AENU is co-leading Metris Energy’s $2.3M pre-seed round alongside Octopus Ventures to accelerate decarbonization in the commercial buildings sector.
Buildings and construction account for over 34% of global energy demand and around 37% of energy- and process-related CO₂ emissions (2021). Within buildings, operations and use are the largest emission drivers. While residential markets have seen strong adoption of distributed energy resources (DERs) through players like Hometree and Zolar, commercial real estate has lagged behind.
In commercial properties, the return profile of solar PV is often opaque, creating a split-incentive problem: landlords must fund installation, while tenants benefit from cheaper, greener power. On top of that, installation, financing, and ongoing operations are complex. These barriers have prevented many commercial property owners from unlocking the solar potential across their portfolios.
Metris Energy solves this with a vertical, tech-first platform that makes solar simple and financially attractive for commercial property owners. Metris supports owners end-to-end—from initial assessment and financing through installation and continuous asset management. Once systems are live, Metris digitises and automates contracts so owners can sell solar power directly to tenants, turning solar into a passive income stream and enhancing asset value.
By enabling commercial landlords to deploy solar at scale, Metris addresses an estimated £22bn market opportunity and has the potential to help avoid 14M tonnes of CO₂.
The founding team was a key driver of our investment thesis. CEO Natasha brings a rare combination of experience as an algo-trader at Credit Suisse, venture investor at Octopus Ventures, and academic work on public policy and socio-economic drivers of solar adoption—creating strong founder–product–market fit. She is joined by CTO Will, who has extensive experience as a fractional CTO in multiple startups, taking products from 0 to 1 and building high-performing, diverse tech teams. His background in ML-based remote monitoring and product- and design-led development positions Metris to build a 10x better technology platform.
We are excited to back Metris Energy as they unlock commercial solar at scale.
- Metris Energy: https://www.metrisenergy.com/
- Full press release: Tech.eu coverage
AENU has co-led Metris Energy’s $2.3M pre-seed round (alongside Octopus Ventures) to accelerate decarbonization in the commercial buildings sector, which accounts for a significant share of global energy demand and CO2 emissions. While residential markets have begun to unlock distributed energy resources (DERs), commercial property owners still face split incentives, opaque solar PV returns, and complex installation, financing, and operations.
Metris Energy addresses these barriers with a vertical, tech-first solution that:
- Assesses and finances solar projects for commercial properties
- Manages installation and ongoing operations
- Digitally transforms and automates contracts so landlords can sell solar power directly to tenants
This model turns solar into a passive income stream for property owners, increases asset value, and helps unlock a £22bn market opportunity with the potential to avoid 14M tonnes of CO2.
The investment thesis is strongly anchored in founder-market fit. CEO Natasha brings experience as an algo-trader at Credit Suisse, a track record as an investor at Octopus Ventures, and academic research on socio-economic drivers of solar adoption. CTO Will complements this with deep startup experience as a fractional CTO, ML-based remote monitoring expertise, and a product- and design-led approach to building scalable tech platforms.
Together, the team is well positioned to make commercial solar adoption simpler, more profitable, and significantly more widespread.
