What retoflow does

retoflow GmbH is a cloud-based SaaS company headquartered at Universitätsplatz 10–12 in Kassel, Germany, founded in August 2021 as a spin-off of the Fraunhofer Institute for Energy Economics and Energy Technology (Fraunhofer IEE) and the University of Kassel. Its platform digitalizes and automates planning processes for electricity, gas, heating, and water network operators, creating continuously updated, computable digital twins by integrating data from customer GIS, ERP, and measurement systems. The underlying grid calculation engines are built on the open-source libraries pandapower and pandapipes, which were developed by retoflow's founders and have been downloaded over one million times globally. The product is organized into three go-to-market modules — Connection Planning (automated network compatibility checking for low-voltage grids), Target Grid Planning (strategic scenario modeling and expansion optimization), and Grid Operation / Live Monitoring (state estimation and §14a EnWG bottleneck management) — plus cross-sectoral power, gas, water, and heating grid modules that include hydrogen strategy planning.

The company serves a German-centric customer base of distribution grid operators (Netze BW, BS NETZ, EAM, Bayernwerk, Thüringer Energienetze, iNetz, Nordhausen Netz, ENWAG) and municipal utilities (Stadtwerke Fürstenfeldbruck, Dachau, Freising, Balingen, Tuttlingen, Bad Salzuflen, Bühl, Verden, Gaggenau, Rinteln, Bad Säckingen, Herborn), using a direct enterprise sales motion centered on personalized live demos led by the Head of Sales. The revenue model combines a recurring software subscription (hosted in retoflow Cloud, private cloud, or on-premise) with engineering services delivered in cooperation with implementation partners such as BTC. Distribution combines direct sales with a multi-tier partner network that includes technology partners (PSI, KISTERS, VENIOS, VIVAVIS, SMIGHT, BentoNet, OpenKonsequenz), system integration (BTC), and research (Fraunhofer IEE, University of Kassel, House of Energy).

As of the input data, retoflow has grown to a team of approximately 15, operates exclusively in the DACH region with Germany as the primary market, has won multiple 2022 awards (dena Data4Grid Challenge, Hessischer Staatspreis für Energie), and joined the SpinLab – The HHL Accelerator in May 2023. Revenue, funding totals, and ownership beyond the three co-founders are not publicly disclosed.

Name

retoflow

Legal name

retoflow GmbH

Website

https://retoflow.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

retoflow is a cloud-based SaaS platform that digitizes and automates planning processes for electricity, gas, and heating network operators. Founded in 2021 as a spin-off of Fraunhofer IEE and the University of Kassel, it serves German municipal utilities and distribution grid operators with cross-sectoral digital grid modeling and planning.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Energy Grid Planning Software

NAICS

Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro primary industry

Microwave & Licensed Point-to-Point Backhaul for Grid Operations (EUADAIAE)

Keywords

• Energy grid planning
• Digital twin software
• Distribution network operations
• Power system simulation
• Grid digitalization platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Kassel

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Software Platform Subscription: Cloud-based SaaS platform for digital grid planning. Can be hosted in retoflow cloud, private cloud, or on-premise (customer's IT infrastructure). Pricing likely based on grid size, number of users, or functionality modules.
2. Engineering Services: In cooperation with various partners, retoflow offers engineering services related to connection planning and target grid planning.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

retoflow provides a cloud-based SaaS platform for digital planning and operation of electricity, gas, heating, and water distribution grids. The platform creates computable digital twins of energy grids by integrating data from GIS, ERP, and measurement systems, enabling connection planning, target grid planning, and live monitoring in a single system. It is built on the open-source tools pandapower and pandapipes and can be deployed in retoflow Cloud, private cloud, or on-premise.

Product overview

retoflow is a software platform for digital energy grid planning, founded in 2021 as a spin-off from Fraunhofer IEE and the University of Kassel. The offering consists of the retoflow Platform as the central hub, with three integrated product modules: Connection Planning (automated network compatibility checking), Target Grid Planning (strategic scenario modeling), and Grid Operation/Live Monitoring (real-time digital twin). For power grids, retoflow provides comprehensive grid modeling, analysis, and simulation. For pipe networks (gas, water, heating), it offers hydraulic and thermal simulation capabilities. The platform is built on open-source tools pandapower and pandapipes and supports hosting in retoflow Cloud, private cloud, or on-premise.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• retoflow Platform Web-based central platform for digital planning of power and pipe grids. Integrates data from GIS, ERP and measurement systems to create computable network models and enables connection planning, target grid planning, and live monitoring across all sectors. Sold to grid operators and municipal utilities.
• Connection Planning (Anschlussplanung) Automated network compatibility checking for connection requests in low-voltage grids. Provides automated connection point identification, cable design checking, bottleneck detection, documentation and capacity reservation management for distribution grid operators.
• Target Grid Planning (Zielnetzplanung)
• Grid Operation / Live Monitoring (Netzbetrieb)
• Power Grid Planning (Stromnetzplanung)
• Pipe Grid Planning (Rohrnetzplanung)

Quantifiable outcome

• pandapower and pandapipes have over 1 million downloads worldwide, demonstrating global adoption and validation of the underlying technology
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers20 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

AI capability5 records

Feature9 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Fraunhofer IEEcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2021Fraunhofer Institute for Energy Economics and Energy Technology (IEE) is the institution where retoflow's founders developed pandapower and pandapipes. retoflow was founded as a spin-off from Fraunhofer IEE. Joint winner of dena Data4Grid Challenge in 2022. Ongoing research collaboration.
• University of KasselcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2021retoflow was founded as a spin-off from University of Kassel. Founders developed pandapower and pandapipes during research work at the university. Ongoing academic collaboration.
• House of EnergyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch and development partner working with retoflow on new solutions for energy grid planning.
• BTCminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSystem integrator and consulting partner supporting implementation of retoflow platform and digitalization of low-voltage grids.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Smight: Smight is a German emerging player focused on low-voltage grid transparency through sensor and IoT-based monitoring. As a retoflow partner, it competes in adjacent grid monitoring capabilities and represents a comparable German startup trajectory in the same ecosystem.
• Venios Energy Solutions: Venios offers smart grid solutions including low-voltage grid analytics and congestion management. Listed as a retoflow partner, Venios is a comparable German emerging player with overlapping capabilities in smart grid analytics for distribution operators.
• VIVAVIS (SGOP): VIVAVIS offers the Smart Grid Operation Platform (SGOP) for low-voltage grid monitoring and control, overlapping with retoflow's live monitoring and §14a functionality. As both a partner and competitor, VIVAVIS competes in the smart grid operation layer.

Direct peers

• DIgSILENT (PowerFactory): DIgSILENT's PowerFactory is the established market leader in power system analysis and grid planning software. It directly competes with retoflow's power grid planning module on load flow, short-circuit, and state estimation capabilities, and is deeply embedded in European utility workflows.
• STANET (Fischer Udo): STANET is a German-market grid calculation tool widely used by municipal utilities for gas, water, and power network analysis. It is a direct peer for retoflow's pipe grid planning module and is among the legacy incumbents retoflow positions to replace.
• ETAP: ETAP is an established power system modeling and grid planning platform with strong positions in industrial and utility markets globally. It overlaps directly with retoflow on load flow, short-circuit, and grid analysis capabilities, particularly for larger enterprise customers.
• NEPLAN (Trimble): NEPLAN is a long-standing competitor in transmission and distribution grid analysis, with comparable load flow, short-circuit, and optimization features. retoflow explicitly supports NEPLAN model imports, confirming direct technology overlap and competitive substitution risk.
• KISTERS (Integral): KISTERS' Integral suite is a major European grid planning and energy data management platform. As both a technology partner and competitor to retoflow, KISTERS represents the integrated-suite incumbent that retoflow must either displace or partner with for distribution.

Broad incumbents

• PSI Software: PSI offers the PSI P2ng grid management platform alongside broader energy and infrastructure software. Listed as a retoflow partner, PSI competes as a broad incumbent for the same distribution grid operator wallet share with deeper legacy relationships.
• Siemens Smart Infrastructure (SINCAL, Gridscale X): Siemens offers SINCAL for grid planning and Gridscale X as a broader digital grid portfolio. As a broad incumbent, Siemens competes with retoflow across multiple utility software categories while offering enterprise-scale implementation, OT/IT integration, and global support that retoflow cannot match.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about retoflow