Munich Startup Furo Raises $4M to Slash Industrial Energy Bills with AI Software

Jan de Vries · 2026-09-11

Industrial energy bills are a monster. In Germany, they're among the highest in the world, and for energy-intensive companies, every spike in the market hits hard. But what if the answer wasn't a bigger battery, but smarter software? That's exactly the bet Furo is making. The Munich-based energy software company, formerly known as Lumera Energy, just closed a €3.44 million ($4 million) funding round. The round was led by US investor TQ Ventures, with participation from Sandberg Bernthal Venture Partners (the fund of Sheryl Sandberg), Neo, and CDTM Venture Capital. The fresh capital will fuel software development, European expansion, and team growth. ### Why Software, Not Hardware, Is the Real Game-Changer "Our customers did not buy a battery in order to own a technology, but in order to lower their electricity bill," says Lena Sophia Voß, co-founder of Furo. "In one of the most volatile power markets in the world, that is decided by the software, not by the hardware." That's the core insight. Most battery installations today run on rigid, pre-programmed rules. They charge and discharge based on schedules, not on what's actually happening with weather or electricity prices. Furo's platform flips that. It forecasts power prices and weather up to 48 hours ahead, then optimizes battery operation in real time. Unused capacity gets marketed in energy trading, creating an additional revenue stream. ### From Dorm Room to 6,000 Sites Furo was founded in 2025 as Lumera Energy by Voß, Leonie Wagner, and Simon Wittner. The three met during a joint master's program at the Centre for Digital Technology and Management (CDTM) of LMU Munich and the Technical University of Munich. They've since built a platform that more than 800 companies use across over 6,000 sites in Germany and Europe. The company doesn't sell directly to end customers. Instead, it works through installers, project developers, storage manufacturers, and utilities. The platform adapts to each role, from system sizing to asset operation to marketing free capacity. ### The $580 Billion Problem Here's the thing: inflexible energy demand costs industrial companies an estimated $580 billion a year worldwide. The culprit isn't renewable energy itself—it's price volatility, high grid fees, load peaks, and a lack of flexibility in consumption. Furo claims its software can cut electricity costs by up to 40%. That's a massive saving for any industrial operation. "Lena, Leonie and Simon understand the European energy market at an extraordinary level of depth," says Schuster Tanger, co-founding partner at TQ Ventures. "It's a remarkable example of team-market fit. Coupled with a global market for storage flexibility set to multiply in the coming years, we see this as one of the greatest opportunities in Europe and beyond." ### What's Next for Furo Earlier this month, Furo announced a partnership with Berlin-based LUOX Energy, the end-customer brand of Lumenaza GmbH, to launch a combined solution for optimizing commercial and industrial battery storage systems. And in May 2026, the company announced its rebrand from Lumera Energy. The energy transition isn't just about building more renewables. It's about using them intelligently. Furo's software is proving that flexibility—not just capacity—is the key to cutting costs and stabilizing the grid. For industrial companies facing volatile prices, that's a welcome change.