Watt It Takes

Jigar Shah is the Co-Managing Partner of Multiplier LLC, an advisory services firm; a part-time venture partner at Powerhouse Ventures; and a co-host of the Open Circuit podcast from Latitude Media. In this special episode, Emily spoke with Jigar about his LPO journey — from the invitation to join the government, to stepping away from a thriving business, to leading an agency he had once called irredeemable.During his tenure, Jigar led the LPO in committing over $108 billion to 53 companies, supporting clean energy and advanced technology infrastructure across more than a thousand sites nationwide. They talked about what it took to rebuild trust in LPO, what it was like trying to shift how Silicon Valley and venture capital saw the role of Washington, and where we go from here.

David Bromberg is the Co-Founder and CEO of Pearl Street Technologies. Pearl Street’s software helps transmission providers, renewable energy developers, and other stakeholders overcome the interconnection bottleneck at the heart of the clean energy transition. Emily spoke with David about his journey: from growing up in Brooklyn, New York, to his days as a self-described depressed PhD candidate, to the early career lessons that shaped his path. David wasn’t sure he had the right personality to be a CEO, but he stepped into the role anyway and co-founded Pearl Street Technologies. The company, recently acquired by energy data and analytics leader Enverus, has contracted over 400 gigawatts with ISOs, modeled more than 2,000 clean energy projects, and is now being used to model nearly 10 percent of the nation’s interconnection backlog — and counting.

Kurt House is the Co-Founder and CEO of KoBold Metals. KoBold uses modern scientific computing to discover the critical materials needed for the energy transition. Emily spoke to Kurt about his journey; from growing up as an athletic nerd in Los Angeles, to his long and winding career through consulting, startups and academia, to his decision to co-found KoBold Metals, a company that employs more than 200 people, has over 60 active exploration projects across four continents, has raised $1B at a valuation of $3B, and in 2024 discovered the largest copper deposit in more than a decade.

John O’Donnell is the Co-Founder and CIO of Rondo Energy. The Rondo Heat Battery powers industrial processes with renewable electricity, cutting energy costs and eliminating emissions. Emily spoke to John about his journey; from his semiconductor work in the early days of computers, to the knowledge he gained from founding six startups, to how his interest and background in industrial solar heating led to his founding of Rondo Energy, a a thermal heat storage company that employs more than 150 people across five continents, has raised $198 million in less than five years, and has partnered with top companies including H&M, Rio Tinto, and Microsoft.

Sean Kelly is the Co-Founder and CEO of Amperon. Amperon provides the highest precision electricity forecasting and analytics solutions to improve grid reliability, manage financial risk, optimize renewables, and accelerate decarbonization. Emily spoke with Sean about his journey, from growing up in Sugarland, Texas, to his 25 years of expertise in energy trading at firms like Tenaska, Lehman, EDF, and E.On, to founding Amperon, a company that raised $30 million, has over 100 employees, and operates in 19 countries across North America, Europe, and Australia.

Toby Kraus is the Co-Founder and CEO of Lightship, an electric vehicle company looking to revolutionize the recreational vehicle space with all-electric offerings, enabling zero-emission road trips so that we can explore nature while preserving it for generations to come. Emily spoke with Toby live during Powerhouse’s SF Climate Week event to talk about his journey from growing up in Boulder, Colorado, to joining Tesla and later Proterra, to meeting his Lightship co-founder and embarking on the road trip of a lifetime, to revolutionizing the RV industry with Lightship.

According to the World Economic Forum, emerging markets are the key to reaching a carbon-neutral future as most GHG emission growth will come from developing economies.. And yet, these markets only capture one fifth of clean energy investments. Emily McAteer is the Co-founder and CEO of Odyssey Energy Solutions. Their platform connects financiers, equipment providers, and project developers to accelerate the flow of capital to distributed renewable energy projects in emerging markets.