- Companies
- Building Energy
Building Energy Funding, Investors & Competitors
Building Energy has raised $148M across 3 funding rounds, most recently a $83M undisclosed-stage round in July 2017.
Last Building Energy funding round
$83M
Undisclosed stage · Jul 2017
Cumulative funding Building Energy raised
$148M
across 3 funding rounds
Key investors in Building Energy
Three Hills Capital Partners
Synergo Capital
ZZ Capital International
Building Energy Overview
About Building Energy
Building Energy is a Milan-headquartered developer of renewable energy projects including solar photovoltaic plants and wind farms primarily in Italy and Africa. The company operates over 20 facilities generating clean power for utility-scale and distributed energy markets.
Founded
2010
HQ
Website
Status
Privately held
Customer focus
B2B
Revenue model
Product sales
Building Energy Funding History
Building Energy has raised a total of $148M across 3 funding rounds.
Building Energy's first fundraising round was a $26M undisclosed-stage round in June 2013. The most recent completed round was a $83M undisclosed-stage round in July 2017.
Building Energy funding rounds
| Date | Stage | Investors | Raised | Deal Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 2017 | Undisclosed stage | ZZ Capital International (lead) | $83M | Building Energy is a multitech power producer operating renewable energy projects across more than 20 countries globally. The company specializes in developing and constructing renewable energy infrastructure with a significant pipeline of projects. In 2017, Building Energy received approximately €70 million in new capital through a convertible loan note issuance, with ZZ Capital International Limited (ZZCI) as the investor. This transaction was structured to provide growth capital for project development and construction globally. The investment represented an important step for the company's expansion, particularly into Asian markets including China, where ZZCI brought sector expertise and network connections. Building Energy's management team, based in London, had been supported by THCP since 2015, and the ZZCI investment marked a transition phase enabling accelerated growth and increased financial flexibility. |
| Aug 2015 | Undisclosed stage | Three Hills Capital Partners (lead) | $39M | Building Energy is an Italy-headquartered global independent power producer (IPP) focused on renewable energy sources, with an integrated business model covering development of greenfield and brownfield projects, EPC, operations and maintenance, IPP, and asset sales. The company operates with six offices worldwide and presence in over 20 countries, executing projects in the USA, South Africa, Europe, and other regions, with a projects pipeline of 2,200 MW across four continents at the time of later fund mentions. Three Hills Capital Partners made its initial investment in Building Energy in 2015 as growth capital, specifically announcing an investment of €35 million on August 27, 2015, aligning with the query date. This supported the company's global project development and construction. With Three Hills' backing since 2015, Building Energy expanded, including creating subsidiary Be Power, a leading electric vehicle charger provider sold to ENI in August 2021. In a subsequent transaction around 2017 (noted as 'over the last 2 years' from the convertible note announcement), Three Hills participated in a c. €100 million convertible loan note issuance, providing approximately €65 million in new capital to Building Energy, joined by ZZ Capital International contributing €70 million, to boost financial flexibility and Asian market growth. Three Hills fully exited its investment in Building Energy in Q1 2024 after the orderly liquidation of the commercial power plants business due to external shocks, refocusing the company on EV charging. The investment was part of Three Hills' portfolio in services and sustainability sectors, with Building Energy listed alongside others in fund announcements. |
| Jun 2013 | Undisclosed stage | Synergo Capital (lead) | $26M | Building Energy is an Italian green energy producer founded in 2010 and led by CEO Fabrizio Zago, specializing in building and managing plants for green energy production worldwide, with 85% of revenues outside Italy. By 2013, the company had revenues of 53 million euros, up from 32 million euros in 2012, alongside 6.5 million euros in EBITDA and 5.1 million euros in net financial debt. It managed plants with 100 MW capacity, aiming to double production capacity in two years, and held a projects pipeline for 1000 MW. In June 2014, Synergo SGR, an Italian mid-market private equity operator, invested 8.5 million euros for a new 7.2% stake in Building Energy, increasing its total ownership to 32.2%. This investment aligns closely with the queried June 2013 approximate date, though reported in 2014; no prior Synergo rounds matching exactly $26 million or June 2013 were identified in sources. Building Energy was preparing a 50 million euros green minibond issue to be listed on Borsa Italiana’s ExtraMot Pro market by July 15, 2014, advised by Equita SIM. The unrated bond matures in 6 years, pays a 4% cash coupon plus 3% PIK coupon, and includes warrants for shares at a discount upon a potential stock exchange listing by end-2015 or early 2016. PwC was to certify every six months that proceeds fund green energy plant construction. |
Who has invested in Building Energy?
3 investors have backed Building Energy across its funding rounds, including Three Hills Capital Partners, Synergo Capital and ZZ Capital International.
Lead investors include ZZ Capital International, Three Hills Capital Partners and Synergo Capital.
Building Energy Investors
| Investor | HQ | Rounds | Role | First check |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lead | Jun 2013 | ||
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Benchmark 350K+ Funding Rounds and Disclosed VC Valuation Multiples
Sign up to see data on 350K+ funding rounds and disclosed revenue and EBITDA valuation multiples, from seed, through growth stage, to pre-IPO.
Start Free TrialBuilding Energy Competitors
Building Energy competitors include listed companies like Iberdrola, China Yangtze Power, Constellation Energy and Vistra, and private ones like Adani New Industries and Helion Energy.
| Company | HQ | Status | Revenue | EBITDA | Valuation | Revenue Multiple |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Publicly listed | $51B | $17B | $158B | 4.3x | ||
| Publicly listed | $13B | $11B | $104B | 11.3x | ||
| Publicly listed | $26B | $5B | $93B | 3.8x | ||
| Private | - | - | $50B | - | ||
| Publicly listed | $18B | $5B | $48B | 3.3x | ||
| Private | - | - | $16B | - |
Building Energy Public Comps
Building Energy is still privately-owned, but its public comps include Aramco, ExxonMobil, Chevron, PetroChina, Shell, GE Vernova, TotalEnergies, NextEra Energy, ConocoPhillips and Iberdrola.
| Last FY | EV/Revenue | EV/EBITDA | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | EBITDA | Last FY | LTM | 2027E | Last FY | LTM | 2027E | |
| $446B | $213B | 3.9x | 3.7x | 8.2x | 7.1x | |||
| $324B | $68B | 2.2x | 1.8x | 10.5x | 8.0x | |||
| $184B | $41B | 2.4x | 2.0x | 10.8x | 7.2x | |||
| $427B | $70B | 0.8x | 0.7x | 4.7x | 4.4x | |||
| $267B | $55B | 1.2x | 1.0x | 5.8x | 4.5x | |||
| $38B | $3.2B | 6.2x | 5.4x | 73.5x | 43.5x | |||
| $182B | $38B | 1.3x | 1.2x | 6.3x | 5.0x | |||
| $27B | $16B | 10.5x | 9.6x | 17.9x | 16.2x | |||
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Common questions about Building Energy
| When was Building Energy founded? | Building Energy was founded in 2010. |
| Where is Building Energy headquartered? | Building Energy is headquartered in Milan, Italy. |
| Is Building Energy publicly listed? | No, Building Energy is a private, VC-backed company. |
| How much funding has Building Energy raised? | Building Energy has raised $148M across 3 funding rounds. |
| What was Building Energy's last funding round? | Building Energy's last funding round was a $83M undisclosed-stage round in July 2017, led by ZZ Capital International. |
| Who are Building Energy's investors? | Building Energy's investors include Synergo Capital, ZZ Capital International and Three Hills Capital Partners. |
| Which companies are comparable to Building Energy? | Companies comparable to Building Energy include Iberdrola, China Yangtze Power, Constellation Energy, Adani New Industries, Vistra and Helion Energy. |
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