WRISE

What WRISE does

WRISE (Women of Renewable Industries and Sustainable Energy), legally Women of Renewable Industries and Sustainable Energy, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership organization founded in 2005 and headquartered in Brooklyn, New York. Originally established as Women of Wind Energy (WoWE), the organization rebranded in 2017 to reflect an expanded scope spanning wind, solar, energy storage, and broader sustainable energy sectors. WRISE's mission is to accelerate an equitable energy future by championing the advancement of women across the renewable energy workforce, where women represent less than one-third of the U.S. clean energy workforce and face 8-18% gender pay gaps. The organization is led by Executive Director Doseke Akporiaye (appointed February 2023) and Board President Constance Thompson (since January 2025), with a small central staff of 1-10 employees supported by hundreds of volunteer hours.

WRISE's core product portfolio centers on a tiered membership program (General, Champion, Leader, Champion Sponsors) bundled with member-only event access, mentorship, a Clean Energy Credit Union eligibility pathway, and a member directory. Supporting programs include the annual Leadership Forum (725 attendees in 2025), the Speakers Bureau (530+ searchable speakers), a Job Board and Career Center (1K+ applications submitted), peer and one-on-one mentorship, monthly webinars (15+ events/month), 48 local chapters across the US and Canada, and fellowship programs (Rudd Mayer, Wind at Our Backs, Solar Fellowship) operated in partnership with GRID Alternatives, Vestas, and NextEra Energy. The underlying technology is light: the wrisenergy.org WordPress site, a members-only portal, and a careerwebsite.com-powered job board, with no API or developer-facing platform.

The business model is a nonprofit hybrid: recurring annual membership dues, corporate sponsorships (including named sponsors such as Google, Wells Fargo, US Bank, RWE, Ørsted, DNV, Hanwha Qcells, and SOLV Energy), event-based revenue from the Leadership Forum and regional chapter programming, individual donations and gifts, and grant-like support from corporate partners for fellowship and scholarship programs. The network includes over 25,000 total participants and approximately 2,800 active members as of 2025. Go-to-market is community-led, relying on word-of-mouth within the renewable energy industry, the annual Leadership Forum, fellowship cohorts, and a multi-channel digital presence across LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, email, and PR/earned media.

Name

WRISE

Legal name

Women of Renewable Industries and Sustainable Energy

Website

https://wrisenergy.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

WRISE is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership organization founded in 2005 that advances women across the U.S. and Canadian renewable and sustainable energy industries through membership tiers, a Leadership Forum, 48 local chapters, fellowship programs, mentorship, a Speakers Bureau, and a job board.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Clean Energy Professional Association

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Gender Equality & Women’s Rights Advocacy (BPAGAFAD)

Keywords

• Renewable energy nonprofit
• Professional membership association
• Clean energy networking
• Women in energy
• Clean energy fellowships

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: WRISE generates revenue through annual membership fees at various levels (General, Champion, Leader, Champion Sponsors) with different benefits tiers including member-only access, mentorship programs, and event discounts.
2. Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate partners sponsor WRISE programs including fellowships, the Leadership Forum, and annual events. Sponsors receive visibility, access to talent pipeline, and recruitment opportunities.
3. Event Revenue: Revenue generated from Leadership Forum registrations, annual gala events, and regional chapter events.
4. Donations and Gifts: Individual contributions and gifts to support WRISE's mission and programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

WRISE (Women of Renewable Industries and Sustainable Energy) is a nonprofit membership organization that advances the careers of women in the renewable and sustainable energy industries through multi-tiered annual memberships, local chapters, fellowship programs, the annual Leadership Forum, mentorship, a speakers bureau, a job board, and webinars. The organization delivers programming, networking, professional development, and corporate sponsorship opportunities across 48 chapters in the US and Canada.

Product overview

WRISE (Women of Renewable Industries and Sustainable Energy) is a nonprofit membership organization offering a portfolio of professional development and networking programs rather than a unified software product. The core offerings include multi-tiered membership with event access and mentorship, the annual Leadership Forum as the flagship gathering, Renewable Energy Fellowships (Solar and Wind) and Wind at Our Backs Scholarship in partnership with GRID Alternatives, peer and one-on-one mentorship programs, a Speakers Bureau with 530+ qualified speakers, a Job Board/Career Center, and 48 local chapters across the US and Canada. Additional offerings include monthly webinars, the Kacie Peters Impact Award, and periodic publications such as the 2025 Salary and Sentiment Guide. Programs are delivered through the wrisenergy.org website, Eventbrite for events, and the careerwebsite.com-powered career center.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• WRISE Membership Multi-tiered annual membership offering member-only event access and discounts, mentorship programs, eligibility to join the Clean Energy Credit Union, and member directory and discussions.
• WRISE Leadership Forum

Quantifiable outcome

• 25,000+ participants in network
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• root/edgecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 November 2025WRISE partnered with root/edge, a leading clean energy recruitment firm, to release the 2025 Clean Energy and Sustainability Salary and Sentiments Guide. The partnership provides data-driven insights on compensation, progression, and sentiment for professionals across the U.S. clean energy and sustainability sectors.
• GRID AlternativescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWRISE and GRID Alternatives partner on the Renewable Energy Fellowship program, providing aspiring professionals from diverse backgrounds the opportunity to pursue careers in renewable energy. The fellowship includes free RE+ conference access, specialized content, mentoring, and networking opportunities.
• VestasminorOthersVestas provides sponsorship for the Wind at Our Backs Scholarship, supporting women in wind energy degree and training programs. The scholarship aims to diversify the wind energy workforce.
• NextEra EnergyminorOthersNextEra Energy provides sponsorship for the Rudd Mayer Fellowship, supporting women college students and recent graduates attending the CLEANPOWER Conference.
• Pivot EnergyminorOthersPivot Energy supports the Kacie Peters Impact Award, honoring individuals who exemplify values and dedication in the clean energy sector.
• SolarplazaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerWRISE announced as strategic partner for SolarPlaza Summit North America 2025, supporting increased representation and participation of women in solar industry events.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• American Clean Power Association (ACP): The leading U.S. trade association for the wind, solar, energy storage, and transmission industries. While not focused on gender equity, ACP increasingly runs workforce-diversity and inclusion initiatives and serves the same corporate sponsor base as WRISE.
• Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA): National trade association for the U.S. solar industry. Comparable to WRISE only in that it convenes the same employer base, runs DEI-adjacent programming, and competes for the same corporate sponsorship dollars in the clean energy talent-pipeline space.

Direct peers

• National Council of Women in Energy and Environment: Mission-driven nonprofit advocating for women in energy and environmental fields through education, networking, and recognition. Closely comparable mission and membership-based operating model to WRISE, though smaller scale and broader scope beyond renewables.
• Women in Wind (Global Wind Energy Council): GWEC initiative focused on advancing women's participation in the wind industry globally. Direct mission overlap with WRISE's wind fellowship programs (Wind at Our Backs, Rudd Mayer), though international in scope and wind-only rather than all renewables.
• Women's Energy Network: National nonprofit with local chapters advancing women across the broader energy industry (oil & gas, utilities, power). Directly comparable to WRISE in mission (gender equity in energy) and operating model (membership, chapters, events, mentorship), though WRISE is specifically scoped to renewables.

Emerging players

• Women in Solar Energy (WISE): Nonprofit focused on advancing women in the solar industry through networking, mentorship, and education. Smaller and more narrowly scoped than WRISE (solar only vs. all renewables), but addresses the same persona and offers directly comparable programs.
• Clean Energy Leadership Institute (CELI): Nonprofit that develops emerging leaders in the clean energy sector through fellowship-style programs, networking events, and mentorship. Direct programmatic overlap with WRISE's Leadership Forum and fellowship offerings, though CELI serves a broader diversity scope.
• EcoWomen: National nonprofit network of women environmental professionals offering mentorship, networking, and programming. Comparable operating model to WRISE (membership, chapters, events) but with a broader environmental scope beyond renewables.

Regional players

• League of Women in Energy (various state chapters): State- and region-specific networking organizations for women in energy roles. Many operate with similar chapter-based, volunteer-driven models to WRISE's local chapters but at smaller geographic scale and without the national brand recognition.

Others

• National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL): U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory that conducts renewable energy and energy efficiency research, including workforce-diversity studies. Not a direct peer on programming, but NREL data and research underpin much of WRISE's mission narrative and policy positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/WRISEnergy
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/women-of-renewable-industries-and-sustainable-energy-wrise-
• Instagraminstagram.com/wrisenergy
• Xx.com/WRISEnergy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles19 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about WRISE