Contrarian Ventures

Contrarian Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm founded in 2017 and based in Vilnius, Lithuania, with additional offices in London and Amsterdam. The firm specializes in pre-seed, seed, and growth capital investments, primarily targeting the energy sector and e-mobility. Its investment focus includes smart grid technologies, energy efficiency, big data analytics, energy storage solutions, e-car infrastructure, smart home innovations, customer support e-services, distributed generation, renewable energy solutions, and virtual power plants. While Contrarian Ventures prefers to invest globally, it places a particular emphasis on European-based companies.

Nityen Lal

Venture Partner

29 past transactions

Vianova

Seed Round in 2021
Vianova is an urban mobility management platform that facilitates collaboration between cities and mobility providers to enhance urban living. The company has developed a big data platform that enables organizations to effectively collaborate and transform complex transportation data into actionable intelligence. Vianova's solutions address pressing transportation challenges, such as managing shared mobility and improving curbside management, while promoting safer road conditions and encouraging sustainable travel options. By providing insights that inform urban planning and transportation policy, Vianova aims to support clients in advancing innovative mobility practices and addressing the evolving needs of urban environments.

Zoomo

Series B in 2021
Zoomo, also known as Bolt Bikes Pty Ltd, is an electric bike provider that specializes in subscription rental services. Founded in 2017 and headquartered in Alexandria, New South Wales, Australia, the company manufactures and retails electric bikes primarily through its website. Zoomo caters to both individual consumers and the delivery service sector, focusing on utility bikes designed for various delivery needs, including parcels, mail, and groceries. In addition to its bike rental offerings, the company provides aftermarket services to support its products. Through ongoing development, Zoomo aims to expand its range of bike models to better serve individual consumers and enhance its presence in the delivery market.

Inbalance grid

Series A in 2021
Inbalance grid develops charging infrastructure that is built on a cluster system with a master and slave design concept, where the majority of the components are off the shelf and managed by In Balance grid software.

PVcase

Series A in 2021
The unique tool that automates 3D terrain based solar engineering, so you not only save time, but also get much better precision

Urbio

Pre Seed Round in 2021
Urbio is a software that helps the key actors of the urban energy transition discover the most efficient solutions to achieve their environmental and economic goals.

Zoomo

Series B in 2021
Zoomo, also known as Bolt Bikes Pty Ltd, is an electric bike provider that specializes in subscription rental services. Founded in 2017 and headquartered in Alexandria, New South Wales, Australia, the company manufactures and retails electric bikes primarily through its website. Zoomo caters to both individual consumers and the delivery service sector, focusing on utility bikes designed for various delivery needs, including parcels, mail, and groceries. In addition to its bike rental offerings, the company provides aftermarket services to support its products. Through ongoing development, Zoomo aims to expand its range of bike models to better serve individual consumers and enhance its presence in the delivery market.

Hepta Airborne

Seed Round in 2020
Hepta Airborne Ltd specializes in airborne inspection and technical analysis, offering consulting services primarily for the electricity infrastructure sector. Utilizing advanced drones with a six-hour flight capability, the company conducts inspections of poles, lines, insulators, transformers, and other equipment, while also assisting in the planning and route selection for overhead lines, land cables, and renewable energy projects. Hepta Airborne integrates its drone technology with autonomous data processing platforms and various sensors to deliver accurate assessments, thereby enhancing efficiency for power grid operators. Additionally, the company provides geographic information system consulting and utility construction design services, ensuring comprehensive support for clients' needs. Founded in 2017 and headquartered in Tallinn, Estonia, Hepta Airborne emphasizes the importance of big data in optimizing inspection processes and reducing environmental impact.

Vianova

Seed Round in 2020
Vianova is an urban mobility management platform that facilitates collaboration between cities and mobility providers to enhance urban living. The company has developed a big data platform that enables organizations to effectively collaborate and transform complex transportation data into actionable intelligence. Vianova's solutions address pressing transportation challenges, such as managing shared mobility and improving curbside management, while promoting safer road conditions and encouraging sustainable travel options. By providing insights that inform urban planning and transportation policy, Vianova aims to support clients in advancing innovative mobility practices and addressing the evolving needs of urban environments.

Eliq

Series A in 2020
Eliq AB manufactures and offers smart meter sensor integrated with third party Smart Home systems. The company also develops and provides Eliq Energy Engagement Application which allows users to track energy consumption and generation, data analytics, API and integration, and software development kit. Eliq AB provides its products through retailers. Eliq AB was founded in 2008 and is based in Gothenburg, Sweden with an additional office in London, United Kingdom.

Fusebox Energy

Seed Round in 2020
Fusebox is building virtual power plant layers globally and trades the flexibility of electricity consumption to energy markets and balancing services. Fusebox also delivers necessary technology and know-how for local companies who have the necessary flexibility or have access to the flexibility through their existing client portfolios. Fusebox is a marketplace for flexibility and related services with Amazon model.

Zoomo

Series A in 2020
Zoomo, also known as Bolt Bikes Pty Ltd, is an electric bike provider that specializes in subscription rental services. Founded in 2017 and headquartered in Alexandria, New South Wales, Australia, the company manufactures and retails electric bikes primarily through its website. Zoomo caters to both individual consumers and the delivery service sector, focusing on utility bikes designed for various delivery needs, including parcels, mail, and groceries. In addition to its bike rental offerings, the company provides aftermarket services to support its products. Through ongoing development, Zoomo aims to expand its range of bike models to better serve individual consumers and enhance its presence in the delivery market.

Inion software

Seed Round in 2020
Control and monitoring solutions for solar plants and other industries.

Inbalance grid

Seed Round in 2020
Inbalance grid develops charging infrastructure that is built on a cluster system with a master and slave design concept, where the majority of the components are off the shelf and managed by In Balance grid software.

H2Pro

Series A in 2020
H2Pro, Ltd. is a company that specializes in innovative water-splitting technology aimed at producing hydrogen fuel. Founded in 2019 and based in Caesarea, Israel, H2Pro has developed a proprietary electrolysis method known as E-TAC (Electrochemical–Thermally-Activated Chemical water splitting). This technology effectively separates the hydrogen and oxygen evolution reactions, offering a super-efficient approach to green hydrogen production.

Zoomo

Seed Round in 2019
Zoomo, also known as Bolt Bikes Pty Ltd, is an electric bike provider that specializes in subscription rental services. Founded in 2017 and headquartered in Alexandria, New South Wales, Australia, the company manufactures and retails electric bikes primarily through its website. Zoomo caters to both individual consumers and the delivery service sector, focusing on utility bikes designed for various delivery needs, including parcels, mail, and groceries. In addition to its bike rental offerings, the company provides aftermarket services to support its products. Through ongoing development, Zoomo aims to expand its range of bike models to better serve individual consumers and enhance its presence in the delivery market.

H2Pro

Seed Round in 2019
H2Pro, Ltd. is a company that specializes in innovative water-splitting technology aimed at producing hydrogen fuel. Founded in 2019 and based in Caesarea, Israel, H2Pro has developed a proprietary electrolysis method known as E-TAC (Electrochemical–Thermally-Activated Chemical water splitting). This technology effectively separates the hydrogen and oxygen evolution reactions, offering a super-efficient approach to green hydrogen production.

Inion software

Pre Seed Round in 2019
Control and monitoring solutions for solar plants and other industries.

CHOOOSE

Seed Round in 2019
CHOOOSE AS, based in Oslo, Norway, specializes in carbon offset solutions by purchasing carbon credits and deleting CO2 emission quotas. The company offers a platform that enables consumer-facing enterprises to integrate climate compensation options into their e-commerce checkouts and applications, facilitating a seamless experience for millions of customers. Founded in 1997, CHOOOSE has received recognition for its innovative approach, being named Norway's startup of the year in 2017 and ranking among the top ten global tech startups by Sir Richard Branson and the Extreme Tech Challenge. Additionally, CHOOOSE sells gift cards online, further enhancing its consumer engagement.

Thrust

Seed Round in 2019
Aerodiagnostika Ltd. develops multifunctional fixed-wing drones for beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) flights. It offers technical support and periodic check-up for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The company offers aerial diagnostics services, artificial intelligence based analytics, and customized automated inspection services using UAVs that allows collection of diverse data. Additionally, the company organizes individual and group training sessions for UAV operators using their drones. The company was founded in 2018 and is based in Vilnius, Lithuania.

LastMile

Pre Seed Round in 2019
We provide a layer to launch e-commerce and delivery service for the retailers. 1. E-commerce - retailers have access to our platform with mobile apps and webpage to sell their products on. 2. Delivery service - express (one-hour), same-day or scheduled delivery and pickup from the store. 3. Mobile solutions - In-store product scanning and skipping checkout lane solution for app users and our gig-workers. Benefits for retailers: 65x lower investment; 2x cheaper costs per order delivery; One-hour delivery service; Added value with in-store mobile solutions and data insights; Visibility; New customers; Superfast onboarding - from scratch to market in few days!

Hepta Airborne

Seed Round in 2019
Hepta Airborne Ltd specializes in airborne inspection and technical analysis, offering consulting services primarily for the electricity infrastructure sector. Utilizing advanced drones with a six-hour flight capability, the company conducts inspections of poles, lines, insulators, transformers, and other equipment, while also assisting in the planning and route selection for overhead lines, land cables, and renewable energy projects. Hepta Airborne integrates its drone technology with autonomous data processing platforms and various sensors to deliver accurate assessments, thereby enhancing efficiency for power grid operators. Additionally, the company provides geographic information system consulting and utility construction design services, ensuring comprehensive support for clients' needs. Founded in 2017 and headquartered in Tallinn, Estonia, Hepta Airborne emphasizes the importance of big data in optimizing inspection processes and reducing environmental impact.

Moixa Energy Ltd

Corporate Round in 2019
Moixa Energy Ltd. is a UK-based company specializing in smart energy technology and battery solutions. Founded in 2003, it manufactures and distributes a range of products, including smart batteries, solar panel and battery storage bundles, and energy management dashboards. Moixa's offerings encompass the Maslow intelligent energy storage system, which allows homes to store energy and participate in energy trading through its GridShare platform. Additionally, the company provides solutions for solar self-consumption, smart monitoring, and urban solar applications. Moixa serves a diverse clientele, including individual homeowners, government agencies, utilities, housing associations, and commercial markets. The company is also known for its USBCELL range of USB rechargeable batteries and is focused on developing technologies that enhance energy efficiency and reduce reliance on traditional power conversion methods. Through its innovative products and services, Moixa Energy Ltd. aims to facilitate sustainable energy management and contribute to the growing demand for renewable energy solutions.

Sterblue

Seed Round in 2018
Sterblue develops software for drones inspecting outdoor structures. The software enables drones to inspect power lines or wind turbines with automated trajectories. The software caters to wind and solar energy sectors, electricity distribution, and electricity transmission. Sterblue was founded in 2016 and is based in Nantes, France.

PVcase

Pre Seed Round in 2018
The unique tool that automates 3D terrain based solar engineering, so you not only save time, but also get much better precision

CHRG Network

Pre Seed Round in 2018
CHRG Network is software platform for EV charging that connects all charging stations into a single network, enabling owners to share and monetise their charging stations. Driver App allows to find, book, and pay for access to charging stations.

Fusebox Energy

Pre Seed Round in 2018
Fusebox is building virtual power plant layers globally and trades the flexibility of electricity consumption to energy markets and balancing services. Fusebox also delivers necessary technology and know-how for local companies who have the necessary flexibility or have access to the flexibility through their existing client portfolios. Fusebox is a marketplace for flexibility and related services with Amazon model.

Voltaware

Series A in 2018
Voltaware was formed from a group of professionals from diverse industries who realised that there is currently a huge lack of transparency in household energy bills. They came together to solve this problem and developed the Voltaware energy monitor to give consumers the information they need to get the best energy offerings on the market as well as becoming more energy efficient without compromising lifestyle.

Thrust

Pre Seed Round in 2018
Aerodiagnostika Ltd. develops multifunctional fixed-wing drones for beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) flights. It offers technical support and periodic check-up for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The company offers aerial diagnostics services, artificial intelligence based analytics, and customized automated inspection services using UAVs that allows collection of diverse data. Additionally, the company organizes individual and group training sessions for UAV operators using their drones. The company was founded in 2018 and is based in Vilnius, Lithuania.

Switchee

Series A in 2018
Switchee Limited develops and supplies connected devices and analytics tailored for landlords and their residents, focusing primarily on the social housing sector. Founded in 2014 and based in London, the company has established itself as a leader in the Internet of Things (IoT) space for social housing. Switchee's flagship product is a smart thermostat that manages heating and hot water in homes, allowing landlords to optimize energy use and reduce fuel costs. The device not only helps identify maintenance issues but also facilitates direct communication between landlords and residents. By turning off heating in unoccupied properties and providing real-time data, Switchee enables landlords to save money while improving the quality of living for residents. For every pound invested in Switchee's services, landlords reportedly save two pounds, which can be reinvested in resident support. The company's innovative approach has transformed how landlords engage with their properties and residents, addressing issues such as fuel poverty and environmental sustainability.