We believe engineers should spend time engineering, not formatting data.
A spin-off of the Urban Energy Systems Laboratory at Empa, founded by a team of energy engineers and software developers who experienced the pain of manual energy planning firsthand.
Our Story
Sympheny grew out of energy optimisation research at the Urban Energy Systems Laboratory at Empa — part of the ETH Domain — beginning in 2014, and was founded as a commercial platform in April 2020. The core technologies in multi-energy systems optimisation were developed and validated through years of research at Empa and ETH Zürich before they ever reached a customer project.
That foundation isn't just history. Our continued partnership with Empa and ETH Zürich means the science behind the platform keeps advancing — in ways a standard software company can't replicate.
We realised that the transition to renewable energy was being bottlenecked by inefficient software. We built Sympheny to change that.
Energy optimisation research began at Empa, ETH Domain. Commercial platform launched April 2020.
Engineering firms, utilities, municipalities, and developers across Europe.
Technology and capacity combinations evaluated across all customer projects to date.
Funded by leading Swiss energy and European deep tech investors.
The Team
Andrew Bollinger
CEO & Co-founder
PhD in energy optimisation. Energy sector expert with years of experience at the intersection of research and practice.
Julien Marquant
CPTO & Co-founder
PhD in energy optimisation. Former project manager at the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).
Christopher McLaren
Head of AI & Commercial Enablement
PhD in Mechanical Engineering from ETH Zürich. More than ten years of experience in advanced engineering, AI strategy and governance.
Stephanie Engels
President of the Board
Board chair and innovation leader with deep experience in strategy, sustainability and transformation. Supports organisations in shaping growth, leadership and long-term innovation.
Youssef Sherif
Senior Software Engineer, Modelling & Optimisation
MSc in Energy Systems & Technology from ETH Zürich. AWS Solutions Architect (certification in progress).
Charles Dabadie
Principal Backend Software Developer
Charles obtained his master's degrees in computer science, applied maths and aerospace engineering in France and the US. He was a visiting researcher at UC Berkeley and brings extensive international experience as a backend software engineer.
Nelly Ter-Borch
Customer Support Specialist
Energy transition specialist with experience across solar, district heating, building physics, and power-to-gas.
Delivered in India with ORMAE.
In India, Sympheny works with ORMAE, an operations research and optimisation consultancy in Bengaluru. ORMAE handles local delivery, model support and training, so Indian projects get the same Sympheny rigour with support in your time zone.
Proven across 40+ European energy projects, now delivered in India with ORMAE.
On data: Sympheny is Swiss-built, hosted in Switzerland and the EU by default, and aligns its handling of personal data with India's DPDP Act, 2023. Indian enterprises with onshore data requirements can include data-residency options in an Enterprise plan. Details on the legal page.
Advisors
Strategic and technical advisors with decades of leadership in energy, technology, and research.
Ian Wachters
Business Advisor
25+ years in strategy, pricing, and B2B markets. Deep experience in energy, financial services and commercial leadership for technology companies.
Kurt Marlein
Product & Business Development Advisor
25 years in telecom and energy sectors. Led innovation and go-to-market strategy for digital solutions across electricity networks and district heating across Europe.
Anne Claire Pliska
Business & Technology Advisor
20+ years of leadership in strategy, digital transformation, and innovation. Trilingual. Deep expertise across business, technology and sustainability.
Alexander Das
Member of the Board · Strategic Advisor
Strategy and business development professional with experience in innovation, M&A and renewable energy. Supports growth initiatives through strategic thinking and a strong focus on new business development.
Steve Smith
Financial Advisor
Senior finance executive with deep experience in strategic finance, HR and business transformation. Strong track record of improving performance and supporting growth across international businesses.
Matthias Sulzer
R&D Advisor
Head of Engineering Sciences at Empa. Visiting faculty at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Former energy planner who founded and listed his own engineering company.
Independently validated.
Reviewed and recognised by energy, sustainability and innovation organisations in Switzerland and beyond.
Watt d'Or 2025
Swiss Federal Office of Energy
Switzerland's national energy prize — "Buildings & Spatial Development" category. Nanoverbund project with IWB, ETH, Empa, HSLU.
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#SET100 Award
Start Up Energy Transition · 2023
Named one of the 100 most promising global energy start-ups of 2023. Selected from 400+ applicants across 63 countries.
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Efficient Solution
Solar Impulse Foundation · 2021
Independently certified as a clean and profitable solution. Audited by Ernst & Young against Solar Impulse label standards.
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Boost My Startup
BG Ingénieurs & UBS · 2021
Winner of the inaugural challenge by BG Consulting Engineers and UBS Growth Advisory. Selected from 30+ startups for commercial partnership.
Read announcementGrant Winner
Energy Lab · 2021
Grant awarded for innovation in sustainable energy system planning, supporting the commercialisation of rigorous multi-energy optimisation tools.
See it working on a project like yours.
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