Philipp Schröder's new start-up emulates Sunrun from the USA

Philipp Schröder was once Germany's first Tesla boss. Now he wants to set up a new start-up. 1Komma5 is to mediate between installers and customers of solar systems, energy storage systems and charging stations.

Philipp Schröder is known, among other things, as Germany's first Tesla boss. Now the serial founder is launching a new company: 1Komma5 is a platform that aims to connect installers and service providers for solar systems, energy storage systems and charging stations with customers. To this end, the Hamburg-based company is buying majority stakes in specialist companies and bringing them together under a holding company; in return, the companies can take a stake in the start-up.

"I see the potential for 250 to 500 million euros in turnover over the next four years," Schröder told Gründerszene. Over the next two years, he wants to invest 100 million euros in the acquisition of companies. According to Gründerszene, half a dozen businesses will already have been acquired by the time the platform launches.

The model for 1Komma5 is the American company Sunrun, which is now valued at eight billion US dollars. Schröder sees a gap in the bundled supply structure in Germany: "There is no company that a group like SAP can approach and say: Please equip all my buildings with solar panels and install e-charging stations in the employee parking lots."

Schröder has recruited six employees for his new company who have also worked with him in previous positions. These include Tristan Riwer, for example, who is also on board at Schröder's investment company Embedded Entrepreneurs. Before 1Komma5, Schröder had two exits: in 2015, he took over the energy start-up Sonnen, which was acquired by the Shell Group. In 2018, he founded the fintech Capinside, the majority of which went to a Hamburg-based investment company two years later.