Instagrid gets new advisory board chairman

The former CEO of SMA Solar is joining the battery start-up. His main task is to help with internationalization.

Pierre-Pascal Urbon will join the advisory board of battery manufacturer Instagrid. The former CEO of SMA Solar Technology AG is even taking over as Chairman and will contribute his expertise and international network to the company. The 50-year-old Urbon will help with the upcoming internationalization and expansion in particular.

Urbon was previously CEO of SMA Solar, a manufacturer of photovoltaic and battery technology, from 2006 up to and including 2018. As CEO, he was also responsible for the strategic direction of the company from 2011. At Instagrid, a battery start-up based in Ludwigsburg and Helsinki, he will support the founding duo Sebastian Berning and Andreas Sedlmayr in particular.

The two founded the start-up in 2018. It specializes in portable high-performance battery systems for professional use. The start-up is the winner of the InnoEnergy Award 2019, among others, and has attracted investors including Segnalita Ventures and High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF).

According to the company, it delivered its first products in the first quarter of 2021 and plans to expand internationally in the future, with a particular focus on Europe. "The aim is to make instagrid a global driving force in the field of off-grid energy storage technology," explains Sebastian Berning, co-founder and co-CEO of Instagrid.

They are convinced that Urbon can help with this. "We are delighted to have Pierre join the team. As CEO, he has developed SMA Solar into a leading solar inverter manufacturer," says Andreas Sedlmayr, co-founder and co-CEO of Instagrid.