Kraken, the tech arm of UK utility Octopus Energy, has acquired Berlin-based smart energy software start-up Kwest.

Adding Kwest’s workflow platform to Kraken’s tech stack should unlock smoother installations of clean technologies such as heat pumps and smart meters across Germany, the UK and Octopus’ other markets, increasing operational efficiency.

The move will see Kwest’s seven-strong team join Kraken’s global team. It will also see Kraken open up its first development hub in Berlin.

Kwest was founded by Robin Dechant, Marco Holst and Constantin Ehrensberger and backed by investors including SpeedInvest. Its software enables energy installation businesses to streamline and automate operational processes at a fraction of the time of traditional methods.

Since launching to the market eight years ago, Kraken has taken the global energy industry by storm. The deep-tech platform underpins the entire energy value chain from generation to billing, allowing for in-depth analytics, real time monitoring and optimisation and management of energy devices, such as heat pumps and electric cars.

It helps companies improve efficiency to meet climate targets. It is now contracted to manage more than 54 million accounts globally through deals with energy giants including Octopus Energy, EDF, E.On and Tokyo Gas as well as water and broadband utilities.

Octopus has quickly expanded its green energy activities in Germany over the past years, helping drive the uptake of renewables and cleantech across the country. It has invested in seven renewables projects, launched products such as its Fan Club tariff and its public car charging platform Octopus Electroverse, and is rolling out heat pumps nationwide.

Germany is now the group’s second largest market, with its Octopus Energy brand supplying 300,000 households across the country following the acquisition of Shell Energy Retail. Octopus was recently recognised by Focus Money as the energy company with the best customer service in Germany.

“Cutting-edge energy technology like Kraken is going to be the key driver of a cheaper, greener future, and our only chance at hitting important net zero targets,” said Greg Jackson, founder of Octopus Energy Group. “Kraken currently works across 12 European countries, with 54 million contracted accounts around the globe. With Kwest’s team and platform added to the stack we will now be able to supercharge the installation of clean, green home energy tech across the world.”

Robin Dechant, founder of Kwest (getkwest.com), added: “When we started speaking with the founders of Octopus Energy, we discovered our visions were deeply aligned. By merging our efforts with Kraken’s innovative approach, we can speed up the energy transition on a global scale. As we’re celebrating this milestone with our team, it’s clear how excited everyone is for the next phase of home energy installation, enabled by our tech.”

Kraken Technologies offers an end-to-end platform for energy supply, and is operating in the UK, Japan, USA, New Zealand, Australia and most of mainland Europe. Kraken’s proprietary platform is contracted to serve 54 million customer accounts across the globe through licensees. Its first client was Octopus Energy where Kraken manages 7.7 million retail customers globally and over 60,000 business customers, the largest of which is Premiership football team Arsenal.

Based on data and machine-learning capabilities, Kraken automates much of the energy supply chain to improve service and efficiency as the world transitions to a decentralised, decarbonised energy system. Kraken’s flexibility arm is contracted to manage over 36GW across 130,000 green energy assets in 12 countries.

Kraken Technologies (kraken.tech) is part of Octopus Energy Group and was developed to let select third parties take advantage of the technologies developed by Octopus Energy. It has already been licensed by global players including Origin Energy, E.On and EDF.

Octopus Energy (octopus.energy) delivers energy products to 7.7 million households globally. Its operations span 18 countries and the entire energy value chain. The group invests in, builds and flexibly manages renewable energy, operating a £6bn portfolio of projects.