With autarc we are building the OS for Europe's One-Stop Energy Installers. We are live with 400 customers and an ARR of $1.4 million. The problem: Energy installers are eager to expand their deployment of heat pump and photovoltaic systems, yet they are constrained by inefficient sales, planning, and installation processes. The solution: Our B2B software integrates CRM, planning, and design tools into a unified platform. This enables SMB installers to drastically cut down the pre-installation phase of home energy projects—from several weeks to just minutes. By leveraging LiDAR for spatial analysis, computer vision for automated assessment, and AI for system recommendations, we streamline the entire workflow. This results in a time reduction of up to 90%, enabling installers to confidently transition to and scale up sustainable home energy solutions.
Etienne, Co-Founder & CEO of autarc. I used to work in the HVAC industry before launching autarc. Would describe myself as a creative mind that loves building digital products. Get in touch: etienne@autarc.energy
Co-Founder and COO of autarc. Previously worked at a logistics company within process optimizations, later switched to work in startups and VC - helping installers to install more heat pumps is much more fun though.
CTO @autarc. Previously Lead iOS Engineer @Sameday Health and built Passkeys for Apple.
TL;DR: We are live in Germany with 380 customers and a 7-digit ARR. Our software empowers installers to shift away from oil and gas, focusing instead on heat pump installations. Check out our website: www.autarc.energy
—
Hey YC! Etienne, Thies and Marius here from autarc! 👋🏼
Did you know that 30 % of Europe’s CO2 emissions come from heating buildings with fossil fuels? autarc is at the forefront of addressing this environmental challenge.
Achieving a CO2-neutral life starts with a heat pump installation—it's the most efficient and sustainable alternative available. Yet, at the current installation speed, it will take over 100 years to replace the last gas or oil boiler in Europe.
Etienne encountered this problem after nearly four years in the HVAC industry. Initially, we spoke with almost 80 firms to fully understand their challenges. It turns out installers would love to focus on heat pumps, but they lack the skills and tools to meet the overwhelming demand. These small, fragmented businesses across Europe struggle with scaling their processes and securing growth financing. On top of that, regulatory changes require them to manually capture hundreds of data points, leading to 60 % of installation costs being attributed to labor and process inefficiencies.
With autarc, we are building an operating system (OS) for heat pump installers. Our software enables installers to capture hundreds of data points in minutes rather than hours and provides them with everything they need in one place: system design, offer creation, financing options, subsidies, and mandatory reports. By leveraging LiDAR technology and AI, we reduce the overall project time for heat pump installations by 50 %.
How it works: We standardize the pre-installation process, utilizing up to 800+ data points per property. This reduces time wasted on leads that don’t convert by 80% and frees up installer capacity. Our customers tell us that they save up to 20 hours per installation with our solution.
With 15 full-time employees, we are building a European champion from our HQ in Berlin, Germany. Our talented team members have backgrounds in major tech companies, HVAC/solar businesses, and energy consulting. Our greatest asset is the close relationship we maintain with our customers, enabling us to co-develop the features they truly need.
From left to right, on the left image: Marius, Thies, and Etienne.
We are looking for talent in almost every area—from Sales to Frontend and ML Engineering. If you know anyone in the HVAC industry in Germany, we’d love an introduction.
Feel free to drop us a message at founders@autarc.energy 📧 and follow us on LinkedIn.