Companion.energy, a Ghent-based provider of AI-powered energy optimization software, has raised €7.8M ($9M) in seed funding led by Realyze Ventures and Pi Labs, with participation from Asterion Ventures. The platform combines Prism for energy modeling and Propel for real-time autonomous asset steering to cut industrial energy costs 10-30% while monetizing flexibility. The capital will accelerate hiring and expansion into Germany and Spain.
EU Flexibility Mandates Drive Platform Demand
The timing aligns with new European rules requiring member states to complete national flexibility assessments by July 2026. These assessments set targets under revised electricity market design by January 2027. Companion.energy's software addresses the gap between static tools and volatile renewable markets by connecting forecasting directly to operational decisions.
Manual Processes Fail Amid Price Swings
Industrial energy portfolios now face imbalance prices reaching -15,000€/MWh and rapid shifts that spreadsheets cannot handle. Current solutions leave 50-80% of work manual and miss opportunities to monetize flexibility. The platform manages 2 TWh and €500M in annual spend across 30+ enterprise customers including TotalEnergies and the Port of Antwerp-Bruges.
Real-Time Steering Replaces Static Dashboards
Prism provides transparency and modeling while Propel executes day-ahead and imbalance optimization without hardware. This modular approach starts with visibility then adds autonomous control, integrating operations and procurement data that competitors keep separate.
As Pi Labs principal Dhruv Gupta noted:
"…system of execution."
Impact Investors Signal Sector Conviction
Realyze Ventures led alongside Pi Labs, while Asterion Ventures made its first investment outside France via SPV. The group targets real-time AI platforms that shift from recommendations to execution, matching the company's focus on industrial flexibility.
Europe EMS Market Expands With Renewables
The European energy management systems market stands at $19.52 billion in 2026 and is projected to reach $35.83 billion by 2031 at a 12.92% CAGR. Regulatory tailwinds from the EU Network Code for Demand Response, expected in early 2026, create compliance pressure that favors early AI adopters.
Team Scales Post-Funding
With a 17-person team and 10x revenue growth to over €1M ARR, the company is hiring across technical and commercial roles. Product updates include bulk upload for 1,000+ sites and new EMS integrations.
Expansion Targets Germany and Spain
The funding supports geographic growth beyond Belgium, Netherlands, and Switzerland into Germany and Spain. Partnerships such as with PerPetum Energy demonstrate direct opex savings on day-ahead optimization and peak shaving.