upp kassel

What upp kassel does

upp Kassel (Fachgebiet Umweltgerechte Produkte und Prozesse) is a university research department at the University of Kassel, established in 2002 and led by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jens Hesselbach. It conducts applied research and provides services in energy efficiency, resource efficiency, decentralized energy systems, and renewable energy, targeting primarily small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Germany and the broader DACH region.

The department has translated its research into three proprietary technology platforms. be2morrow is a browser-based climate strategy and ESG reporting SaaS for SMEs that automates greenhouse gas accounting and uses generative AI to recommend reduction measures, supported by a proprietary database of thousands of implemented climate actions. Veli is an AI-based life assistance system for elderly and care-dependent individuals that detects emergency situations by anomaly-detection on household electricity and water consumption, without cameras or microphones. FilterOpt, developed with industrial partner Rinke GmbH, is an IoT-based filter management system that monitors particle filters in real time and predicts optimal replacement timing. The department also operates the Effizienzfabrik (Efficiency Factory), a demonstration and research facility that showcases energy-efficient production technologies, and runs the HIER! continuing education program and branch-specific industry workshops.

upp does not operate a traditional commercial revenue model. As a university research department within a public German university, it is funded through university budgets, public research grants (including the Distr@l program of the Hessian Ministry of Digitalization for productization of be2morrow, Veli, and FilterOpt), and collaborative industry projects. Pricing is explicitly inapplicable, and products are positioned as research outputs transitioning toward market readiness rather than commercially priced offerings.

Name

upp kassel

Legal name

Fachgebiet Umweltgerechte Produkte und Prozesse (upp) - Universität Kassel

Website

https://upp-kassel.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Short description

upp Kassel is a University of Kassel research department that develops energy and resource efficiency technologies and AI-driven platforms — including the be2morrow climate strategy SaaS, Veli elderly life-assistance AI, and FilterOpt IoT filter management — primarily for German SMEs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Applied Sustainability Research Services

NAICS

Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (5415), Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution (2211)

SIC

Cogeneration Services & Small Power Producers (4991), Auto Controls For Regulating Residential & Comml Environments (3822), Instruments For Meas & Testing Of Electricity & Elec Signals (3825)

akta.pro primary industry

DER Monitoring, Telemetry & Communications (IEEE 2030.5, DNP3, SunSpec) (EUADALAD)

Keywords

• Energy efficiency research
• Renewable energy systems
• Climate strategy platform
• IoT filter management
• AI elderly care

Headquarters

HQ city

Kassel

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

upp kassel conducts applied research and offers services on energy and resource efficiency, decentralized and renewable energy systems, and AI/IoT applications. It develops and operates proprietary platforms including be2morrow (climate strategy and ESG reporting for SMEs), Veli (AI-based life assistance for elderly households), and FilterOpt (IoT filter management), and runs the Effizienzfabrik demonstration facility plus the HIER! continuing education program for industry partners.

Product overview

UPP Kassel (Fachgebiet Umweltgerechte Produkte und Prozesse) is a university research group at Universität Kassel operating since 2002 in energy efficiency, resource efficiency, and renewable energy. Their portfolio includes three research-derived products: be2morrow (a climate strategy and ESG reporting SaaS platform for SMEs), Veli (an AI-powered life assistance system for elderly safety), and FilterOpt (an IoT-based industrial filter management system developed with Rinke GmbH). Additionally, they operate the Effizienzfabrik, a demonstration facility for industrial energy efficiency research and education. The group also offers continuing education programs (HIER! series) covering waste heat utilization, compressed air, energy monitoring, refrigeration, plastics processing, and production in air-conditioned spaces.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• be2morrow: Climate strategy platform for SMEs that automates greenhouse gas accounting, creates individualized climate strategies using AI, and provides ESG reporting.
• Veli
• FilterOpt
• Effizienzfabrik

Products and services

• be2morrow Browser-based SaaS platform for small and medium-sized enterprises that automates greenhouse gas accounting, generates individualized climate strategies with AI-based measure suggestions, and provides ESG reporting aligned with CSRD and GRI standards.
• Veli AI-based life assistance system for elderly and care-dependent individuals that detects danger situations and recognizes household activities by analyzing electricity and water consumption patterns, generating real-time caregiver alerts without cameras or microphones.
• FilterOpt IoT-based filter management system for particle filters, enabling real-time filter status monitoring, energy consumption measurement, and prediction of optimal replacement timing balancing ecological and economic factors, developed with industrial partner Rinke GmbH.
• Effizienzfabrik (Efficiency Factory) Demonstration and research facility showcasing energy and resource efficiency technologies for industrial production, including decentralized energy systems (KWKK), climate-controlled production, pneumatic vs electric drive comparisons, leak detection, absorption cooling, and energy monitoring. Available for guided industry visits.
• HIER! Continuing Education Program and Industry Workshops Professional training courses and branch-specific industry workshops on energy efficiency topics including waste heat recovery, compressed air, energy monitoring, cooling technology, plastics processing, and production in air-conditioned spaces, running since 2011, plus annual industry workshops since 2013.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability6 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Rinke GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Rinke GmbH to develop an IoT system for filter monitoring, enabling real-time filter status monitoring, energy consumption measurement, and predictive maintenance services.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Fraunhofer Institute for Energy Economics and Energy System Technology (IEE): Located in Kassel and focused on applied energy systems, decentralization, and integration of renewables, Fraunhofer IEE is the closest research-institute peer — overlapping directly with upp's decentralized energy, energy monitoring, and grid-adjacent research themes in the same city.
• Sweep: Sweep is a commercial ESG/CSRD platform purpose-built for mid-market and enterprise customers. It directly competes with be2morrow's CSRD/GRI reporting and climate-strategy functionality, with overlap in AI-assisted measure recommendations.
• Greenly: Greenly is a carbon-accounting SaaS aimed at SMEs and mid-market, automating GHG accounting and reduction pathways — a near-direct functional substitute for be2morrow's greenhouse gas accounting and AI measure recommendations.
• Plan A: Plan A provides a CSRD/ESG reporting and decarbonization platform with AI-driven recommendations, serving European SMEs and corporates. It competes head-to-head with be2morrow in CSRD/GRI compliance and climate strategy generation.
• carbmee: carbmee is a German carbon-accounting and CSRD SaaS serving SMEs and mid-market with automated emissions calculations and reduction recommendations — overlapping directly with be2morrow's value proposition and serving the same DACH customer base.
• Kiwigrid: Kiwigrid is a German energy-IoT platform connecting distributed energy assets, metering, and building/industrial energy management. It is comparable to FilterOpt's IoT-based industrial energy and filter monitoring, with similar DACH focus.
• Öko-Institut: Öko-Institut is a leading German applied sustainability research institute working on energy efficiency, climate protection, and resource management. Comparable to upp as a research institution translating energy/climate expertise into policy and industry practice.
• Wuppertal Institut für Klima, Umwelt, Energie: Wuppertal Institut is a German research institute focused on climate, energy, and resource transition with strong industry and policy engagement — comparable to upp in research profile, applied-industry focus, and DACH-centric operating geography.
• CarePredict: CarePredict is an AI-driven elderly activity and health monitoring platform using wearable sensors to detect behavioral anomalies. It is a direct functional peer to Veli's AI-based anomaly detection for elderly care, though CarePredict uses a wearable rather than utility-pattern inference.
• Sensara: Sensara provides sensor-based activity monitoring for independent living seniors and alerts for caregivers, a direct peer to Veli in the in-home non-intrusive elderly monitoring category with overlapping DACH/European customer base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 upp kassel