CoPower
CoPower was a Montreal-based online platform that issued green bonds to retail investors to finance Canadian clean energy and energy efficiency projects, earning revenue on the loan-investor interest spread; wound down in 2021 and absorbed into parent VCIB.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersMontréal, Canada
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What CoPower does
CoPower was a Montreal-based sustainable investment company founded in 2013 that operated an online platform connecting individual retail investors with clean energy and energy efficiency projects in Canada seeking financing. Its sole product, CoPower Green Bonds, channeled retail capital into a portfolio of project loans; the company earned revenue on the interest rate spread between the rate charged to project borrowers and the rate paid to green bond investors, covering fundraising, lending, portfolio management, and technology costs. By 2021, cumulative green bond issuance had grown to $23.4M across 754 investors, funding 20 loans and 1,754 sub-projects, with reported impact of 25,320 tonnes of CO2 avoided and 5,507 cars-off-the-road equivalents.
In 2019, Vancity Community Investment Bank (VCIB) acquired CoPower as a wholly owned subsidiary to expand its clean energy financing capabilities. In 2021, after a continuing low-rate environment compressed the economics of the spread-based model, CoPower wound down its green bond fundraising business and transitioned its clean energy lending operations into VCIB's balance sheet, which could lend at a lower cost of capital. The CoPower team subsequently supported VCIB's broader climate commitments, including a net-zero emissions target across all loans and mortgages by 2040.
The CoPower entity no longer operates as a standalone business; its successor capabilities, products, and customer relationships are housed within VCIB. There is no evidence of ongoing AI/ML capabilities, no independent management disclosures beyond the founding team of Russell Pullan (Chairman) and David Berliner (CEO), and no further equity capital has been disclosed since 2017.
CoPower firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- CoPower
- Legal name
- CoPower
- Website
- https://copower.me
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Acquired
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- CoPower was a Montreal-based online platform that issued green bonds to retail investors to finance Canadian clean energy and energy efficiency projects, earning revenue on the loan-investor interest spread; wound down in 2021 and absorbed into parent VCIB.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
CoPower industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Sustainable Investment / Green Bonds
- NAICS
- Savings Institutions and Other Depository Credit Intermediation (522180)
- SIC
- Asset-Backed Securities (6189)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Sustainable Private Markets (Impact PE/VC, Private Credit, Infrastructure) (FSAAALAG)
Keywords
Where CoPower is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Montréal
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
CoPower business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Green Bond Investment Spreads: CoPower's revenue model relied on the spread between the interest rate charged on clean energy project loans and the rate paid to green bond investors to cover operating costs associated with fundraising, lending, and managing the portfolio, technology, and investors. A continuing low-rate environment made it increasingly challenging to maintain profitable economics.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels3 records
CoPower product offering
Product offeringCore offering
CoPower issued green bonds to individual retail investors and used the proceeds to make loans to clean energy and energy efficiency projects. The company earned revenue on the spread between project loan interest rates and bond investor returns, while providing retail investors with measurable environmental impact through CO2 avoidance tracking. The retail green bond model was discontinued in 2021 and clean energy lending operations were transitioned to parent company VCIB.
Product overview
CoPower was a single-product sustainable investment company offering CoPower Green Bonds, a retail investment product that connected individual investors with clean energy and energy efficiency projects. The product was discontinued in 2021 following acquisition by Vancity Community Investment Bank (VCIB) in 2019, with clean energy financing services transitioned to VCIB's portfolio.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- CoPower Green Bonds: Green bond product that connected individual retail investors with clean energy and energy efficiency projects seeking financing.
Products and services
- CoPower Green Bonds
Quantifiable outcome
- 25,320 cumulative tonnes of CO2 avoided
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use CoPower
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
CoPower technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
CoPower partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights3 records
CoPower competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- NY Green Bank: NY Green Bank is a state-sponsored green bank that mobilizes private capital into clean energy projects. It is comparable to CoPower as both operate in clean energy finance, though NY Green Bank operates at much larger scale as a public green bank.
- Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC): CEFC is Australia's national green bank investing in clean energy projects and technologies. It compares to CoPower as both finance clean energy projects, though CEFC operates at sovereign scale with broader mandate.
Direct peers
- Generate Capital: Generate Capital is a sustainable infrastructure financing platform that invests in and finances clean energy, resource efficiency, and resilience projects. It is directly comparable to CoPower because both aggregate capital to deploy into measurable clean-energy and energy-efficiency projects.
- Connecticut Green Bank: Connecticut Green Bank is a state green bank financing clean energy and energy efficiency projects through public-private capital. It compares to CoPower as both channel pooled capital into clean energy project financing with measurable environmental outcomes.
- Mosaic: Mosaic was a residential solar lending platform connecting individual investors with solar project financing. It is directly comparable to CoPower's model of retail-investor-funded clean energy loans, though Mosaic focused exclusively on solar.
- Sunlight Financial: Sunlight Financial was a residential solar and home improvement loan platform. It compares to CoPower as both financed clean energy installations via loan products, though Sunlight also ultimately wound down its independent operations.
- Renew Financial: Renew Financial provides PACE-based clean energy and energy efficiency financing for residential and commercial projects. It is comparable to CoPower as both finance clean energy and energy efficiency projects via specialized lending products.
- Ygrene Energy Fund: Ygrene is a PACE clean energy financing provider financing energy efficiency and renewable upgrades. It is comparable to CoPower as both finance clean energy and efficiency improvements through structured project lending.
Emerging players
- Aspiration: Aspiration is a sustainable banking and investing platform offering retail consumers environmentally conscious financial products. It is comparable to CoPower as both serve retail customers seeking measurable impact in their financial decisions.
Regional players
- Bullfrog Power: Bullfrog Power is a Canadian green energy retailer supplying renewable energy and supporting clean energy project development. It compares to CoPower as both operate in the Canadian clean energy market, though Bullfrog focuses on retail energy supply rather than financing.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
CoPower social profiles
Digital presenceCoPower financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
CoPower leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
CoPower funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds5 records
Investors10 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
CoPower M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments1 record
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about CoPower
What does CoPower do?
CoPower issued green bonds to individual retail investors and used the proceeds to make loans to clean energy and energy efficiency projects. The company earned revenue on the spread between project loan interest rates and bond investor returns, while providing retail investors with measurable environmental impact through CO2 avoidance tracking. The retail green bond model was discontinued in 2021 and clean energy lending operations were transitioned to parent company VCIB.
Is CoPower a public or private company?
CoPower is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently acquired.
When was CoPower founded?
CoPower was founded in 2016. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is CoPower based?
CoPower is headquartered in Montréal, Canada, in the North America region.
How does CoPower make money?
One revenue line is on record: green Bond Investment Spreads.
Who are CoPower's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are NY Green Bank and Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC). Direct peers are Generate Capital, Connecticut Green Bank, Mosaic, Sunlight Financial, Renew Financial and Ygrene Energy Fund. Aspiration is listed as an emerging player. Bullfrog Power is listed as a regional player.
Does CoPower have an API?
No public API is recorded for CoPower.
What industry is CoPower in?
CoPower's product category is Sustainable Investment / Green Bonds. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAAALAG, Sustainable Private Markets (Impact PE/VC, Private Credit, Infrastructure). Its NAICS code is 522180 and its SIC code is 6189.