
Tagline
Access clean energy for one flat price
Team
Patrick Maloney, CEO
Location
Los Angeles, CA
Partnered
2019
Status
Active
Exited
Bonfire Lead
Company description
Inspire’s mission is to drive forward a brighter energy future by simplifying consumer adoption of clean energy and smart home technologies. Disrupting the one-size-fits-all utility model, Inspire’s groundbreaking smart home subscription seamlessly combines personalized clean energy plans with best-in-class smart devices. Using the Inspire app, members can self drive their smart homes from anywhere, and select automated settings to use less energy while earning rewards. Inspire strives to make every home a smart home, powered by clean energy.
Why solve this problem?
20% of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States come from home heating and cooling needs, and yet, much of the utility sector remains stagnant, having yet to launch into the digital era. To transform the consumer experience, and offer more choice and transparency, Inspire is disrupting the 150-year-old industry and has become the next-gen solution to help tackle the climate crisis. We created a consumer-friendly, seamless solution to tackle one of the biggest steps we can take toward saving the environment - helping to decarbonize the energy grid.
Hardest thing about being a founder?
Growing culture as you scale.
Biggest piece of advice for aspiring founders?
Focus first on your mission and values and always stay true to them.
Most exciting moment so far?
Building something that’s never been offered before is very exciting. Understandably, it brings its own set of challenges, but being the first company to offer consumers a personalized flat monthly subscription service to access 100% clean energy for their homes is quite gratifying.
Why did you choose Bonfire?
Having prior experience and success supporting the growth of technology companies, Bonfire was the obvious choice and a natural partner for us. They understood our market and were passionate about the consumers Inspire serves, so the team brought immense value immediately. When going into partnership, it’s more about the people you’ll be collaborating with, and the entire Bonfire team was founder-friendly and supportive. Given there are plenty of investors who can provide capital, Bonfire stood out to us as an entity that could be a true partner and act as an extension of our own team, genuinely believing in the importance of adopting clean energy to help save the planet.
What’s it like to work with Bonfire?
Bonfire has been a tremendous strategic and capital partner throughout Inspire's journey. We're grateful for the opportunity to partner with them to help accelerate a cleaner energy future.
Favorite book, useful tool or app?
The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz