Metris – an AI-powered solar energy platform for commercial property owners – has raised £2m in a pre-seed funding round led by Octopus Ventures and Aenu VC.
Co-founded by ex-Octopus VC Natasha Jones and software engineer and serial start-up founder William Whatley, Metris has created an end-to-end software solution which streamlines and automates the solar energy transition for commercial property owners and enables them to monetise their solar energy while cutting carbon emissions.
The Metris platform uses AI to generate portfolio assessments and the company claims it can calculate the financial benefits of solar energy adoption in minutes, rather than days.
Natasha Jones, co-founder at Metris, said: “We believe that by aligning financial incentives with environmental benefits, Metris holds the key to unlock scale adoption of solar in the commercial property segment. With Metris’ AI-powered platform, commercial property owners can easily leverage unused roof space to generate extra revenue and play a crucial part in securing a greener, more prosperous future for the planet. We’re at the forefront of the decentralised energy revolution, driving the adoption of solar within commercial real estate, and we’re excited to be joined by expert investors to supercharge our mission to turn every building into a power plant.”
Fabian Heilemann, founder and CEO of AENU, added: “Operational energy use of buildings accounts for circa 30% of total global energy-related CO2 emissions. Metris Energy is in a unique position to provide end-to-end solar operations for commercial buildings, by offering everything from property selection and installation to tenant onboarding, billing and payments. This innovation offers property owners a compelling commercial opportunity, whilst also advancing the green energy revolution.”
Hope Johnson, investor at Octopus Ventures, said: “We are excited to back Metris’ vision to finally align incentives and enable every commercial property owner to generate its own renewable energy and sell this more sustainable, and cheaper, energy to tenants. Natasha and Will are helping commercial property owners reduce their carbon footprint, improve the energy efficiency of their properties, and accelerate the UK towards the large and legally binding commitments that have been made to net zero targets.”
