Munich Startup: What is your StartupWhat problem are you solving?
Tobias Klug, Co-Founder & CEO NuuEnergy: In short, our goal is to use heat pumps as a system solution instead of a chaotic construction site. Heat pumps can be used to quickly and effectively reduce CO2 emissions without sacrificing the comforts of flying or eating. This makes them one of the greatest levers in the energy transition and in the fight against climate change. The problem: In Germany, it is currently incredibly difficult to implement such a project properly. There are aggressive providers, overwhelmed tradespeople, and zero guidance for homeowners. On top of that, there is a massive shortage of skilled workers, which is only made worse by bureaucracy and tedious processes. Currently, it is a real struggle for many homeowners to even find someone willing to take care of their work. Construction sites are often chaotic, advice is patchy, and trust is lacking.
That's why we're building our own regional specialist companies that, with our digital infrastructure—consisting of automation, AI, and process standardization—are achieving entirely new levels of efficiency. We focus on quality, customer proximity, and regionality. We believe that this combination is the only scalable solution with high operational quality and true customer proximity. So, we don't just believe in technology. We believe in people who can work better with technology.
“Heat pumps are not an e-commerce product”
Munich Startup: But that's been around for a long time!
Tobias Klug: I would disagree: Our Model is unique to date. We systematically build specialist companies that operate with operational excellence while simultaneously benefiting from a central platform of technology, data, and standardization. Yes, the heat pump market is huge, and there are many models, but most of them are inefficient partial solutions. Almost no one thinks the issue through. Many sell through aggressive marketing and then hope that someone on site will take care of it "behind the scenes." But there's no one there if you haven't developed someone. Heat pumps are not an e-commerce product; they only work with local expertise.
We understood early on: Without skilled trades, it wouldn't work. We're building the system for the skilled trades—not against or bypassing them. Our goal is therefore not a quick sale, but rather a network of regional businesses that are there for their customers in the long term. That's a different category—operationally and culturally. Selling heat pumps through online marketing and sales tricks is something many people can do. But building a holistic system in which skilled workers will still be working on-site with conviction even 20 years from now—and making the whole thing scalable—that's a whole different ball game.
Munich Startup: What is your founding story?
Tobias Klug: Julia and I both had previous startup experience and worked together for a time at a venture builder. We both also had stints at startups, as well as experience in medium-sized companies. Our motivation for founding a company was the desire to invest our time in something that would last and be meaningful.
What really grabbed us about heat pumps was the human dimension: construction site meets office. Two worlds that often talk at cross purposes and that we wanted to bring together. So, in 2023, we quit and listened. We conducted a huge number of user interviews—with customers, tradespeople, suppliers, and so on. This is when we first realized the full complexity of the topic—but also how much potential the market holds.
In 2024, we launched our first operation in Munich. It was a real rollercoaster ride – right in the middle of the heating debate. Despite all the turbulence, the timing was strategically valuable for us: We were able to validate, learn, and build very robust processes in a highly dynamic environment. This mix of operational experience and systematic learning is our foundation today. Our background in venture building certainly helps us here – with its focus on continuously gathering learnings and evaluating them in retrospectives. Or to put it another way: You learn sales best when selling is at its hardest.
From bureaucracy to skills shortages: The toughest nuts to crack for NuuEnergy
Munich Startup: What have been your biggest challenges so far?
Tobias Klug: Hiring was – as it is for almost everyone – a steep learning curve, but now we have a truly excellent, close-knit team. The bureaucracy is sometimes absurd; I often have days when I can hardly believe how much goes into it.
We also fight daily against the fossil fuel industry's disinformation campaigns and the uncertainty that is sometimes sown politically. However, we are happy to counter this with facts and, incidentally, with growing support in the market.
What investors and entrepreneurs who come from the online or purely software world often underestimate is how process-heavy the construction industry is and how many dependencies there are on third parties, from suppliers to waste disposal. We definitely had to crack a few nuts there. But at the same time, the enormous potential lies in these processes, because that's exactly where value creation occurs.
On the supplier side, for example, we are now significantly more resilient than we were at the beginning thanks to digital processes, standardization, and even negotiations – an advantage that increases with each additional location.
Munich Startup: Where would you like to be in one year, where in five years?
Tobias Klug: In one year, our digital infrastructure will be fully developed and scalable – with a clear focus on end-to-end process optimization and AI-supported processes.
We've already built numerous prototypes and MVPs for all relevant process steps and are already extremely strong in using AI effectively. Julia developed much of it herself – it involves countless extra shifts. Now we want to build more power within the product team and take this to the next level. As already mentioned: In our industry, you can generate incredible added value if every process is optimized end-to-end. And for that, it's not enough to just build software – it requires standardized processes, material standards, and, above all, AI in the right places.
In five years, we aim to have a regional operation in every relevant region of Germany. This means that everyone in Germany will have the opportunity to receive high-quality heat pump planning and installation from a NuuEnergy operation – and they'll be no more than an hour away.
Munich: Quality justifies the cost
Munich Startup: How have you experienced Munich as a startup location so far?
Tobias Klug: Munich is definitely on the rise – you can see this in the talent pool as well as among investors. We have close ties with TUM and regularly work on projects with students – it's really fun. Sure, Munich is expensive, especially in terms of salaries, but also in terms of office space. But the quality completely justifies it. Especially in the hardware-related sector, the city is the right strategic location.
Munich Startup: Hidden champion or shooting star?
Tobias Klug: Clearly: a hidden champion. We focus on creating substance, not headlines. We deliberately made our pre-seed round public late – because we wanted to build a functioning system first. Our customers aren't on LinkedIn anyway. Internally, we celebrate the most when a customer says, "That was really good." Or when a tradesperson stays with us despite receiving other offers.
But: We would love to be the shooting star of regional newspapers. We also want to serve as an inspiration, especially for women in the energy and skilled trades sectors. This market offers incredible potential and scope for self-realization – making this visible is part of our mission.
