Best Startup
At Best Startup UK we track over 130,000 UK startups and over 500,000 people who hold key positions in these companies. We use this directory of startups to highlight top employees, founders and board members we think deserve more appreciation than they are currently getting.
This list showcases the top London based CEO’ operating in the Energy Efficiency space. If you think a CEO’ is missing from this list, feel free to contact our editor on editor@beststartup.co.uk.
The individuals on this list have been included because of exceptional performance in one of the following categories:
- Innovation – Operating as a key part in an extremely innovative business or startup.
- Growth – Operating as a key figure in the growth and upscale of a market leading business or startup.
- Management – Showing exceptional management skills.
- Societal impact – Putting their business on the map for their positive societal or environmental impact.
Our Data – We source our data from OSINT (open source intelligence) and public directories such as Companies House UK, Crunchbase, SemRush and many more. The data from these sources should be treated with a degree of caution and verified yourself.
Nick Boyle
Founder and CEO of Lightsource Renewable Energy
In 2010, Nick founded Lightsource Renewable Energy, then just a six-person start-up, which quickly grew over 5 years to become Europe’s largest solar developer and operator and a recognised global leader. In his role as Group CEO, Nick’s dynamic leadership and vision has driven the company to tremendous success and in December 2017, Lightsource announced a strategic partnership with BP which has committed aggressively to accelerate the low carbon transition. The company has rebranded to Lightsource BP in affirmation of this powerhouse commitment which is set to shape the future of global energy delivery. Nick previously sat at Board and Senior Director level in a number of leading retail financial service companies. Throughout his career, Nick has always been recognised for his entrepreneurial skill and success in pairing retail financial products with low-risk, predictable investments.
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About Lightsource Renewable Energy: Lightsource is a provider of ground and rooftop solar installations in the UK.
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Kilian Pender
Founder and CEO of hiber
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About hiber: Home energy product installation startup
Devrim Celal
CEO of Upside Energy
Experienced and versatile executive with blue chip management consultancy and corporate finance background. Over twenty years of experience in leadership positions across variety of industries, sectors and geographies. Demonstrated record in creating self-perpetuating organisations, ground-up business development, and defining, structuring and delivering innovative solutions to complex managerial problems.
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About Hca legal, Octopus Energy, Upside Energy: Upside Energy reduces greenhouse gases by enabling people to make smart choices about when to use energy.
Catherine Newman
Chief Executive Officer of Limejump
Catherine Newman is the Chief Executive Officer at Limejump.
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About Limejump: Limejump is a Technology-Driven Utility: harnessing the power of big data to positively disrupt and transform today’s energy market.
Adam Fudakowski
Founder and CEO of Switchee
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About Switchee: Data analytics and IoT business serving large social landlords
Yohei Kiguchi
Co-Founder & CEO of Enechange
Graduated from the University of Tokyo and Oxford graduate school. Joined Milog in 2009. He participated as a co-founder. Joined Cambridge Energy Data Lab in 2013. Jointly joined as a co-founder and data scientist. Joined ENECHANGE in 2015. He participated as a co-founder. Joined SMAP Energy in 2016. He participated as a co-founder. Was elected in 2017 Forbes Europe as 30 entrepreneurs under the age of 30 (“FORBES 30 UNDER 30 EUROPE”).
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About Cambridge Energy Data Lab, Enechange, SMAP Energy: ENECHANGE is the technology-focused multi-national energy ventures.
Simon Phelan
Co-Founder and CEO of Hometree
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About Hometree: Hometree exists to make home ownership simple & sustainable
Daniel White
CEO and Founder of Signol
Dan is a behavioral and environmental expert with extensive experience of devising and delivering successful innovations. Over the last 10 years, Dan has been at the forefront of applied behavioral science and has conducted several water and energy field experiments. Dan also lectures at University College London in applying field experiments to change energy consumption behavior.
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About Signol: Signol develops software which focuses on fuel efficiency by analysing operational data.
Michele Grassi
CEO & CTO of 40South Energy
Michele Grassi (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter), born in 1970, has a degree in Mathematics from Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa and a PhD in Mathematics from the University of California Los Angeles. He also studied for some time in Oxford, UK. In 2005 he had an idea for an innovative method for extracting energy from waves. After the initial preliminary studies, in 2008 he created 40South Energy Ltd in London to complete development of the Intellectual Property, to fabricate and to commercialise the machines globally. The Italian subsidiary 40South Energy Srl carries out some development and construction, mainly related to the mechanical components. The UK company has recently expanded its presence, opening an office in Plymouth. 40South Energy has a special relationship with Plymouth University and collaborators from Exeter University. From the Plymouth office it will be easier to coordinate the various projects planned for the South West of the UK, among which the Scilly Airport WEP. The machines that we build constitute a generation jump with respect to the previous ones, in terms of survivability, reliability, load factor and cost. In 2010 the Italian bank Monte dei Paschi di Siena provided a loan to finance the construction of the first full scale pre-commercial prototype of a 150kW machine. In the summer of 2010 Zurich agreed to insure our machines (for damages against third parties), due to the intrinsic multi-layered security measures (both active and passive) incorporated already in the D100t prototype deployed and tested offshore during that summer. During 2011 we tested offshore the second generation of full scale machine, the 150kW unit called Y25t. Its operation allowed us to validate completely the computerised “wave to wire” model that we use to forecast the behaviour of machines at sea. During 2012 we sold the first R115/150kW machine to Enel Green Power, one of the major renewables players in the world. During 2013 we completed construction and had first electricity production offshore from the first R115 machine and we also received orders for R115 machines from other clients. We started expanding the projects from the current ones in the UK and in Italy to several other locations around the world, where we have customers interested in developing Wave Energy Parks based on our R115 machines. From a technological point of view we started development of an intermediate prototype, called R380/500kW, useful towards the design of the next generation machine, also using to finance part of this project a grant to 40South Energy Srl from Regione Toscana. The R380/500kW will serve as the basis platform for the R1300/2MW machine, our second commercial offering which we expect to launch commercially during 2015. During the first quarter of 2014 we completed the test campaign on the first R115 machine. In the second quarter of 2014 we started development of our WT25 powertrain, which is used in the R115/200kW, in the R380/500kW and in the first machine in the new line of H-machines, the H24. The H design is as groundbreaking as the R one, and allows us to expand in a new market segment (shallow water wave and tidal conversion) completely separate from that of the offshore wave machines of type R. The fact that these machines share the powertrain is an added bonus which improves dramatically out production process. Together with our partners of Elements Works SRL we completed the consenting process for a first H-WEP (H-machine water energy park), where we installed one H24-50 machines. The machine was installed at the Marina di Pisa wave energy park in November 2016, and after a month of commissioning was put into operation. Electricity from wave energy was produced but was NOT put into the Italian grid (it was dissipated as heat locally). In November 2016 we sold the first H24-50 to Enel Green Power, and later in December 2016 Enel Green Power invested in 40South Energy Italia, alongside Invitalia Ventures. During 2017 40South Energy Italia worked at the update of the design of the H24-50, to bring it from TRL 7 to TRL8. In the meantime another investment was done, by Genia Srl and Invitalia Ventures. In the summer of 2018 a first update of the H24-50 installed off Marina di Pisa was completed, from version 1.0 to 1.1, to start testing the “version 2” transmission which will be used in the TRL8 H24-50 v2. This time the electricity produced was injected in the Italian Grid, starting from the first production event on Thursday September 13th, 2018. This date is a fundamental milestone, as it was the first grid production of wave energy in the Italian grid (and most likely the first or one of the very few in the whole continental Europe).
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About 40South Energy, Element Works: 40South Energy we have the expertise to turn ocean wave energy into useful work.
Allan ‘Noel-edge’ Okello
CEO & Founder / Director of Plexus Wifi
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About Plexus Wifi: City wide Solar powered payg wifi for African cities
Mike Darby
CEO & Co-Founder of Demand Logic
Mike is a leading expert in building services engineering, and has worked in the field for over 20 years. He has designed and delivered controls systems for multi-million pound installations, including for major banks, covering business-critical systems. Mike leads all our engineering and energy efficiency work and provides consultancy support for clients.
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About Demand Logic: Demand Logic is an online energy efficiency system that analyzes data from building management systems.
