Munich Startup: What motivated you to found a company?
Julia Rafschneider: I didn’t have a master plan. Rather, it was an inner pressure that I could no longer suppress. At some point it was clear: I don’t want to watch from the sidelines, I want to help build. I grew up in a world where people accomplish so much without anyone really seeing it. That feeling shapes me to this day. The energy transition doesn’t happen in whitepapers. It happens where people stand outside every day and practically implement it. That’s exactly why craftsmanship touched me so deeply.
For us at NuuEnergy, craftspeople are the real climate makers. They carry a significant part of the heat transition. And that’s exactly why they deserve good working conditions, modern structures, and genuine appreciation. Not because it sounds good, but because the heat transition simply won’t work without them. That’s why NuuEnergy: We work bottom-up, building regional specialist businesses and, most importantly, an environment where people can say, “I matter here as a person, not just as a role.” For me, empathy and implementation power don’t exclude each other. They belong together. That’s the attitude with which I found.
What founding does to you
Munich Startup: What would you have liked to know before your first founding?
Julia Rafschneider: That founding changes you more than you expect. That you have to learn to stay true to yourself, even when everything is shaking around you. That you sometimes lead when you have the least energy. That you doubt and keep going anyway. And that every conversation, every no, every difficult week shapes you more than any success. It’s not just about organization, KPIs, or processes – it’s about people and about yourself. A company doesn’t arise overnight. You grow into it, sometimes stumbling, sometimes bold, usually both at the same time.
Munich Startup: How has your company been financed so far?
Julia Rafschneider: We are financed by impact-oriented business angels and early-stage investors from the energy and technology sectors. It was important to us to find partners who understand the reality of the heat transition and think long-term with us, rather than just wanting to grow quickly.
Ideas, tools, and pitches
Munich Startup: When and where do you get your best ideas?
Julia Rafschneider: I get my best ideas when I do two things: First, be close to it. Walk along, listen, participate – sometimes on the construction site or in conversations with customers. Don’t theorize, but experience how it really is. Second, then step back. Get out of the situation, take a walk. Clear your head. It sounds simple, but it’s worth gold: gather as a team, then sort things out alone.
Munich Startup: What are your three favorite work tools?
Julia Rafschneider: 1. Walks – my number one thinking tool. 2. Real conversations – with customers, users, and our team. 3. Coaching – to stay oriented. And practically: Notion, Miro, and a notebook for things that don’t fit in tools.
Julia Rafschneider: “Say why it really matters to you”
Munich Startup: Your top tip on “pitching”?
Julia Rafschneider: Say why it really matters to you, not how it’s supposed to sound. You don’t just have to sell. You have to show why it can’t be any other way. People don’t invest in numbers; they invest in a why that holds up even in difficult times. And also important: a no is not a judgment. Often it’s simply not a match for both sides. And that’s exactly what’s valuable. Because you need partners who really carry your why.
Munich Startup: Does it seem to you like a good time to found right now? Why?
Julia Rafschneider: There’s never a perfect moment. But there are moments when you feel: “I can contribute something.” We’re living in a phase where old structures are crumbling and new ones are only just emerging. Uncomfortable, but full of possibilities. And not everyone has to found immediately. Sometimes it all starts by staying close to founders and seeing how a company really emerges. At NuuEnergy, we’re always looking for people with founder spirit. People who want to move something. Not when everything is perfect, but right now.
Munich Startup: What technology or industry would you bet on for your next founding?
Julia Rafschneider: Anything that strengthens local value creation. I believe real innovation will become regional again. Whether in craftsmanship, energy, or training. We need solutions that create access, not exclude. Technology is very important here, but without the social aspect it remains ineffective.
More bridges, more openness, and more space
Munich Startup: From your perspective, what could still be improved at the Munich startup location?
Julia Rafschneider: Munich is strong in software, tech, and research – that’s a major advantage. But what can still grow are spaces for foundings that are closer to real implementation: where technology meets everyday life, where you can experiment, test, and learn what really works. Many innovations we need for topics like the heat transition don’t just emerge in laboratories, but also in operations, on construction sites, or in real workflows. For this type of founding, there’s still too little visibility, exchange, and support in Munich. More bridges between tech and application, more openness to different professional backgrounds, and more space for women in technical and craft-related fields – that would significantly strengthen the ecosystem.
Munich Startup: Which female founder or founder would you like to meet in person? And what would you ask them?
Julia Rafschneider: I admire less individual founders than people who build something genuine and later look back honestly on their lives. These can be entrepreneurs, but just as well craftspeople, artists, or people who simply went their own way. If I could meet someone, it would be a person who founded something without being loud about it, but created something relevant. I would ask just one question: “In hindsight, what was really important to you, and what would your younger self have liked to know earlier?” Since I started my own company, I feel enormous respect for the generation before us. They had no coaching tools, no networks, no sparring partners. They just had life and the responsibility of somehow making it work. Every generation works with the tools it has, and that’s when you realize how much they carried.
