Press release
Press release
Press release
Berlin-based company Bees & Bears becomes the largest independent financing partner for photovoltaic systems and heat pumps in Germany.
Marius Schondelmaier (left), Jakob von Egidy (right)
Photographer: Oumou Aidara
Marius Schondelmaier (left), Jakob von Egidy (right)
Photographer: Oumou Aidara
Marius Schondelmaier (left), Jakob von Egidy (right)
Photographer: Oumou Aidara
Bees & Bears secures 500 million euros for financing the energy transition in private households.
Bees & Bears secures 500 million euros for financing the energy transition in private households.
Bees & Bears secures 500 million euros for financing the energy transition in private households.
Bees & Bears secures 500 million euros for financing the energy transition in households.
Berlin, January 20, 2025 – The climate fintech Bees & Bears has secured financing commitments of 500 million euros for the installation of sustainable energy solutions in households in Germany. This will allow for the installation of nearly 25,000 photovoltaic systems, heat pumps, energy storage units, and wall boxes. Bees & Bears offers private customers payment options for installations through independent, mostly small and medium-sized craft enterprises. The credit check occurs – as with car financing – within minutes. The financing commitment is another important milestone following the completion of the VC financing round, which was concluded last year.
“Until now, households wanting to finance their solar systems via credit almost necessarily had to choose one of the few large online installers in the industry – as only these could offer payment plans,” explains Marius Schondelmaier, co-founder and managing director of Bees & Bears. “With our solution, this changes: One can combine payment plans with the installer of their choice. Small and medium-sized installation companies are now on equal footing with the industry giants.”
Bees & Bears also fills a gap for the financing banks: “Uncomplicated financing options for the climate-friendly conversion of households are a key factor in the success of the energy transition,” explains Jakob von Egidy, co-founder and managing director of Bees & Bears. “Traditional banks see this large market but struggle with the comparatively small credit volumes and the rapid approval requests from end customers. We make the purchase of a solar system as easy as that of a car.”
The new financing commitments come from a publicly traded bank based in the DACH region, which is supervised by the European Central Bank. The company is already financing similar business models in Europe and the USA. The financing commitment was implemented in cooperation with the renowned law firm Linklaters: “Further capital in this size brings additional dynamics to the renewable energy sector,” explains Jördis Heckt-Harbeck, financing expert at Linklaters. “At the same time, it helps to make the investment profiles of financial institutions more sustainable. This financing commitment is an important milestone on the path to a sustainably financed energy transition.”
The operation of Bees & Bears is straightforward for all parties: Craft businesses create an offer for the installation of a photovoltaic system, a heat pump, an energy storage unit, or a wall box. They then enter the financial key figures of the offer and the customer's details into a web form. After a real-time credit check, similar to what one finds on real estate portals, the payment plan is released within minutes. Government subsidies are pre-financed and deducted after approval.
Bees & Bears was founded in 2023 by Jakob von Egidy and Marius Schondelmaier. Their drive: Over four trillion euros in investments in sustainability are missing each year to achieve global climate goals. This gap can only be closed through credit capital. Jakob von Egidy, an experienced start-up CFO, experienced the climate crisis firsthand during a professional sabbatical in Congo and, together with Marius Schondelmaier, developed the vision of finding a solution to the pressing financing problem of sustainability. Marius Schondelmaier brings his many years of scale-up experience from Rocket Internet, where he built a platform for craft businesses and also supported the energy sector in its digital transformation as a consulting manager. Together as a founding team, they recognized the need for simple, fast, and accessible financing solutions for investments in sustainability.
The climate fintech Bees & Bears has secured financing commitments of €500 million for the installation of sustainable energy solutions in German households. This will allow for the installation of nearly 25,000 photovoltaic systems, heat pumps, energy storage systems, and wall boxes. Bees & Bears offers private customers installment payment options for installations through independent, mostly small and medium-sized craft businesses. Credit checks are completed – similar to car financing – within minutes. The financing commitment is another important milestone following the completion of the VC financing round, which was concluded last year.
“Until now, households wanting to finance their solar systems through credit had almost inevitably to choose one of the few large online installers in the industry – as only they could offer installment payments,” explains Marius Schondelmaier, co-founder and managing director of Bees & Bears. “With our solution, this changes: You can combine installment payments with the installer of your choice. Small and medium-sized installation companies are thus on equal footing with the industry giants.”
Bees & Bears also fills a gap for the financing banks: “Uncomplicated financing options for the climate-friendly conversion of households are a crucial key to making the energy transition successful,” explains Jakob von Egidy, co-founder and managing director of Bees & Bears. “Traditional banks recognize this large market but struggle with the comparatively low loan volumes and the quick approval requests from end customers. We make acquiring a solar system as easy as buying a car.”
The recent financing commitments come from a publicly traded bank based in the DACH region, supervised by the European Central Bank. The company already finances similar business models in Europe and the USA. The financing commitment was implemented in collaboration with the renowned law firm Linklaters: “Additional capital at this scale brings extra momentum to the renewable energy sector,” explains Jördis Heckt-Harbeck, a financing expert at Linklaters. “At the same time, it helps make the investment profiles of financial institutions more sustainable. This financing commitment is an important milestone on the path to a sustainably financed energy transition.”
The operation of Bees & Bears is straightforward for all parties: Craft businesses create an offer for the installation of a photovoltaic system, a heat pump, an energy storage system, or a wall box. They then enter the financial details of the offer and the customer's personal information into an online form. After a real-time credit check, similar to those known from real estate portals, the installment payment is approved within minutes. State subsidies are pre-financed and settled after approval.
Bees & Bears was founded in 2023 by Jakob von Egidy and Marius Schondelmaier. Their drive: Over four trillion euros in investments are lacking each year in sustainability to achieve global climate goals. This gap can only be closed through credit capital. Jakob von Egidy, an experienced start-up CFO, experienced the climate crisis up close during a professional sabbatical in the Congo and, together with Marius Schondelmaier, developed the vision to find a solution to the pressing financing problem of sustainability. Marius Schondelmaier brings his many years of scale-up experience from Rocket Internet, where he built a platform for craft businesses and also supported the energy sector in digital transformation as a manager in consulting. Together as a founding team, they recognized the need for simple, fast, and accessible financing solutions for investments in sustainability.
Berlin, January 20, 2025 – The climate fintech Bees & Bears has secured financing commitments of €500 million for the installation of sustainable energy solutions in households in Germany. This will allow for the installation of nearly 25,000 photovoltaic systems, heat pumps, energy storage systems, and wall boxes. Bees & Bears offers private customers installment payment options for installations through independent, mostly small and medium-sized craft businesses. Credit checks are completed – similar to auto financing – within minutes. The financing commitment is another important milestone following the completion of the VC financing round, which was concluded last year.
“Until now, households wanting to finance their solar systems through credit had almost inevitably to choose one of the few large online installers in the industry – as only they could offer installment payments,” explains Marius Schondelmaier, co-founder and managing director of Bees & Bears. “With our solution, this changes: You can combine installment payments with the installer of your choice. Small and medium-sized installation companies are thus on equal footing with the industry giants.”
Bees & Bears also fills a gap for the financing banks: “Uncomplicated financing options for the climate-friendly conversion of households are a crucial key to making the energy transition successful,” explains Jakob von Egidy, co-founder and managing director of Bees & Bears. “Traditional banks recognize this large market but struggle with the comparatively low loan volumes and the quick approval requests from end customers. We make acquiring a solar system as easy as buying a car.”
The recent financing commitments come from a publicly traded bank based in the DACH region, supervised by the European Central Bank. The company already finances similar business models in Europe and the USA. The financing commitment was implemented in collaboration with the renowned law firm Linklaters: “Additional capital at this scale brings extra momentum to the renewable energy sector,” explains Jördis Heckt-Harbeck, a financing expert at Linklaters. “At the same time, it helps make the investment profiles of financial institutions more sustainable. This financing commitment is an important milestone on the path to a sustainably financed energy transition.”
The operation of Bees & Bears is straightforward for all parties: Craft businesses create an offer for the installation of a photovoltaic system, a heat pump, an energy storage system, or a wall box. They then enter the financial details of the offer and the customer's personal information into an online form. After a real-time credit check, similar to those known from real estate portals, the installment payment is approved within minutes. State subsidies are pre-financed and settled after approval.
Bees & Bears was founded in 2023 by Jakob von Egidy and Marius Schondelmaier. Their drive: Over four trillion euros in investments are lacking each year in sustainability to achieve global climate goals. This gap can only be closed through credit capital. Jakob von Egidy, an experienced start-up CFO, experienced the climate crisis up close during a professional sabbatical in the Congo and, together with Marius Schondelmaier, developed the vision to find a solution to the pressing financing problem of sustainability. Marius Schondelmaier brings his many years of scale-up experience from Rocket Internet, where he built a platform for craft businesses and also supported the energy sector in digital transformation as a manager in consulting. Together as a founding team, they recognized the need for simple, fast, and accessible financing solutions for investments in sustainability.
Berlin, January 20, 2025 – The climate fintech Bees & Bears has secured financing commitments of 500 million euros for the installation of sustainable energy solutions in households in Germany. This will allow for the installation of nearly 25,000 photovoltaic systems, heat pumps, energy storage units, and wall boxes. Bees & Bears offers private customers payment options for installations through independent, mostly small and medium-sized craft enterprises. The credit check occurs – as with car financing – within minutes. The financing commitment is another important milestone following the completion of the VC financing round, which was concluded last year.
“Until now, households wanting to finance their solar systems via credit almost necessarily had to choose one of the few large online installers in the industry – as only these could offer payment plans,” explains Marius Schondelmaier, co-founder and managing director of Bees & Bears. “With our solution, this changes: One can combine payment plans with the installer of their choice. Small and medium-sized installation companies are now on equal footing with the industry giants.”
Bees & Bears also fills a gap for the financing banks: “Uncomplicated financing options for the climate-friendly conversion of households are a key factor in the success of the energy transition,” explains Jakob von Egidy, co-founder and managing director of Bees & Bears. “Traditional banks see this large market but struggle with the comparatively small credit volumes and the rapid approval requests from end customers. We make the purchase of a solar system as easy as that of a car.”
The new financing commitments come from a publicly traded bank based in the DACH region, which is supervised by the European Central Bank. The company is already financing similar business models in Europe and the USA. The financing commitment was implemented in cooperation with the renowned law firm Linklaters: “Further capital in this size brings additional dynamics to the renewable energy sector,” explains Jördis Heckt-Harbeck, financing expert at Linklaters. “At the same time, it helps to make the investment profiles of financial institutions more sustainable. This financing commitment is an important milestone on the path to a sustainably financed energy transition.”
The operation of Bees & Bears is straightforward for all parties: Craft businesses create an offer for the installation of a photovoltaic system, a heat pump, an energy storage unit, or a wall box. They then enter the financial key figures of the offer and the customer's details into a web form. After a real-time credit check, similar to what one finds on real estate portals, the payment plan is released within minutes. Government subsidies are pre-financed and deducted after approval.
Bees & Bears was founded in 2023 by Jakob von Egidy and Marius Schondelmaier. Their drive: Over four trillion euros in investments in sustainability are missing each year to achieve global climate goals. This gap can only be closed through credit capital. Jakob von Egidy, an experienced start-up CFO, experienced the climate crisis firsthand during a professional sabbatical in Congo and, together with Marius Schondelmaier, developed the vision of finding a solution to the pressing financing problem of sustainability. Marius Schondelmaier brings his many years of scale-up experience from Rocket Internet, where he built a platform for craft businesses and also supported the energy sector in its digital transformation as a consulting manager. Together as a founding team, they recognized the need for simple, fast, and accessible financing solutions for investments in sustainability.
Explore the press coverage of our funding:
Explore the press coverage of our funding:
Explore the press coverage of our funding:
Explore the press coverage of our funding:
Bees & Bears is a green FinTech company based in Berlin with the goal of channeling capital into the sustainable economy. We collaborate with manufacturers and vendors of green hardware such as photovoltaic systems, energy storage solutions, or heat pumps, enabling them to offer integrated financing solutions for their clients through our digital platform.
Bees & Bears is a green FinTech company based in Berlin with the goal of channeling capital into the sustainable economy. We collaborate with manufacturers and vendors of green hardware such as photovoltaic systems, energy storage solutions, or heat pumps, enabling them to offer integrated financing solutions for their clients through our digital platform.
You can find more press articles about Bees & Bears by clicking on the logos:
You can find more press articles about Bees & Bears by clicking on the logos:
You can find more press articles about Bees & Bears by clicking on the logos:
Bees & Bears is a green FinTech company based in Berlin with the goal of channeling capital into the sustainable economy. We collaborate with manufacturers and vendors of green hardware such as photovoltaic systems, energy storage solutions, or heat pumps, enabling them to offer integrated financing solutions for their clients through our digital platform.
Bees & Bears is a green FinTech company based in Berlin with the goal of channeling capital into the sustainable economy. We collaborate with manufacturers and vendors of green hardware such as photovoltaic systems, energy storage solutions, or heat pumps, enabling them to offer integrated financing solutions for their clients through our digital platform.
Bees & Bears is a green FinTech company based in Berlin with the goal of channeling capital into the sustainable economy. We collaborate with manufacturers and vendors of green hardware such as photovoltaic systems, energy storage solutions, or heat pumps, enabling them to offer integrated financing solutions for their clients through our digital platform.
Bees & Bears is a green FinTech company based in Berlin with the goal of channeling capital into the sustainable economy. We collaborate with manufacturers and vendors of green hardware such as photovoltaic systems, energy storage solutions, or heat pumps, enabling them to offer integrated financing solutions for their clients through our digital platform.