From greentech startup to market leader in heat pumps and solar systems for private use – Enpal, currently Germany's fastest-growing energy company, has achieved in record time what many dream of. How the young company manages this growth in both the short and long term and the role AI plays in its growth strategy is explained by Benjamin Merle, Chief Product Officer at Enpal, in the interview.
Enpal has grown rapidly since its founding. What was your secret to successfully manage this growth as a young startup? And where do you plan to go in the long term?
MERLE We have been following a master plan for years: We started with solar systems as a basic product or minimal viable product (MVP). Today, however, we are a fully integrated renewable energy company, where solar energy is just part of the ecosystem. We also offer flexible financing solutions, heat pumps, and intelligent energy management from a single source. We developed all of this inhouse step by step in speed boats.
Our philosophy is that the company must become more dynamic and innovative as it grows larger. And it works: We managed to achieve market leadership for heat pumps just two years after starting our heat pump business, purely through organic growth and without acquisitions. It took us twice as long for solar.
What importance do growth opportunities have in your executive meetings?
MERLE Growth is an important KPI. Equally, we discuss our KPIs on customer satisfaction and quality in every meeting. This is, by the way, the basis for future growth. Due to the justifiably high demands of our financing partners, we are also forced to document the quality of the systems very meticulously and to meet very high standards. Therefore, we pay close attention to quality.
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