"Energy renovation school" La Solive raises €4M to facilitate career transitions

French "energy renovation school" La Solive has raised €4M in a Series A funding round led by Partech, alongside Brighteye Ventures and business angels Thibaud Hug de Larauze (CEO of BackMarket), Vincent Bryant (CEO of Deepki), and Clément Delpirou (President of the IAD Group).

The building sector accounts for almost half of our energy consumption, and nearly a quarter of our greenhouse gas emissions. Simultaneously, construction companies are short of technicians trained in energy renovation. 600,000 jobs need to be filled in the sector by 2030 meet the expected challenge of energy efficiency in the housing industry.

La Solive was created in 2021 with the mission of providing intensive, hands-on training to those who want to retrain in energy renovation.

In three years, La Solive has trained 1,000 students across 3 campuses. The company has also developed a network of more than 600 partners throughout France, from very small businesses to large corporations, including public services. This includes distributors (Leroy Merlin, Castorama), equipment manufacturers (Atlantic, Viessman, Daikin), engineering firms (Thermoconseil, Ithaque), construction companies (Groupe ABF, Anne Bailt) and matchmaking services with craftsmen (Effy, IZI by EDF), professional organisations (AFPAC, Enerplan) as well as public associations and bodies (Soliha, Agences Locales de l’Énergie et du Climat).

In this favourable context, La Solive has chosen to step up a gear, raising a further €4 million from Partech, Brighteye Ventures, and business angels, including Thibaud Hug of Larauze (CEO of BackMarket), Vincent Bryant (CEO of Deepki), and Clément Delpirou (President of the IAD Group).

These funds will be used to open 8 to 10 new campuses in 2025 and 2026. The first campuses are planned for Toulouse, Marseille, Lille, and Montpellier. They will also be used to launch a number of new training courses, including the ‘Rehabilitation Works Supervisor’ and RGE QualiPAC & QualiPV certifications from 2025.

“In just 3 years, we have built a school which has proved its worth with nearly 1,000 students and our network of 600 partners who hire them as soon as they finish their training” explains Ariane Komorn, the CEO and co-founder of La Solive. “The climate emergency and the labour shortage in France mean that we need to speed up our response to the challenge of energy-efficient home renovation. That’s why we’re delighted to welcome Partech to our board, who will support us in this endeavour.”

“La Solive has developed the most relevant model to address the talent shortage in energy renovation, with high-quality training and a high operational efficiency that maximises value for students and partnering companies.” commented Alison Imbert, Principal at Partech. “Ariane and Côme have assembled a team of incredibly talented individuals who are passionate and deeply committed in their field. They now have everything they need to accelerate and sustainably transform the energy transition ecosystem.”

“We are delighted to welcome Partech to the table in this latest round as we enter a new phase of our development” said David Guérin, Principal at Brighteye. “This fundraising puts us in a privileged position to continue our growth and strengthen our market leadership. In just 36 months, La Solive has established itself as a key player in Europe, responding to two critical issues: the climate emergency and the talent shortage in the energy renovation sector. We are very proud to continue supporting Ariane, Côme, and the rest of the team in their superb mission."

Founded in April 2021 by Ariane Komorn and Côme de Cossé Brissac, La Solive offers short, intensive training courses to enable adults undergoing retraining to become energy renovation project managers or qualified craftspeople. Its aim is to train 5,000 energy renovation professionals each year by 2028.