No Time Like the Present
Inspired by the idea that there’s no such thing as a New Year’s Resolution, only habits you either keep or don't, I’m feeling the urge to make writing part of my weekly routine again. There's no time like the present. I'm
5 Lessons from Orlando Bravo
It’s hard to argue with the results of Thoma Bravo over the last decade. They’ve become one of the largest private equity firms in the world, they’ve won some of the biggest deals in recent years, and they’ve returned capital to their limited partners (or customers,
The Green Premium Is Dead—It Always Was
I’ve always believed that solving climate problems requires economic benefits, not just social ones. As much as we might wish otherwise, social benefits alone rarely create enduring success. This conviction stems from starting my career in renewables in 2007—right as the fracking boom took off—and then watching
Energize is Hiring…A Lot
The market requires a specialist. You'll hear these words uttered around the Energize office frequently these days. We've built a firm laser-focused on solving big challenges alongside executives who've spent their careers building exceptional companies in critical industries that impact our daily lives. Those
Power Prices Rise…Again
A few weeks ago, I wrote an article on four trends we can count on in energy over the next decade. Two of the trends that I thought would be certain were higher prices and the need to get more out of existing infrastructure. In an event only energy nerds
Playing Offense in Energy: Four Trends to Count On
“Great leaders get back on their front foot faster.” - Coach K I think about this quote a lot, usually in the context of bouncing back from rejection. After all, if you’re attempting anything hard, failure is the default state. You get knocked down, you get back up, you
A Tale of Two Sentiments
I've been around the power and renewables industries for over 15 years now. In that time, I've seen its popularity boom and bust. From 2008-2012, it was around the promise of solar and other alternative energy technologies. After that, the hype went away and funding dried
The Platform Play in Demand Response
Demand response continues to be a hot topic in the energy world. Yesterday, I saw a graph floating around on Twitter from Energize portfolio company Grid Status highlighting the drop in CAISO's system load due to a demand response event triggered by Tesla Energy. I don't
Electricity, Electricity, Electricity
If real estate is all about location. Data centers are all about power.
People First Investing
Alpine Investors has one of the most unique models in private equity. Instead of backing existing executive teams or founders, they purposely seek out businesses where the CEO needs or wants to be replaced. They've pursued this strategy since the Great Financial Crisis, when founder Graham Weaver realized
Inflation is Coming Down…Except for Electricity
Americans are getting relief from inflation everywhere - except on their energy bills. The chart below from the Wall Street Journal caught my eye this weekend. After a stagnant decade, power prices have steadily climbed as a result of elevated natural gas prices and the growing demand from AI and
A Battle is Brewing Between Systems of Record and AI Agents
I come from a family of linemen. Both my grandpa and my dad climbed the poles that hold our grid together and did so in the middle of fierce Texas thunderstorms and blistering summers. My dad traded the backbreaking work for the comfort of an office chair long ago and