CHRISTOPHER HOPPER & SAMUEL ADEYEMO

Co-Founders, CEO and CRO at Aurora Solar

Aurora Solar is one of the companies accelerated by Amy Francetic at Energize Ventures.

Chris and Sam created software that designs solar installations without physically visiting the site. They were inspired by a project they did while at Stanford, which was to install a commercial solar system for a school in East Africa. After traveling back and forth to the site numerous times, their eyes were opened to the inefficiency of solar design and installation. The technology they developed solves that.

They are an example of how these interdisciplinary institutes within the universities bring engineering and business students together to create solutions. They won funding from ARPA-E’s Sunshot initiative before securing venture capital from Energize Ventures. They are the perfect example of how policy, research, and finance unlock innovation.

“You don't necessarily have to go out there and picket or make a big campaign but you can start asking questions: where is the electricity that I am consuming coming from?  Is there a cleaner source? If you happen to be in a position where you own a property look into it.”