2_0_DiscoverGermany_July 2015_Issue28:Scan Magazine 1
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Discover Germany | Special Theme | Perfect Software Partners
A true success story A cooperation between Thuringia’s financier bm|t and young company SecondSol resulted in an innovative online market place for solar panels and other photovoltaic products. Since its foundation in 2010, SecondSol has quickly developed into one of Europe’s market leaders with their original business idea. TEXT: NANE STEINHOFF | PHOTOS: BM|T I SECONDSOL
“bm|t is the first address for Venture Capital investments in Thuringia. We invest our assets in young and established businesses and thus finance innovation and economic growth,” Stephan Beier, Investment Manager at bm|t, explains. He adds:“Mr. Fiedler, CEO and founder of SecondSol came to us with his business idea in 2012 and we immediately found it awesome. We offered him a start-up financing and he has developed into Europe’s leading trading platform for used solar components in only three years with over 1,500 daily users.” A few years back Frank Fiedler noticed a significant market gap for solar products. When one panel fails or is stolen, one needs exactly the same one for replacement. The problem was that thousands of module types flooded the market, that a specific one wasn’t easy to find and that most sup-
98 | Issue 28 | July 2015
pliers didn’t have many panels in stock. This was a significant problem for insurers as their only possibility was to replace all panels with new ones.“The idea of an online market place was born and SecondSol was founded,” Beier says. The result was a trading platform for photovoltaic products for private suppliers and traders.“It is pretty much like eBay for solar panels. You can buy and sell a big range of photovoltaic products and find exactly what you’re looking for. Simply type the name, manufacturer and needed measures in the search box and get a direct offer,” Beier notes. The products are either found in SecondSol’s own warehouses or a platform member put it up for sale. A full-service provider, SecondSol doesn’t only sell used photovoltaic products, but also provides new and refurbished modules. Their range of services
includes testing solar panels for faults, repairing and cleaning measures and even a solar panel theft database. Not only successful in Europe, SecondSol seeks to expand into the North American market. Thus, the company is currently searching for strategic partners and investors. “SecondSol is one of the success story examples of bm|t,” Stephan Beier adds. The investment company with funds of approximately 250 million euros is the perfect companion when it comes to corporate equity financing in Germany’s Free State of Thuringia. www.secondsol.com www.bm-t.com
Main image: The team of bm|t Top: Frank Fiedler, CEO of SecondSol GmbH Above: Stephan Beier, Investment Manager at bm|t