bettervest is the world’s first crowd-investing platform that enables people to jointly invest individual sums of money in energy and energy efficiency projects initiated by established enterprises, NGOs and local municipalities. In return, they benefit financially from the resulting cost and energy savings. To this end, bettervest only finances projects that are ecologically sound and able to achieve high savings in both costs and energy. Each individual project is verified by certified energy consultants who calculate and forecast the savings. The project owners receive the necessary capital with the help of private investors i.e. the crowd. Following the implementation of the energy saving measures the project owners immediately start reducing their energy consumption, carbon emissions and costs. The investors receive a part of their investment plus a fixed interest rate annually throughout the contract period. In this way we all benefit from reduced carbon emissions, less energy usage and an accelerated “Energiewende” (energy transition).

bettervest represents a new vehicle for sustainable investments, which allows energy usage and CO2 emissions to be reduced on a societal and economic level. It is important to note that despite rigorous assessments, the investments are not guaranteed (for more information see our Risk FAQs.) To offset this risk, we offer lucrative interest rates of 5% and above, as well as the opportunity to partake in the “Energiewende”, which experts confirm cannot be achieved without private investments in renewables and energy efficiency. This is why we need your support!

Our core staff members have expert knowledge pertaining to the energy industry and climate science. As a qualified engineer and expert in regenerative energies, energy efficiency and climate protection, co-founder and managing director Marilyn Heib is responsible for quality management. She has been working on these topics since her university studies with emphasis on renewable energies and the rational use of energy. She is supported by two highly qualified engineers specialised in renewables and energy efficiency.

Prof. Dr. Ernst Ulrich von Weizsäcker, a luminary in the field of energy efficiency, is the patron of our company. Our advisory board consists of Andreas Kühl, Hans-Joachim Sames, Prof. Dr. Jens Strücker and Prof. Dr. Christine Volkmann, who support us with their technical and scientific know-how. In the future, we plan to include additional experts from various fields on the advisory board, as well as consulting with impartial professionals to evaluate projects and activities.

In a way, bettervest is a marketplace for renewable energy and resource efficiency loans, where project owners and investors – borrowers and lenders – are brought together. These parties enter into a project-bound subordinated loan contract in order to jointly fulfil a specific predetermined goal. Beyond that, we also offer clean technology manufacturers, energy consultants and contractors the opportunity to be involved in the planning and implementation of these projects.

To render this market a secure space, we ensure that legal requirements are fulfilled, we complete background checks, assess the ecological impact as well as the profitability of projects, commission energy consultants and liaise with third-party escrow accounts to protect the cash flow. Furthermore, we support project owners with individual online and offline marketing campaigns, in order to provide projects with the exposure they require to become fully funded. For these services, we charge an initial one-off commission of circa 10% of the final investment volume. These costs can be included in the total funding volume and need not be paid by the project owner.