Amber Electric: giving households smarter control of energy

Amber Electric is a Melbourne-based climate technology company helping households make smarter use of their energy consumption in a rapidly changing system.

Using software and advanced algorithms, Amber optimises when home solar, batteries and electric vehicles charge or export energy - responding automatically to real-time wholesale price signals. For customers, this means lower costs and more control. For the energy system, it means better use of renewables and less strain on the grid at peak times.

As Australia’s energy mix shifts toward distributed, renewable generation, this capability is becoming increasingly important - giving everyday households a stake in the transition.

Scaling with patient capital and ecosystem support

Amber’s growth is a great example of what patient capital, paired with practical support, can unlock. In December 2017 Amber was founded by friends Chris Thompson and Dan Adams with the goal of using home energy technology to put money back in customers’ pockets. A few months later they were accepted into Startmate, one of Australia’s leading tech accelerators to test the idea and used the backing to launch their first pilots in major cities. 

Seven years later, this early ecosystem support came full circle when Breakthrough Victoria backed Amber as a portfolio company and supported the business as it scaled - helping the team maintain a strong Victorian footprint while building momentum toward national and international markets and investors.

Amber’s growth reflects a broader lesson: capital matters, but scale also depends on founder capability, networks, visibility, and clear pathways from early traction to growth.

That combination = ecosystem development alongside investment = is the logic of Innovation Victoria.

By bringing Breakthrough Victoria and LaunchVic together under one roof, Innovation Victoria connects the system end-to-end: linking founder support and ecosystem building with investment and scale pathways. The result is a simpler, easier-to-navigate system for founders, partners and investors, with clearer entry points and more connected support over time.

A timeline of growth

2017 — Founded in Victoria
Amber Electric is founded by Dan Adams and Chris Thompson, with a focus on using software to give households greater control over how and when they use energy.

2018 – Selected for Startmate 

Amber puts their idea to the test in the 2018 cohort of Startmate, one of Australia’s leading startup accelerator programs brought to Victoria with a grant from LaunchVic.  

2022 – Governor of Victoria Startup Awards 

Amber named Startup of the Year at the Governor of Victoria Startup Awards for its disruptive technology. 

February 2024 — Breakthrough Victoria investment
Breakthrough Victoria invests $4.5 million in Amber as growth capital, supporting the company to scale its platform for batteries and electric vehicles.

2024 — Rapid customer and team growth
Following the investment, Amber grows its customer base rapidly and expands its workforce, taking the team to 124 - with more than 110 based in Melbourne.

Amber partners with one of the UK’s leading energy providers, E.ON NEXT, to bring real-time pricing and battery automation to UK homes.

2025 — Vehicle-to-grid innovation
Amber launches its first vehicle-to-grid trial with BYD, enabling customers to discharge energy from electric vehicles back to the grid when prices are high - a significant step toward more flexible energy systems.

October 2025 — Major Series D funding
Breakthrough Victoria adds to its initial investment with a $10m follow-on as part of Amber's major $45m Series D funding round. The round was led by ETF Partners, with participation from Square Peg, Gentrack, Rubio Impact Ventures, E.On UK and Virescent Ventures. reinforcing Amber’s momentum toward international growth.

May 2026 - Vehicle-to-grid expansion

Amber announces V2G expansion from 50 to 1,000 homes in Australia, with $13.6m funding from ARENA. BYD confirms warranty for all 1,000 vehicles. 

What Amber’s progress means for Victoria

Amber remains headquartered in Melbourne and has built a large local team, contributing to high-value jobs and capability development in Victoria.

Its growth supports the broader electrification transition - using technology to make household batteries and electric vehicles more valuable to consumers, and more useful to the wider energy system.

Amber Electric’s journey shows how Victorian climate tech companies can scale from local foundations to global ambition, when ecosystem support and investment pathways are well connected.