Leaving a career at Deutsche Bank is not a typical move—especially to fix something as overlooked as streetlights. But for the founders of ENVIOTECH, the decision was driven by a real-world problem with immediate consequences.
After a close friend was seriously injured in a cycling accident caused by switched-off streetlights during energy-saving measures, co-founder Adrian Rhaese began questioning how critical public infrastructure could still fail in such a fundamental way.
Turning A Personal Moment Into A Startup
That experience became the starting point for ENVIOTECH, a Frankfurt-based company developing intelligent retrofit solutions for urban lighting systems.
The startup has now raised €1 million in pre-seed funding, led by Jürgen Fitschen, with backing from Joachim Drees, Alexander Eyhorn, and Danilo Jovicic-Albrecht.
Walking Away From Conventional Careers
To build ENVIOTECH, both founders chose unconventional paths. Adrian stepped away from a promising trajectory at Deutsche Bank, while co-founder Linh Pham—who had already launched her first company at just 15—returned to entrepreneurship after her own stint in banking.
Their focus: solving infrastructure problems that are often ignored but have direct societal impact.
“We didn’t start ENVIOTECH because smart cities sounded exciting,” said Adrian. “We started it because we saw what happens when infrastructure isn’t managed intelligently—when streets go dark, safety and trust disappear instantly.”
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Upgrading Cities Without Replacing Infrastructure
ENVIOTECH’s solution allows cities to modernise existing streetlights without replacing them entirely. Its retrofit kits can be installed in under 15 minutes and enable municipalities to monitor, dim, and manage lighting in real time.
The result:
- Up to 80% reduction in energy consumption
- Lower operational costs
- Improved public safety
Early Validation And Market Potential
The startup has already gained recognition through acceptance into the EWOR Fellowship, one of the most selective founder programs globally.
EWOR founder Daniel Dippold highlighted the opportunity: infrastructure like street lighting may not be glamorous, but it is essential, global, and enduring—making it a powerful foundation for long-term impact.
What’s Next
With the new funding, ENVIOTECH plans to expand pilot projects with municipalities and infrastructure partners, further develop its technology, and scale deployments.
The broader vision: making urban infrastructure smarter, more efficient, and easier to manage—starting with something as simple, and as critical, as street lighting.
