Addressing Utility Challenges: Insights from SF Climate Week 2024 Panel Discussion

By: Adriana Penuela-Useche

Date: April 24, 2024

During San Francisco Climate Week 2024, I had the pleasure of moderating an insightful panel where we discussed how startups can address the most significant challenges faced by utilities and adopt the 'right' approach when engaging with them. We explored this topic in four key sections, gaining valuable insights from industry experts.

The Grid

We had the pleasure of hearing from Louis White, who was one of the main speakers.

1. Approach

Start with the innovation teams and understand the broader ecosystem, as buy-in is needed from various organizational levels, not just the top leadership.

"Begin with the innovation teams to get a holistic understanding of the ecosystem and secure buy-in from multiple organizational levels." – Andrea Sguazzi & Page Crahan

2. Solutions

• Reliability, Safety, Sustainability, and Affordability: Solutions must be reliable, safe, sustainable, and affordable. – Louis White
• Enterprise SaaS Model: The most promising business model is an enterprise SaaS solution. – Page Crahan, X, the moonshot factory
• DOE's Liftoff Report: The DOE's Liftoff report highlights 20 existing solutions. It is crucial to smooth execution frictions, share deployment outcomes to build trust, provide evidence through case studies, and ensure startups narrate solutions that align with utilities' planning cycles. Collaboration with competitors is also essential to help shape regulatory frameworks.

"Collaboration with competitors is essential to help shape regulatory frameworks." – DOE's Liftoff Report

3. Beyond a Test Pilot

Establish a clear milestone roadmap from the beginning and present it to innovation teams to challenge them and propel progress.

"Present a clear milestone roadmap to innovation teams from the start to drive progress." – Andrea Sguazzi, Enel Group

4. Speeding Up Innovation

• Target Smaller, Agile Customers: Target smaller, agile initial customers like municipalities, CCAs, and cooperatives to generate early proofs of concept and shorten sales cycles.
• Investment Portfolio Funnel: Employ an investment portfolio funnel approach to generate leads, identifying a champion within a utility to pilot, test, and advocate for the solutions.
• Adjust Expectations: Sales cycles can range from 2 to 5 years, especially as regulations and distributed energy resources prompt utilities to reevaluate their pace of innovation.

"Adjust expectations for sales cycles, which can range from 2 to 5 years." – Giancarlo Savini, Future Energy Ventures

Thank You to Our Sponsors

A heartfelt thank you to our sponsors for their support:

• Mind the Bridge – Marco Marinucci
• Future Energy Ventures – Giancarlo Savini
• MCJ Collective – Leone Baron, Jenn Beening, Matthieu Soulé, Drew Felker

Mind the Bridge Generosity

Don't miss out on Mind the Bridge's generosity:

• Innovation Antennas Directory: An open-source directory of innovation antennas of large corporates in Silicon Valley and other geographies. Innovation Antennas Directory
• AI Matching Platform: An AI matching platform with innovation challenges from global corporates. AI Matching Platform
• Newsletter: Stay updated with their latest news and insights. Newsletter

Bibliography

• DOE's Liftoff Report. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://lnkd.in/g2AqUwjg
• Mind the Bridge. (n.d.). Innovation Antennas Directory. Retrieved from https://lnkd.in/gtWCjYq3
• Mind the Bridge. (n.d.). AI Matching Platform. Retrieved from https://lnkd.in/gpCkKvtY
• Mind the Bridge. (n.d.). Newsletter. Retrieved from https://lnkd.in/gMZgmDsY