Analysis

January 22, 2025

Startups are acting like PE buyout firms – here’s why

Startups are buying up care homes, vet practices and dentists, then using their software to run them


Germany’s home to Europe’s two biggest domestic energy tech startups: Berlin-based Enpal and Hamburg-based 1Komma5. They’re both unicorns, they’ve both raised billions and they both want to cover homes across Germany in solar panels.

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Philipp Schröder, founder and CEO of 1KOMMA5°
Philipp Schröder, founder and CEO of 1Komma5°
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Freya Pratty

Freya Pratty is Sifted's associate editor. She covers UK tech and leads Sifted's investigations. Follow her on X , LinkedIn and Bluesky

Miriam Partington

Miriam Partington was a senior reporter at Sifted, based in Berlin. She covered the DACH region and the future of work, and wrote Startup Life , a weekly newsletter on what it takes to build a startup.

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