Energy for everyone, anywhere: mobile, clean and quiet - Spotlight on Benedikt Domke, CEO of emost

More and more companies are looking for a more sustainable mobile energy supply. This is because the days of diesel generators are numbered due to the EU-wider equirement to phase out combustion engines. With the revolutionary emost Butler S, the team has its finger on the pulse of the times. The Axpo spin-out has its sights set on a market worth billions.

This is where Benedikt Domke, CEO of emost, wants to take off. And is already in the thick of it. His dream: to provide clean and economical energy for events, festivals, construction projects and many other industries at the edge or beyond the electricity grid. Customers simply name their application, and emost delivers exactly what they need.

Benedikt, equipped with an arsenal of skills from the outset, showcased his prowess early on. During his studies in the USA, he not only graduated with top honors but did so in two subjects simultaneously. His academic journey continued with a Master's degree in Strategy and International Management at the prestigious University of St. Gallen, followed by a Master of Finance at the renowned ESADE Business School in Spain. Serving as a consultant at the Boston Consulting Group, Benedikt thrived on groundbreaking initiatives in uncharted territories. Little did he know, this experience would perfectly set the stage for his impactful roles at Axpo and emost.

"My dream is to provide clean, affordable and quiet energy accessible to everyone, anywhere"

Benedikt, emost is a spin-out from Axpo. That sounds like a smooth start with development in a protected space?

Even in the environment of larger companies, ideas have to constantly reassert themselves in order to be financed. It all started with a workshop held by Axpo's Renewable Energies division on the subject of innovation, where two of my co-founders pitched the idea based on input of the building contractor Markus Birchmeier. When I joined later, however, the future of the emost project was in doubt, as the hurdles involved in setting up a new technology are enormous and not everything has always worked perfectly. On Group level, people are often very quick to look at what has gone less than perfectly and not at what the team has already achieved.

In what way?

When I joined the team, we had eight months to show that the product worked and that the market existed. To do this, we had to bring the employees, who were spread across several teams and tasks, even closer together, reserve time for the emost project, drive the product forward technically and, above all, find the first partners on the sales side. This was not easy, but it was successful. At the end of the day, the emost Butler S provided all the desired services.

"Imagine electricity as convenient as plugging into a socket, even in areas with little to no power infrastructure. An incredible improvement in the quality of life for many hard-working employees."

‍That sounds perfect.
We had reached a point where we wanted to scale up and requested resources from the Group management to develop a proper business. But the emost Butler S did not fit in with Axpo's new corporate strategy, which was just being developed.

"The emost Butler S is the perfect energy supplier for off-grid markets such as the construction industry, event locations, film sets or agriculture."

That must have been frustrating for you.

It was a real paradox - when you have achieved all your goals but still can't spark interest. As a team, we asked ourselves whether we should continue. The hopes and expectations of some colleagues were rather subdued, to put it positively. At the time, I said to myself: this is not the end!

“We are talking about a market worth around 40 billion euros.”

Was the spin-out a clear-cut matter?

Not at all. I had to digest the management decision first. Fortunately, I had a colleague who encouraged me. "What a brilliant opportunity," he said and brought me together with another founder who had already gone down the path of a start-up. After that, it was clear what to do. The exchange helped me immensely to inspire my team to take the path of independence.

Speaking of the team. What was it like for you to join an almost established team as CEO?

It’s an amazing team and every day I’m honored to work with them. As I had already been working in various management roles at Axpo for almost seven years at that time, we had similar DNA. But I think it was the time around the spin-out of emost that really welded us together. We trusted each other and believed in the future of the product. And yes, I am super grateful for their openness and willingness to follow me on the adventure of building a startup.

What changed for you and the team when you became self-employed?

When we spun out emost, I first realized how much luxury I had in the corporate environment. We had to rebuild everything from scratch: Structures, enterprise resource planning, HR, legal and a trustee. Fortunately, the team was made up of very experienced people who still make me think "it's cool that they work here".

"Cash and speed are what count for us."

To what extent has your mindset changed?

Cash flow counts for a startup. Because without cash, you can't pay bills. So we had to move away from our previous profit/loss mentality, where the timing of cash flow was less relevant. However, the team understood this very quickly. Another issue is speed. In the start-up environment, it is best to have implemented it yesterday. Because it's not just external costs that count. Internal costs are just as relevant. If a customer appointment is postponed, we try to make up for it within the week. This is a completely different drive than before. We have developed a lot here, but there is always more potential.

“Fortunately, the team was made up of very experienced people.”

How do you keep your team together?

Team bonding is very important. Most of my colleagues come to work at our branch in Dietikon. However, we also have employees in Sales travelling 3 to 5 days per week as well as people in Germany and India. Once a month, we have what we call our "state of emost" meeting. This is where we discuss the most important challenges. And we always have a small competition of ideas here. The best idea wins, no matter who comes up with it. Whenever we hold a major team offsite, it's clear that everyone is there, even if our colleague has to travel from India. The time is filled with intensive discussions, but these lay the foundation for good collaboration in everyday life.

"With the emost Butler S, you can save up to 140 tons of CO2 compared to a normal diesel generator."

You have won several prizes, the Zurzibiet Innovation Award and third prize in the pitching competition at the Startup Nights in Winterthur last year. What makes the emost Butler S so special?

The emost Butler S is a mobile energy storage system based on lithium-ion technology with 50 KVA output and 25 kWh capacity. The bigger brother, the Butler M has up to 150 KVA and 150 kWh. In contrast to conventional diesel generators, it provides energy quietly and without emissions. It is therefore particularly suitable for the construction industry, the film and event sector, but also for agriculture - for all places where there is no access to the power grid and where you need a little more power at the same time. In terms of life cycle costs, we are clearly cheaper than a diesel generator - as the purchase costs are somewhat higher, this still needs to be explained to the customer.

And what about the environmental footprint?

With the emost Butler S, you can save up to 140 tons of CO2 compared to a normal diesel generator. With 800 hours of operation per year over 15 years charged with the Swiss electricity mix, the emost Butler consumes 8 tons of CO2 including production - that's 143 tons of CO2 less than a 30 KVA diesel generator. This is also due to the fact that the diesel generator has a minimum load operation. It runs all day, even if only the radio or microwave is connected to it at lunchtime. We are in the process of certifying the savings, so that we can monetize them for our clients as well.

What effect does the quiet and low-emission operation of the emost Butler S have on customers? Can you share an experience?

A trial in the field has shown that the emost Butler S not only saves CO2, but also greatly improves productivity.

Interesting. In what way?

A track construction team worked with a diesel generator in the first half of the shift. The emost Butler S was then used in the second half of the shift and, lo and behold, significantly more sleepers were laid than in the first half of the shift - even though this is usually the less productive part of the shift. The quiet operation of the emost Butler S enables faster communication and understanding. And that speeds up the entire work process. We have had similar experiences in tunnel construction projects, and I am particularly motivated by the better working conditions for our customers’ employees.

"Customer data shows that the emost Butler S also helps to increase productivity."

What about the competition?

We now have a number of market competitors - but that's good, because it stimulates the market and raises awareness. Other companies explain to customers that there are new "ways of working" - and we then convince them in the test (laughs).

How big is the opportunity for emost?

Around 4.9 million diesel generators are sold every year. In Europe, around 1.2 million, which will have to be replaced in the next few years due to the EU ban on combustion engines. In addition, there are more and more grid restrictions, to draw the needed electricity for temporary usage like construction sites or events, where we can locally “boost” the grid. With "grid boosting" and diesel generators, we are talking about a market worth around 40 billion euros in 2030.

Impressive. How are you preparing for this surge in demand?

The question is when the wave will break in the market and when exactly companies will start the changeover. Our preparations are underway and we are currently 80% ready for such a large ramp up. Here in Switzerland, we are concentrating on development and software. Our hardware is produced by a trusted manufacturer in Switzerland and Hungary. But there is still a lot to do - from new features for customers to a production facility that manufactures large series of high-quality products, to the sales and service infrastructure. We are very well positioned with our partners - but the leap from 100 to 1,000 and 10,000 units per year should not be underestimated.

What is your focus looking like for 2024?

In 2024, our key focus is to take emost to the next level – boosted by another successful financing round. Our three milestones: To expand our team, particularly in sales & marketing, to diversify our sales channels in the ecosystem and to extend our product offering on the software and hardware side.
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‍And what is your vision for emost in 5 years' time?

We want to make it easy for our customers to switch from diesel generators to a clean, decentralized energy supply. Our customers should focus on their core business and receive turnkey solutions from us and our partners for their green power supply beyond the grid. In addition to Europe, we also want to gain a foothold in other regions such as Asia and the Pacific, the USA and Africa by then. With very high volumes, we could even have our own plant in five years' time.

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That's quite an announcement. Good luck to the whole team - we look forward to accompanying this great development, Benedikt!

Do you have an application or want to find out more about the possibilities of working with emost? Then contact Benedikt Domke or visit him and the team at on of the following fairs:
The Disaster Expo in Frankfurt: 15th – 16th May 2024.
The InnoTrans 2024, Berlin - 24.09. – 27.09.2024
The GaLaBau, Nürnberg – 11. – 14. 09 2024
The Intersolar, München - 18. – 21.06.24

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