Riddle&Code
Riddle&Code is a Vienna-based B2B platform company selling KERN, an autonomous energy software and NODE ZERO hardware stack that connects, forecasts, and dispatches flexibility from distributed behind-the-meter assets for utilities, aggregators, VPP platforms, and energy communities across European markets.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersVienna, Austria
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Riddle&Code does
Riddle & Code GmbH is a Vienna-based private company (founded 2016, 11–50 employees) that has repositioned itself around KERN, an autonomous energy platform for distributed flexibility management behind the meter. KERN normalizes heterogeneous distributed energy assets — residential and commercial PV, battery storage, heat pumps, EV chargers, CHP, and controllable loads — across protocols including Modbus, SunSpec, EEBUS, OCPP, and proprietary inverter APIs, and operates an autonomous loop of rolling 24h forecasting, demand ingestion, rebalancing, dispatch, and execution confirmation. Connectivity is delivered via a dual-stack of MIOTY (IEC 62657-1 LPWAN, 10km range, <1s dispatch latency, 1.5M messages/day per gateway) for geographically dispersed assets and Zigbee Mesh for contiguous sites, with the NODE ZERO hardware family (Meter Bridge edge hub, ZIGBEE³ coordinator, Meter Link relay and metering modules) developed in partnership with the RDDL Foundation to anchor the on-site stack.
The company sells to four primary B2B segments — utilities, flexibility aggregators, VPP platforms, and energy communities — via a quote-based enterprise SaaS model with annual or multi-year contracts and three integration modalities (API integration, white-label, pilot). GTM combines executive briefings (45-minute C-level format), technical deep dives, live system demonstrations, and on-site visits to a production MV/LV microgrid installation in Austria. Riddle&Code currently discloses three live production deployments — a medium/low-voltage microgrid, a utility-owned flexibility aggregator bidding into Austrian energy markets, and an energy community platform — all referenceable on request, positioning the company as an early-commercial-stage infrastructure provider targeting European flexibility markets and Redispatch 2.0 / §14a / EAG / EnFG compliance regimes.
Riddle&Code firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Riddle&Code
- Legal name
- Riddle & Code GmbH
- Website
- https://riddleandcode.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Riddle&Code is a Vienna-based B2B platform company selling KERN, an autonomous energy software and NODE ZERO hardware stack that connects, forecasts, and dispatches flexibility from distributed behind-the-meter assets for utilities, aggregators, VPP platforms, and energy communities across European markets.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Riddle&Code industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Distributed Energy Resource Management & Flexibility Platform
- NAICS
- Computer Systems Design and Related Services (5415)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)
- akta.pro primary industry
- VPP Orchestration & Aggregator Operating Platforms (EUAFAKAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- DERMS Platforms & Utility Integration (ADMS/SCADA Integration, Hosting Capacity) (EUAFAHAF), Aggregator-as-a-Service & White-Label VPP Programs (Retailers, OEMs, Utilities) (EUAFAHAK), Device/Asset Enablement & Edge Control (IoT Gateways, Controllers, Interoperability) (EUAFAHAI), DER Dispatch, Aggregation & Virtual Power Plant (VPP) Integration (EUADALAI)
Keywords
Where Riddle&Code is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Vienna
- HQ country
- Austria
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Riddle&Code business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- KERN Platform Subscription: SaaS platform subscription for utilities, aggregators, and VPP platforms. Provides autonomous asset management, forecasting, and dispatch capabilities. Billed typically on annual or multi-year contract basis.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Enterprise platform subscription — pricing not publicly disclosed |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Riddle&Code product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Riddle&Code builds KERN, an autonomous energy platform that sits behind the meter to optimise, forecast and dispatch flexibility from distributed energy assets (PV, BESS, heat pumps, EV chargers, CHP and controllable loads) across households, C&I facilities, microgrids and energy communities. The platform runs a five-step autonomous loop — 24h forecast, demand signal, rebalance, dispatch, confirm — delivered via MIOTY (IEC 62657-1) LPWAN for distributed assets and Zigbee Mesh for contiguous sites. KERN is sold alongside NODE ZERO purpose-built edge hardware (developed with RDDL Foundation) and integrated with utilities, aggregators and VPP platforms through a normalised REST/WebSocket API.
Product overview
Riddle&Code offers KERN, an autonomous energy platform for distributed energy assets, complemented by NODE ZERO purpose-built hardware. KERN operates as the core software platform providing autonomous optimisation, 24h rolling forecasts, and confirmed dispatch for flexibility management behind the meter. The platform serves aggregators, utilities, VPP platforms, and energy communities through four asset contexts: households (HEMS fleet), commercial & industrial (PV, BESS, CHP, controllable loads), microgrids, and energy communities. KERN supports three optimisation modes — self-consumption maximisation, economic optimisation (intraday arbitrage, FCR/aFRR, peak shaving), and community self-consumption — managed through the autonomous loop of forecast, demand, rebalance, dispatch, and confirmation. NODE ZERO hardware (Meter Bridge edge hub, ZIGBEE³ USB coordinator, and Meter Link modules for MBus/optical interfaces and 3-phase metering) provides the connectivity layer for assets, supporting Zigbee Mesh for contiguous sites and MIOTY for geographically distributed assets.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- KERN: The main autonomous energy platform that sits behind the meter to optimise, forecast and dispatch flexibility from households, facilities, microgrids and energy communities.
- NODE ZERO
Products and services
- KERN Autonomous Energy Platform Autonomous energy platform for distributed energy assets (PV, BESS, heat pumps, EV chargers, CHP, controllable loads) across households, C&I facilities, microgrids and energy communities. Provides 24h rolling flexibility forecasts, autonomous dispatch via MIOTY or Zigbee Mesh and real-time execution confirmation, delivered to utilities, aggregators and VPP platforms via a normalised REST/WebSocket API.
- NODE ZERO Meter Bridge Local-first intelligence edge hub for energy infrastructure deployments. Provides on-site connectivity and edge processing to interface with meters and assets behind the meter as part of the KERN connectivity layer.
- NODE ZERO ZIGBEE³ USB Coordinator USB Zigbee coordinator designed for contiguous site deployments — buildings, campuses and industrial premises. Provides Zigbee Mesh connectivity beneath the KERN platform for HEMS, C&I facilities and energy communities on a single site.
- NODE ZERO Meter Link Zigbee Relay Module Zigbee relay module supporting MBus and optical interfaces, enabling the KERN platform to connect to legacy metering infrastructure on site.
- NODE ZERO Meter Link 3-Phase Metering Reader 3-phase metering reader for commercial and industrial energy monitoring, providing the metering input the KERN platform uses for C&I flexibility dispatch and Redispatch 2.0 compliance.
Quantifiable outcome
- 10 km MIOTY range — assets at rural sites, basements, and industrial premises previously unreachable become available
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Riddle&Code
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Riddle&Code technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability3 records
Feature8 records
Riddle&Code partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- RDDL FoundationcoreRDDL Foundation partnered with Riddle&Code to develop NODE ZERO — purpose-built hardware designed from the ground up for energy infrastructure. NODE ZERO includes Meter Bridge (local-first edge hub), ZIGBEE3 USB coordinator, Meter Link relay modules for MBus and optical interfaces, and 3-phase metering readers.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Riddle&Code competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- EnergyHub: EnergyHub is a DER management platform serving utilities with residential and commercial device orchestration for demand response, VPP and flexibility programs. It is the most directly comparable peer — both platforms target utility-owned flexibility portfolios behind the meter, integrate heterogeneous DER assets, and provide dispatch confirmation.
- Voltus: Voltus is a DER aggregation platform that bids customer flexibility into wholesale and ancillary services markets (FCR, aFRR, capacity). Directly comparable on the aggregator-side flexibility bidding and confirmed-dispatch use case that KERN targets.
- GridPoint: GridPoint provides distributed energy management and asset optimisation across C&I buildings, combining hardware, software, and analytics. Comparable to KERN in offering behind-the-meter optimisation across heterogeneous assets with confirmed dispatch, though with a stronger North American footprint.
- Stem Inc. Stem Inc. provides AI-driven energy storage optimisation and VPP services for C&I customers, bidding into ancillary services and wholesale markets. Comparable on autonomous dispatch, AI-driven forecasting and confirmed flexibility delivery, though with stronger focus on storage assets.
Broad incumbents
- AutoGrid (Schneider Electric): AutoGrid, now part of Schneider Electric's DERMS/Grid to Prosumer portfolio, provides VPP orchestration and flexibility aggregation for utilities globally. Comparable on the VPP orchestration and dispatch optimisation layer but embedded within Schneider's much larger grid software and hardware portfolio.
- Enel X (formerly EnerNOC / Enbala): Enel X operates one of the largest commercial VPP and demand response businesses globally, after acquiring Enbala. Comparable aggregator-side flexibility dispatch capability but as part of a much broader utility and energy services conglomerate.
- Sonnen (Shell): Sonnen, owned by Shell, provides residential battery storage and operates a virtual power plant aggregating sonnen batteries across Europe. Comparable on the VPP and residential storage aggregation layer, but vertically integrated with own battery hardware and leveraging Shell's scale.
Emerging players
- Kevo Energy (Kevo): Kevo Energy is an emerging European platform focused on residential flexibility aggregation and energy community optimisation. Comparable on the energy community and residential DER aggregation use cases targeted by KERN, though at an earlier stage and with a narrower geographic focus.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Riddle&Code social profiles
Digital presenceRiddle&Code financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Riddle&Code leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Riddle&Code funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds5 records
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Riddle&Code M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Riddle&Code
What does Riddle&Code do?
Riddle&Code builds KERN, an autonomous energy platform that sits behind the meter to optimise, forecast and dispatch flexibility from distributed energy assets (PV, BESS, heat pumps, EV chargers, CHP and controllable loads) across households, C&I facilities, microgrids and energy communities. The platform runs a five-step autonomous loop — 24h forecast, demand signal, rebalance, dispatch, confirm — delivered via MIOTY (IEC 62657-1) LPWAN for distributed assets and Zigbee Mesh for contiguous sites. KERN is sold alongside NODE ZERO purpose-built edge hardware (developed with RDDL Foundation) and integrated with utilities, aggregators and VPP platforms through a normalised REST/WebSocket API.
Is Riddle&Code a public or private company?
Riddle&Code is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Riddle&Code founded?
Riddle&Code was founded in 2016. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Riddle&Code based?
Riddle&Code is headquartered in Vienna, Austria, in the Europe region.
How does Riddle&Code make money?
One revenue line is on record: KERN Platform Subscription.
Who are Riddle&Code's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are EnergyHub, Voltus, GridPoint and Stem Inc.. Broad incumbents are AutoGrid (Schneider Electric), Enel X (formerly EnerNOC / Enbala) and Sonnen (Shell). Kevo Energy (Kevo) is listed as an emerging player.
Does Riddle&Code have an API?
Yes. KERN delivers normalised telemetry and accepts dispatch commands via REST/WebSocket. Provides a clean, normalised API feed with dispatch confirmation and 24h flexibility forecasts for every asset. Integration models include API integration (REST/WebSocket, low effort), white-label deployment (KERN runs under customer brand as 'Asset Connectivity Module', medium effort), and pilot programs (minimal effort). Developer documentation is at Not specified.
What industry is Riddle&Code in?
Riddle&Code's product category is Distributed Energy Resource Management & Flexibility Platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUAFAKAC, VPP Orchestration & Aggregator Operating Platforms, with a secondary code of EUAFAHAF, DERMS Platforms & Utility Integration (ADMS/SCADA Integration, Hosting Capacity). Its NAICS code is 5415 and its SIC code is 7373.