Our mission

Accelerate the decarbonization of buildings with better planning

The people behind the software

We are an impact-driven software company specialized in district heating planning. Founded in January 2020, Urbio is a spinoff from a European programme involving leading industrial and research organizations including EPFL and SIG in Switzerland, EIFER and HFT-Stuttgart in Germany, EDF in France, IES and the University of Nottingham in the UK, TU Wien,AIT and Wien Energie in Austria. Our software is thus rooted in scientific rigor and based on real market needs.

Our headquarters are based in the bubbling technology park of Energypolis in the heart of Europe, and our team is based on various locations across Europe. Because climate change has no borders, Urbio is growing fast and serving hundreds of customers and users across Europe to tackle the energy transition with the required pace and scale.

Our multidisciplinary and international team has deep expertise in the fields of energy modeling, data science, machine learning and human-computer interaction. Stemming from years of research and industry experience in renewable energy, Urbio enables our customers to make quick, data-driven and science-based decisions to decarbonize buildings at the pace required by the urgent climate situation.

The hacker, the hipster and the hustler

Nils ​– the hacker – and Sébastien ​– the hipster – first teamed up in 2014 as they were working on sustainable cities from various locations, including EPFL in Switzerland, EIFER in Germany, and EDF in France. Their goal: to explore how humans and computers could join forces to design sustainable cities. Combining Nils’ aptitude for energy modeling with Sébastien’s passion for digitization and design, they developed the first prototype of Urbio that transformed the way energy infrastructure was planned. Nicolas – the hustler – completed the founding team in 2019, bringing a decade of market experience in the utility and consulting sector.

Urbio's vision for truly sustainable, carbon-free cities has since attracted talented people, advisors and investors around the globe who believe in Urbio’s ability to accelerate the transition to net-zero buildings.

Team

Nils Schüler

Combining a methodical and visionary mindset, Nils leads Urbio’s product teams to create high-impact software, staying always one step ahead of client needs with an actionable roadmap.

Nils holds a PhD in computational methods from EPFL, with expertise in mathematical optimization, data management and energy systems.

Co-founder & CTO

Ari ensures the quick generation of accurate scenarios for Urbio users, cracking the most complex computational and energy-specific challenges.

With a Master's degree in Electrical Engineering from ETH Zürich, Ari worked over 6 years for a leading software company, developing innovative solutions to design future energy networks in cities.

Ari Artinian

Senior Software Engineer

Sébastien Cajot

Sébastien Cajot is the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Urbio. With a passion for blending digitization and sustainability, his vision is to accelerate the energy transition with software.

Prior to Urbio, Sébastien obtained a PhD in human-computer interaction from EPFL and EIFER/EDF. Throughout his career, Sébastien has led teams with interdisciplinary backgrounds to carry out complex projects in energy planning and sustainability.

Co-founder & CEO

Nicolas Sommer

As Chief Commercial Officer, Nicolas is relentless when it comes to ensuring the success of Urbio customers and detecting new market opportunities.

Nicolas holds an executive MBA from the Geneva School of Economics and Management, and has 10 years’ experience in the renewable energy industry, working both for utilities and energy consulting.

Co-founder & CCO

Mostafa Zoheir

Mostafa drives users' success and independence on our app.

With 10+ years experience in the energy sector, Mostafa holds a Master's from RWTH Aachen University, and notably led complex projects for major utilities while at ABB.

Customer Success Manager DACH

Randy Lamotte

Randy shapes our marketing presence across all channels, from social media and SEO to content creation and brand storytelling.

With a Master's degree in Brand Management & Marketing from Nottingham Business School, he brings experience from both successful startups and global corporations. Bringing international experience, insights and hands on creativity, his goal is to amplify our voice and mission.

Join us!

The next page in Urbio’s story depends on other bright minds who care about climate and technology as much as we do. If this resonates, please reach out!

Our tailwind

Board

Alex Stöckl

Alex is a Founding Partner at Wingman Ventures, Switzerland’s leading pre-seed fund backing breakthrough tech companies with the potential to become global market leaders. Prior to that, he invested for several years in tech startups with Creathor Ventures, one of Europe's leading early-stage venture capital funds.

At Urbio, Alex helps the company position for long-term success and exchange best practices with other deep tech and SaaS companies.

Founderful Ventures

Rokas Peciulaitis

Rokas is a Founder and Managing Partner at Contrarian Ventures, a leading European hands-on, community-focused, and founders-vetted early-stage venture capital firm focused on climate tech. Prior he was a derivatives trader at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. He is the founder of EnergyTech Summit - the biggest energy tech gathering in EU, and Climate50 - the most comprehensive global climate tech investor ranking.

Rokas supports Urbio in designing a sustainable growth strategy aligned with the future needs of the energy industry.

Advisors

Vincent Bieri

Vincent Bieri is the lead advisor of Urbio, bringing more than twenty years of experience in technology marketing, sales, and product management.

Vincent is the co-founder of the Swiss unicorn Nexthink. Working also most notably at Cisco Systems, Vincent holds a degree in Computer Science and Engineering from the University of Applied Sciences in Fribourg, Switzerland, and is a member of the Forbes Technology Council.

Lead Advisor, Innosuisse

Pascal Dutheil

Pascal Dutheil supports the team with independent advice and hands-on solutions regarding business expansion and market intelligence.

Pascal is a financial advisor with 15 years of experience in venture capital and technology startups. He has supported over 120 high-tech startups, with significant financing transactions successfully completed, including client contracts, funding rounds, acquisitions, and exits.

Financial Advisor, Innosuisse

François Maréchal

Prof. Maréchal provides technical support and strategic advice to ensure the scientific validity of the product.

EPFL, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, is a world-leading technical university that specializes in climate action and engineering. The Industrial Process and Energy Systems Engineering (IPESE) group led by Prof. Maréchal focuses on computer aided decision support methods for the efficient use of renewable energy in cities.

Scientific Advisor, EPFL