From swappable batteries in Indonesia to decarbonizing New York’s legacy buildings, clean energy entrepreneurs around the world are helping fix our planet and make energy more accessible.
Read on to discover 6 entrepreneurs in our portfolio that are setting the benchmark for impact and innovation.
”New Energy Nexus and The Clean Fight positively impacted Radiator Labs’ growth by way of supportive programming and high-level corporate and investor introductions.” Marshall Cox, CEO of Radiator Labs
The Radiator Labs system provides room level temperature control and eliminates overheating in radiator-heated buildings. Their innovative ‘Cozy’ is a revolution in radiator heating, saving up to 45% on heating costs and their installations are 100% financeable through subsequent energy savings.
NEX’s New York program, The Clean Fight awarded Radiator Labs with a financing grant of US$150,000 to expand their team and two pilot grants of US$97,000 & US$150,000 to support a hybrid electrification and an energy efficiency project.
In 2021 Radiator Labs completed 15 projects installing approximately 3,500 units, mitigating approximately 1,800 tons of carbon annually.
Takachar is on a mission to fight climate change by transforming massive amounts of waste biomass into marketable products around the world.
Around US$120 billion of agricultural waste is generated every year. The burning of agricultural waste causes air pollution impacting human health and the global atmosphere. Using a novel concept called oxygen-lean torrefaction, Takachar has developed and patented the design of a small-scale, low-cost, portable equipment to convert waste biomass into solid fuel, fertilizer, and other specialty chemicals. If scaled, Takachar’s technology could reduce smoke emissions from agricultural waste by up to 98% and cut a billion tons of carbon dioxide a year.
NEX’s California programs, CalSEED & CalTestBed awarded a US$600,000 grant in non-dilutive funding and a voucher of ~$260,000 respectively, to conduct prototype testing at UC Santa Barbara’s Renewable Natural Gas Development Laboratory.
“If scaled widely, the Takachar technology can enable rural communities to create significantly more value from their un-merchantable crop and forest residues, thereby reducing the risks of wildfires, air pollution, and carbon footprint.” Kevin Kung, Founder and CTO
*Photo is of Vidyut Mohan, CEO and Co-Founder of Takachar.
“When questioning myself about why I am here, I find the answer in promoting social progress and making the world a better place are aligned with New Energy Nexus’ mission.” Felix Wu, CEO and Founder, Seniverse
Seniverse is a big data company, leveraging satellite data, AI, machine learning and IoT to deliver asset-level physical risk predictions on a computing platform. Seniverse’s technology predicts average power consumption with 3.02% greater accuracy, which both lowers the cost, and increases generation, of solar and wind power.
Seniverse is a member of New Energy Nexus’ second EXCEL Accelerator cohort. During the program, NEX provided deep-dive workshops with leading corporations, one-on-one interviews with business units, connected Seniverse with investors and recommended them for various international awards.
Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement is an off-grid community hosting over 65,000 people from countries bordering Uganda. The majority of the households rely on firewood for cooking, kerosene for lighting and drink unsafe water. Children’s Hope International Ministry is a community-based organization (CBO) extending psychosocial support to children and women and increasing energy access by distributing and selling clean energy products in the settlement.
The organization has reached over 100 households and hopes to expand and create awareness of clean energy products, especially cookstoves and solar lanterns. It has also earned revenue from the profits to run more activities. NEX introduced the CBO to the clean energy business model, provided training to increase sales and run a business. We also offered stock capital to start the business as the CBO had no funds or collateral to present to banks to access financial assistance.
“Clean energy products reduce stress on environmental resources. I hope that our work can help the community appreciate the importance of the cookstoves, briquettes and solar lanterns so they can become self-appointed ambassadors and users.” Deacon Rwemigio Raphael, Founder and Director of Children’s Hope International Ministry
“I have been in the renewable sector for six years. But the amount of knowledge or confidence I am getting after being associated with [this program] is something beyond my expectations. The most amazing part is that all the mentors try their best to associate us with various opportunities that comes along the way. Thanks.. for giving [me] this opportunity to grow…” Saikrishna Mohanty, Founder & Managing Partner, Solar Infra
Solar Infra specializes in solar installation, project works, assembling, and supplying solar products. Solar Infra has installed more than 2.5MW of solar products. Their household products use brushless DC motors which lower electricity consumption. Through all the solar products installed and sold, Solar Infra has reduced ~1.8 tons of GHG emissions. Their solar products such as solar sewing machine, incense machine, solar-operated drip irrigation for farmers, and rope making machines have provided livelihood opportunities for more than 700 households.
Solar Infra is a part of NEX’s Climate Ready for Women in Energy program (in partnership with Climate Collective) which has provided business literacy skills, support on their pitch deck for investors and mentorship support to launch new livelihood products.
The two biggest problems with e-motorcycles, a potentially massive mode of transport in Indonesia, are perceptions about their range and the longer time it takes to charge. SWAP is city-based infrastructure of battery swapping stations for e-motorcycle riders. No more cords, no more hassle, battery is being swapped with a fully-charged battery within 9 seconds.
SWAP has 350+ units of e-motorcycles on the road, 250+ battery swapping stations deployed, 440,000+ cumulative kilometers driven, 37 tons of total CO2e reduced, and a charging station network in four cities.
NEX introduced SWAP to potential investors, supported the SWAP team to prepare funding documents, how to calculate their GHG reduction and offered mentoring services to help them develop their business management skills.
“Nexus has motivated SWAP to focus on the single thing that mattered – build something impactful for the new era of energy.”
Kevin Phang, Co-founder of Swap Energi Indonesia
Oakland, CA, 28 January 2022 — New Energy Nexus announced today that energy technology industry veteran, Denise Rushing, has joined the management team as California’s Managing Director, the latest in several key additions to New Energy Nexus’ growing global team.
“Denise brings a wonderful combination of public and private sector experience along with time as an entrepreneur to New Energy Nexus,” said New Energy Nexus CEO Danny Kennedy. “She will strengthen our global management team and provide the leadership needed to propel us to the next level in California as we collectively strive to meet our 100% clean energy goal for 100% of the population”
Rushing will bring diverse perspectives from the areas of energy technology, market development, program leadership, and community transformation.
“I am thrilled to be joining New Energy Nexus, an organization that understands the scope and scale needed to face global climate challenges, but also leverages its efforts for the greatest impact,” said Rushing. “I am most excited about tackling clean energy’s equity challenges to achieve clean energy for everyone in the shortest time possible.
“The New Energy Nexus team has a solid track record of collaboration, program leadership and building justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion into the clean energy economy. Together, we are looking forward to supporting California’s leaders, stakeholders, and innovators in this important work.”
Rushing earned her bachelor’s degree in environmental engineering from Stanford University and devoted her career to clean technology market development. Her pioneering work in the energy industry began as a renewable energy engineer at PG&E, where she soon rose to Director of Customer Energy Efficiency, launching award-winning initiatives adopted by utilities around the world. Over the past twenty-five years, she has led and advised a number of disruptive energy technology start-ups and innovators. Key roles included Vice President of Marketing and Sales for eMeter, CellNet Data Systems, and Sage Systems, and General Manager for Invensys Goodwatts home control division.
She was elected to public office and served two terms on the Lake County Board of Supervisors from 2007 to 2014, where she was best known for her environmental advocacy and community revitalization efforts. Rushing led rural Lake County to two State-wide Green California Leadership awards and championed two of the largest public solar energy installations in the Western United States.
In her new role, Rushing will be overseeing the exciting work that is coming out of New Energy Nexus’s California programs, including the California Sustainable Energy Entrepreneur Development (CalSEED) initiative, The California Test Bed (CalTestBed) initiative, the Clean Energy Business Roundtable (CEBR), Lithium Valley, and Lithium Bridge with the Federal Department of Energy. Rushing is joining at a pivotal time with both CalSEED and CalTestBed preparing to support new cohorts of early-stage clean energy innovators in 2022, and she will be instrumental in ensuring that the development of Lithium Valley is a part of the equitable recovery from the impacts of COVID-19. Her main goal this year will be to enhance and amplify the tremendous efforts that New Energy Nexus is making in California to build a robust and equitable energy innovation pipeline that supports diverse entrepreneurs to bring their clean energy innovations to the marketplace.
Tristan Tremschnig
Communications Director, New Energy Nexus (based in San Francisco, USA)
tristan.tremschnig@newenergynexus.com
About New Energy Nexus
New Energy Nexus (NEX) is the world’s leading clean energy ecosystem builder, working toward a 100% clean energy economy for 100% of the population. It does this with a laser focus on diverse entrepreneurs, supporting them with accelerators, funds, skills, and building the local and global connections they need to thrive. NEX has accelerated 1,700+ startups and businesses, empowered over 11,500+ entrepreneurs, and mobilized more than US$5.4 billion in investment.
Since its founding in California in 2004, NEX now operates programs or services in Australia, China, India, Japan, Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, South Korea, Thailand, Uganda, the USA (California and New York), and Vietnam.
The California 100 Commission
Danny Kennedy will be one of 26 commissioners bringing their expertise to California 100, a new statewide initiative focused on long-term planning and visioning for California future
12 October 2021 – New Energy Nexus CEO, Danny Kennedy, has been selected as a Commissioner for California 100, bringing his expertise in clean energy to this new statewide initiative focused on inspiring a vision and strategy for California’s next century.
Incubated at the University of California and Stanford University, California 100 is establishing a 26-member multigenerational commission with diverse backgrounds and expertise to advise on, and engage in, the initiative’s transformative streams of work and activities. Earlier this summer, California 100 announced research awards to 18 centers and institutes across the state to examine future scenarios with the potential to shape California’s leadership in the coming century.
“California has been a leader in energy and climate in many ways, and yet the benefits of the energy transition are not accruing to everyone. As we enter the next 100 years and foster the clean energy startups that will power this transition, I am committed to ensuring diverse entrepreneurs come first and communities get their fair share of the wealth created from these solutions,” said Danny Kennedy, who was born in Los Angeles and lives in Oakland.
“We are thrilled to draw on the expertise of these transformative leaders who are making a difference in their respective fields and already leaving a mark on California,” said Karthick Ramakrishnan, executive director of California 100. “ We will draw on their unique perspectives to inform our work to create a vision and strategy for the next century that is inclusive, equitable and sustainable.”
In addition to research, California 100 will also sponsor original policy innovation projects across California working in partnership with local and statewide agencies. Commissioners will organize engagement sessions throughout California with key stakeholders across the state to test California 100’s research and policy innovation efforts to ensure that Californians are directly included in the initiative’s work.
The California 100 Commission can be found here.
The Commission brings expertise within the thirteen issue areas of focus for California 100:
Commissioners will serve a two-year term and meet regularly throughout the life of the initiative. They will hold listening sessions across the state to engage key stakeholders in the Spring and Summer of 2022.
The goal of California 100 is to lift up and support transformative ideas, people and projects that accelerate progress with a focus on inspiring a vision and strategy for California’s next century that is innovative, sustainable, and equitable. In addition to sponsoring original work, the California 100 Platform will promote the best of what is happening in California. Through these various projects and activities, California 100 seeks to move California towards an aspirational vision—changing policies and practices, attitudes and mindsets, for a more vibrant future.
Tristan Tremschnig
Global Communications Director, New Energy Nexus (based in San Francisco, USA)
tristan.tremschnig@newenergynexus.com
About New Energy Nexus
New Energy Nexus (NEX) is the world’s leading clean energy ecosystem builder, working toward a 100% clean energy economy for 100% of the population. It does this with a laser focus on diverse entrepreneurs, supporting them with accelerators, funds, skills, and building the local and global connections they need to thrive. NEX has accelerated 1,700+ startups and businesses, empowered over 11,500+ entrepreneurs, and mobilized more than US$5.4 billion in investment.
Since its founding in California in 2004, NEX now operates programs or services in Australia, China, India, Japan, Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, South Korea, Thailand, Uganda, the USA (California and New York), and Vietnam.
