SolidWatts Raises $2.1M to Tackle Industrial Heating Energy Demand

Jan de Vries · 2026-03-26

Let's talk about a massive, hidden energy drain. Industrial process heating. It's not something most of us think about, but it's quietly consuming a huge chunk of our global energy. Now, a Swiss startup called SolidWatts just got a major boost to try and fix it. They've secured $2.1 million in Seed funding. That's a big deal for a company getting ready to launch its technology into the real world. This cash will help them scale their platform and start pilot projects with actual industrial partners. ### Who's Backing This Vision? The investment round shows strong belief from both old and new supporters. Existing investors like Evercurious VC, Kickfund, and Axel Carbon Capital doubled down. They were joined by a fresh group of backers, including Uni.Fund, Investing for Purpose, Loggerhead Ventures, and Almanac Ventures, plus some angel investors. Dr. Markus Aicheler, the founder and CTO, put it simply: "This investment is a tremendous endorsement of our mission to transform how industry consumes energy." He says it allows them to bring their radio frequency (RF) tech to the power levels that industry actually needs.  ### A Bigger Trend in Industrial Decarbonization This isn't happening in a vacuum. SolidWatts' funding is part of a much larger wave of investment flowing into cleaning up heavy industry. Think about it like this: the whole sector is getting a tech makeover. Just look at some recent deals: - Dutch company RIFT raised a massive $125 million for industrial heat projects. - France's Spark Cleantech secured $33 million for cleaner energy in heavy industry. - Swiss platform enshift got $20.4 million for energy transition solutions. - Barcelona's WtEnergy picked up $11 million to recover energy from waste. - Hamburg's encentive raised $6.9 million for energy-saving software. Add SolidWatts' round to that list, and you're looking at over $198 million recently invested. The message is clear: smart money sees a critical need and a huge opportunity in making industry more efficient and less reliant on fossil fuels.  ### Why This Matters So Much Here's the staggering part. Dr. Aicheler points out that industrial process heating accounts for around 20% of *all* global energy demand. Let that sink in. One-fifth of everything we produce. It's also responsible for roughly 10% of worldwide CO₂ emissions. The crazy thing? It's one of the hardest sectors to decarbonize. As global energy demand keeps climbing—especially with the AI boom sucking up more power—finding efficiencies here isn't just nice, it's essential. ### From Science Lab to Factory Floor So what is SolidWatts actually doing? The company started in 2022, spinning out of high-power RF applications used in scientific research. The founding team has experience from CERN, where these systems are used in massive experiments. They saw a chance to adapt that precise, powerful technology for everyday industrial energy use. In plain English, they've built a solid-state Radio Frequency (RF) platform. It's designed to replace old-school, fossil fuel-based heating systems like boilers, ovens, and furnaces. The system works by generating electromagnetic waves that heat materials from the inside out—kind of like a giant, super-efficient microwave for industry. This approach is a game-changer. They report converting over 80% of the electrical input directly into usable heating power. That means less energy wasted heating up the surrounding air and equipment. The solid-state design also means fewer breakdowns and more uptime, which is everything for a factory running 24/7. Dr. George Georgiadis from Evercurious VC summed up the investor excitement: "SolidWatts powers the future of industrial resilience. Their technology drives efficiency and provides a clear path away from fossil fuel dependency." The platform is targeting the most energy-hungry industries out there: chemical and pharmaceutical production, food processing, carbon capture, and advanced manufacturing. It's a big vision, tackling a big problem, and now they've got the fuel to really go for it.