Not Every Plan Leads To Success: How the Swiss National Startup Team Shaped Enerdrape's Growth Strategy
10.06.2026 09:57 Roberto Sikora
10.06.2026 09:57 Roberto Sikora
When Margaux Peltier, Co-Founder and CEO of Enerdrape, joined Venture Leaders Cleantech in 2022, her company was barely a year old. Yet despite its early stage, international expansion was already part of the plan. Enerdrape's technology transforms underground spaces such as parking garages and tunnels into renewable energy sources for heating and cooling buildings, addressing a challenge that exists far beyond Switzerland's borders. For Peltier, Venture Leaders reinforced the importance of thinking globally from the start and provided valuable insights into how to pursue international growth in a way that balances ambition with the realities of entering new markets.
From the beginning, Enerdrape's team understood that Switzerland alone would never be the company's primary market. The technology can be deployed almost anywhere in the world. Buildings require heating and cooling in most climates, underground infrastructure exists in countless cities, and the need for decarbonisation is accelerating across industries.
While Switzerland offered credibility, particularly as an EPFL spin-off, it also served as a starting point rather than a final destination. The company initially focused on building traction in its home market, where existing networks, customers and partners provided a solid foundation. At the same time, the team mapped potential international opportunities and quickly identified Europe as the most logical next step.
Regulation played an important role in that decision. Across Europe, growing pressure to improve energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions created favourable conditions for Enerdrape's technology. Rising energy costs and increasing concerns about energy security further strengthened the business case. On paper, the European market appeared relatively straightforward. However, the reality turned out to be more nuanced.
Although energy regulations were often similar from one country to another, construction practices varied significantly. Building standards, installation requirements and local processes differed more than the team initially expected. What looked like a single market from afar was in fact a collection of very different ecosystems.
"We underestimated how different construction practices can be from one country to another. The energy challenge is similar, but the way buildings are built is often completely different."
Like many startups, Enerdrape started with a detailed internationalisation strategy. The team identified priority countries, developed timelines and created a roadmap for entering new markets. But some of the company's most important opportunities emerged when reality refused to follow the plan.
One example came when a major French energy company approached Enerdrape directly. According to the original strategy, France was supposed to come later. Yet the market was showing clear demand, and waiting would have meant missing a valuable opportunity.
Instead of sticking rigidly to the roadmap, the team decided to move forward. They entered the market earlier than planned and learned along the way. This experience reinforced one of the key lessons Peltier has taken from the company's international growth journey: planning matters, but listening to the market matters even more. Opportunities rarely arrive according to schedule, and founders need to be flexible enough to adapt when demand appears.
That mindset also shaped how Enerdrape approached partnerships and market development. Rather than trying to understand every detail from Switzerland before taking action, the team learned directly from customers, partners and projects on the ground. Some lessons came quickly. Others took years to fully understand.
As Enerdrape expanded beyond Europe and explored opportunities in North America and Asia, the company discovered another important reality of international growth: entering a market takes much longer than most founders expect.
The technology itself may be transferable, but regulations, customer expectations, construction cultures and buying processes vary significantly. Success depends on much more than having a strong product. It requires local knowledge, trusted relationships and people who understand how decisions are made in each market.
This became particularly clear in conversations with potential partners in Asia. Some discussions began years before the company was truly ready to enter those markets. At the time, Peltier questioned whether it made sense to invest so much effort so early. Today, she understands why those relationships needed to start long before commercial activities began.
Building trust takes time. In many markets, customers want to meet founders, visit installations and develop confidence before committing to a new technology. That process cannot be rushed. As Peltier points out, international expansion often starts years before the first commercial project is signed.
The same lesson applies closer to home. Even in neighbouring countries such as France, where language can create a sense of familiarity, there are significant differences in regulations, terminology and industry practices. Peltier recalls several moments when French partners assumed the Swiss team was already familiar with local processes simply because they spoke the same language.
These experiences highlighted an important distinction between selling internationally and truly operating internationally. While some European markets can be managed from Switzerland, others eventually require dedicated local expertise. Enerdrape is already seeing this dynamic emerge in North America, where the company increasingly recognises the need for local teams to support long-term growth.
Enerdrape's technology transforms underground spaces such as parking garages into renewable energy sources for heating and cooling buildings.
As the company continues to scale, Peltier remains convinced that internationalisation is not simply about choosing the right market. It is about understanding when to prepare, when to move and how much time is required to build the relationships that make growth possible.
For founders considering their own international expansion, her advice is simple: start earlier than you think. Even if you are not ready to enter a market today, begin building connections now. By the time your company is ready, those relationships may already be years in the making.
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