Berlin-based climate fintech Bees & Bears is making a significant play in the European energy transition, announcing a fresh €5 million seed round just months after securing a landmark €500 million debt facility. This dual capital injection positions the startup to dramatically scale its embedded finance platform, aiming to democratize access to renewable energy technologies across the continent.
The challenge is clear: while Europe pushes for green energy adoption, a substantial portion of households, particularly in Germany, can't afford the upfront cost of solar panels, heat pumps, or battery storage without flexible payment options. Major digital platforms have started to offer embedded financing, but the vast network of local installers – the boots on the ground for the energy transition – often lack comparable tools. This creates a bottleneck, slowing down the very shift we need to accelerate.
Bees & Bears steps into this gap, empowering these local installers. Their platform allows companies to offer customers real-time credit checks and flexible installment plans directly during consultations. This cuts out lengthy bank detours and paperwork, transforming a typically cumbersome process into a seamless digital experience. For homeowners, it means accessing clean energy without hefty upfront capital or bureaucratic hurdles. For installers, it unlocks new customer segments and significantly accelerates project completion and revenue.
The €500 million financing framework, secured from a listed European bank in January, provides the essential debt capital for these end-customer loans. This facility alone is projected to finance around 25,000 solar installations, heat pumps, and battery storage systems over the next two years. The new €5 million seed funding, led by Extantia Capital and Contrarian Ventures, will fuel Bees & Bears' operational expansion, including rapid scaling, a push into commercial and industrial segments, and growth into neighboring European markets. The company plans to triple its team, solidifying its ambition to become Europe’s leading embedded-finance platform for climate technologies.
Unlocking the Green Economy, One Installment at a Time
Marius Schondelmaier, Co-CEO of Bees & Bears, frames their mission boldly: "We're building the financing infrastructure that democratises access to climate technologies across Europe... Our mission is to enable one trillion euros in sustainable financing." This isn't just about making payments easier; it's about addressing a fundamental structural hurdle in the green energy transition. As Tomas Kemtys, Partner at Contrarian Ventures, points out, achieving net-zero requires closing an annual investment gap of $2.5 trillion in green energy, a system currently constrained by outdated risk models and lack of standardization.
Bees & Bears' approach directly tackles these issues by streamlining the flow of capital into clean energy projects. By making renewable energy financing as simple as a few clicks, they're not just selling a service; they're building a critical piece of the infrastructure needed to accelerate Europe's journey towards a sustainable future. This isn't just good for business; it's essential for the planet.
