Smart energy management for your sustainable home; complete transparency, control, and about €450 in electricity cost savings per year.
What is your idea about?
Don't we all know the feeling? The electricity bill is huge and gives us no information about where the consumption comes from. Electricity is expensive. Germans pay an average of more than a thousand euros per year for their electricity. Every year, about €160 is added on top due to increasing consumption and prices. These aren't good news for homeowners. Current systems are opaque: there's no transparency about where the consumption originates and no way to control it, even though 74% of Germans would like to know which appliances consume how much electricity.
A intelligent home energy management system (HEMS)
We're offering an intelligent home energy management system (HEMS) in the form of a completely new, smart fuse box with proprietary AI. For the first time ever, it has high-frequency Non-Intrusive Load Monitoring (NILM) technology directly integrated.
This fuse box, OCTi (hardware), combined with its accompanying app (software), gives you a clear overview, puts you back in control, and helps you save a significant amount of electricity.
Here are the benefits for private households:
Detailed insights into the consumption of individual appliances
Active energy and money savings by identifying "vampire" (parasitic) loads
Ability to disconnect entire circuits from the grid if needed
And the best part: it's individually adapted to the energy needs of each household
How did you come up with your idea?
The Birth of OCTi: The idea for OCTi wasn't born in a quiet study, but directly from the heart of everyday life. We saw firsthand how frustration over exploding electricity bills and unexpected back payments mounted among friends and family. It became clear to us: simply knowing the total consumption isn't enough! To truly make a difference, you have to understand where the consumption is coming from.
We realized that without detailed insights, you can't act proactively. And then came the "aha!" moment: if you want to intelligently manage electricity consumption in your home, you need more than just a number. And what's the undeniable heart of the home when it comes to electricity? The fuse box! That's exactly how our revolutionary concept for OCTi was born – the solution that not only measures electricity consumption but makes it understandable and controllable.
How did you get together as a team?
It all kicked off at FH Aachen, where Ian and Konrad met in the "Interdisciplinary Prototype Development" course at the startup center. That's where things really clicked! Then Francis entered the picture. Ian and Konrad discovered her through Founderio, and after a coffee, it was clear: It's a match! To bring even more power to the team, we brought Dennis on board, who Ian knew from his time at RAK. The team was completed by Franziska, whom we met through the TRACE program from the Aachen University Association. And just like that, the dream team was complete! It's a vibrant mix of university buddies, chance encounters, and great connections – and that's exactly what makes us so strong.
What are you studying/working or what have you studied?
Francis (International Marketing & Media Management [M.A.] + Brand Management @ Kenvue)
Ian (Electrical Engineering [B.Eng.])
Dennis (Fachinformatiker im Bereich Anwendungsentwicklung)
Konrad (Business Engineering Focus Mechanical Engineering [M.Sc.] + PhD Candidate @ AMIBM)
Franziska (Bio Medical Engineering [M.Sc.])
Funfact about your team or your start-up
Cringe incoming: Our core idea is based on the work of Shannon, who once built a juggling machine – just like our system juggles your power consumption, lol.
How has Gateway helped you? Why would you recommend us?
- Networking & building contacts within the Cologne startup ecosystem (so far, focus has been on the Aachen area)
- Coaching & sparring
- Connection with EXIST scholarship, with a focus on MVP development during the accelerator