Epyr: clean industrial heat, made simple

Founded in 2024, epyr tackles one of the biggest challenges in the energy transition: the decarbonisation of industrial heat. This segment accounts for almost 25% of global energy consumption and remains largely reliant on fossil fuels. “Three quarters of the energy used in industry is heat,” Léa explains. “If we want to meet our climate goals, we need to make this sector cleaner and more cost-effective.”

Epyr’s solution turns this ambition into reality. The system converts electricity into heat, stores it in high-performance ceramic materials, and releases it when needed. It captures electricity at times of high renewable output and low prices, providing a stable, efficient and fully decarbonised source of heat for manufacturers.

The founding team combines complementary expertise: Bastien, who previously founded the agritech company Innovafeed, and Léa, who worked on energy strategy at the Boston Consulting Group and within the French government, decided to join forces to bridge what they describe as “the missing link between the complexity of industrial-heat decarbonization and the potential of electrification.”

Their first system is already being deployed in Troyes, France, for the German paper manufacturer WEPA, a company that requires significant amounts of heat to dry paper pulp. Epyr’s technology replaces part of WEPA’s gas supply with clean, grid-sourced electro-thermal energy, providing a great example of how industrial producers can strengthen both sustainability and energy sovereignty.

Beyond technical achievements, epyr stands out through its heat-as-a-service model. Rather than selling equipment, the company offers an integrated solution that includes hardware, smart energy management, financing and maintenance.

This approach allows clients to decarbonise without upfront investment or technical risk. “Our differentiation lies not only in the materials we use but also in the way we connect and operate them,” Léa explains. “It is a complex system designed to make things simple for the client.” Beyond its first installations, epyr has a growing pipeline of more than twenty industrial projects across Europe.

By storing renewable power and releasing it as heat when required, epyr’s system contributes to the flexibility of Europe’s power grid. “We will soon have an energy system that is decentralised and intermittent,” Léa reflects. “epyr’s role is to make this transition possible for industrial players, making renewable energy accessible, reliable and economically viable.”

“What motivates us most is seeing the change happen on the ground. When a factory that once depended entirely on gas starts using our system and realises it can decarbonise without disruption, that is when you know this transition is real,” she adds.

Epyr has been supported with an equity investment by AENU, a venture capital firm focussing on climatech, which in turn, was backed by the EIF.