Bees & Bears

Bees & Bears, a Berlin-based Green FinTech company founded in 2023, is positioned to address the financial accessibility gap in the European energy transition. The firm was established by Marius Schondelmaier and Jakob von Egidy. Schondelmaier brings scale-up experience from his time at Rocket Internet and as a consulting manager in digital transformation for the energy sector, while von Egidy has a background as a start-up CFO passionate about combating the climate crisis.

The company operates as a crucial intermediary in the clean technology market, targeting the high upfront costs that deter many households from investing in green hardware. A 2024 study found that 40% of German households cannot afford climate technologies without installment options. Bees & Bears addresses this by providing an embedded finance platform for manufacturers and, particularly, for the small and medium-sized installers who carry out the majority of renewable projects but often lack digital financing tools. This service enables them to offer end-customers flexible payment options for products like photovoltaic systems, heat pumps, energy storage, and EV chargers directly at the point of sale.

The business model revolves around a digital platform that integrates into the sales process of its partners. This system allows installers to generate quotes and receive rapid, real-time credit checks and approvals for customer financing, removing the need for traditional bank visits and paperwork. By simplifying the process, Bees & Bears helps installers expand their customer base and accelerate project completion. For end-users, it transforms a significant capital expenditure into a manageable monthly payment, similar to car financing. The company's revenue is generated through this financing infrastructure. A landmark €500 million financing framework secured from a listed European bank in early 2025, followed by a €5 million seed round, provides the capital to fund these consumer loans and scale operations. The debt facility is used to finance end-customer purchases, while the equity supports operational growth, team expansion, and market development into commercial sectors and neighboring European countries.

Keywords: Green FinTech, embedded financing, clean technology, renewable energy financing, hardware-as-a-service, point-of-sale financing, climate finance, solar financing, heat pump financing, EV charger financing, energy transition, asset-backed financing, digital lending platform, installer financing tools, sustainable home solutions, project finance, Berlin fintech, Marius Schondelmaier, Jakob von Egidy, residential energy solutions