Grant programme from Hamburg's state investment and development bank for technology-driven startups focused on UN sustainability goals. TRACE was accepted into the programme in January 2026 and is developing a modular software platform for integrated energy system optimisation for SMEs.
TRACE.App combines simulation of complex energy systems, algorithm-based optimisation of electricity costs and CO₂ emissions, and business-case support in a single self-service tool. The leverage is significant: 99% of all German companies are SMEs, yet only 9% of their investments went into energy efficiency in 2023 (EIB Investment Survey 2024). Optimised energy systems can unlock up to 20% cost and 30% CO₂ savings - potential that until now has largely been reserved for large companies with their own specialist teams.
"The startup supports SMEs in navigating the energy transformation faster and more transparently with its TRACE.App. Small and medium-sized enterprises can use it in just a few minutes and without any technical expertise to identify potential for reducing energy costs and CO₂ emissions and take subsidisable measures." IFB Hamburg, January 2026
Joint project in the BMFTR's Green-Tech Innovation Competition: platform for component-level capture and reduction of Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) along the entire value chain of the metal and sheet-metal processing industry, complemented by the Company Carbon Footprint (CCF) for a holistic Scope 1/2/3 overview. The sector accounts for 48 million tonnes of CO₂ annually - over 25% of German industrial output.
The consortium lead is TRUMPF Werkzeugmaschinen. Further partners: thyssenkrupp Materials Services, SES-Ingenieure, Fraunhofer IPA, DHBW and AEC. TRACE Electricity provides data integration from the machine tool world and enables a central optimisation opportunity: shifting production orders to time windows with a lower CO₂ electricity mix - CO₂-optimised production planning at component level.
"The technology programme gives us an excellent platform to exchange ideas with the accompanying research, the DLR, the BMFTR and many other projects. Because this specifically drives innovation - and innovation is also conceived from a sustainability perspective." Prof. Dr. Vinzenz Krause · Academy for Exponential Change · Project de:karb