and green tech. Pia said these terms reflect changing frameworks and the legacy of the cleantech bubble, while Philipp argued energy tech now includes new business models built on top of decentralized energy assets, such as decentralized AI data centers in households using rooftop solar. The final section focused on why scaling energy startups differs from scaling SaaS or software startups. Pia emphasized hardware and deep-tech capital needs: battery factories, research-heavy development cycles, piloting, and demonstration phases do not fit neatly into conventional VC timelines. Philipp added that many early startups understand their customers and technical setup but are surprised by the regulatory, contractual, and stakeholder landscape. He called this a “system navigation risk” alongside technical, business, and capital risks. Both speakers positioned organizations such as BRYCK and dena as trust builders that can open doors to utilities, regulatory bodies, mentoring, diligence-like preparation, and potentially more sandboxes, helping risk-averse energy-system actors work with startups more confidently.