They say that great organizations are built around easy to understand, powerful, actionable and emotional missions. If that is true, then Simple Energy is off to a good start. Their mission (graphic left - click to expand) is not only compelling but according to Yoav Lurie and Justin Segall (the two founders who I met earlier this week) it is really working.

Simple Energy has a simple product. Their utility partners (like SDG&E and Pepco) pay them a fee to engage with the utility customer base on the utility's behalf to help those customers save energy. That is a regulatory requirement so the utilities are motivated to do it and according to Simple Energy not very good at it. Simple Energy pockets the cash and then provides three things to that customer base, (1) Energy Insights - data-driven micro-targeted messaging providing tips, insights and rewards for the customer in catchy, easy to understand emails and web engagement, (2) Energy Community - social competitions and leaderboards encouraging users to conserve and rewarding engagement, and (3) Energy Rewards - a marketplace for energy-related products and services that helps the user put their savings to work.

The key to their success is the third objective above. In essence, the utility is paying Simple Energy a fee to sell that utility's customers (in a fully endorsed way) products using credits the customer obtained through conservation and/or product subsidies that come from the utility with the purchase of energy savings appliances, air conditioners, etc. It is really an elegant model and Simple Energy seems to be doing a great job executing it.

We got their pitch as part of the Blackstone Entrepreneurs Network briefings and I was truly impressed. Great to have such a creative group of folks right here in Boulder doing well by doing the right thing for the environment!