Company: Photowärmo GmbH
Founder: Muhammed Ali Demirtas
Date of establishment: October 1, 2023
Industry and company: Master craftsman's business for photovoltaics and heat pumps 

What drives you? What is your motto?
"The future begins today with sustainable energy for the next generations."

What is your start-up about and what makes it special?
At Photowärmo GmbH, we enable households and businesses in the Rhine-Main area (and beyond) to access clean energy through photovoltaics and heat pumps. Our unique selling point: tailor-made complete solutions from a single source, from consulting and installation to maintenance, with the highest quality standards. We are a regional master craftsman's business and are also partners of Buderus, LG, Sungrow, Huawei, SMA, Fronius, Bosch, Stiebel Eltron, and Viessmann.

What are your first successes?
Our first projects in Wiesbaden were completed to great customer acclaim. I am particularly proud of the first complete system integration of photovoltaics and heat pumps in an apartment building. It was proof that our vision works in practice!

What is your professional background?
I am a trained electronics technician for industrial engineering with trainer qualifications. In my professional career, I have looked after numerous technical systems. My passion for renewable energies and the desire to work independently led me to become self-employed.

What prompted you to start your own business?
The impetus came while I was working in industry: every day, I saw how much energy potential remained untapped. At the same time, my desire to make a real contribution to the energy transition grew. 

The decision to start my own business was cemented when I realized how great the need for reliable, honest providers in the field of sustainable energy is in our region. Many companies go bankrupt after a very short time and do not offer their customers long-term support, or they want large sums of money as a down payment and then fail to complete their work professionally; I was confronted with such problems. After hearing more and more stories like this from people around me and seeing them repeatedly in the media, I decided to take matters into my own hands.   

Who advised you, who are your helpers and mentors?
I was supported by the Wiesbaden Economic Development Agency and an experienced network of start-up consultants. My family is also always by my side – with support, motivation, and valuable advice. This combination was crucial for the start.  

How did you experience your first days as a founder?
Lots of excitement, little sleep—but also an incredible amount of anticipation. It was an intense mix of bureaucratic hurdles, planning, and initial customer meetings. And then the moment came: the first order—a real high!

What was your biggest challenge and how did you overcome it?
The biggest challenge was winning my first customers and building trust. Through open communication, quality, and reliability, I managed to generate referrals. Today, that is precisely what drives us forward.

How do you draw attention to your company? What is your best marketing idea?
In addition to a professional website, we use social media to publish our projects. Particularly effective: recommendations from satisfied customers, combined with local information events on the energy transition.

How did you finance your start-up?
The start-up was financed from my own funds.

What dream would you still like to realize?
I would like to set up a training center for young people to bring sustainable technology to life and train skilled workers.

Please complete the following sentence: If I had more time, I would... get
more young people excited about technology and sustainability.

What is your special tip: What would you recommend to founders?
Believe in your vision, but stay grounded. Good planning, honesty, and quality always prevail.