Duo turns greasy kitchen air into clean energy – lands fresh funding from H&M heir

Turning burger fumes into clean power might sound like sci-fi. But the Swedish-based firm Enjay has actually cracked it. The cleantech company has built a system that captures heat from greasy restaurant exhaust air — the kind that normally wrecks conventional heat exchangers — and turns it into usable energy.

The invention, dubbed Lepido, started out in a trial with Burger King in Malmö. "All customers and technical consultants agreed there simply was no product that could handle it. People turned a blind eye and released enormous amounts of energy straight into the air," says CEO Jesper Wirén, who co-founded the company together with Nils Lekeberg. Since then, Enjay has rolled out around 150 projects across the fast-food sector.

From selling metal boxes to selling energy

Until now, Enjay made money the old-fashioned way: selling hardware. But it’s now flipping to an energy-as-a-service model. Instead of asking clients to buy the system, Enjay covers the upfront cost and sells back the recovered energy on ten-year deals. The new focus? Big industrial food companies, from crisp makers to pet food producers.

"Our plan was never just to sell a metal box, but to deliver the cheapest and cleanest kilowatt hour to our customers. On a new market, however, you must first prove that the technology works and that it can be sold," says Wirén.

Backed by H&M money

To fuel the shift, Enjay has raised €700k at a €3.8m valuation. The round brings in existing backers including Peter Enberg, Almi Invest Greentech and Philian Invest — the investment vehicle of H&M heir Karl-Johan Persson.

Still, profitability remains a stretch. In 2024, Enjay pulled in €700k in revenues but posted a €1.1m loss.

Scaling up

The next step is about proving the model at scale. Enjay is aiming for three major contracts this year, and eventually 20–25 to really take off.

"Our goal is to set three larger deals over the next year, and in the long run 20–25 contracts, to scale up for real," says Wirén.