Energy Innovation Network

What Energy Innovation Network does

Energy Innovation Network (EIN) is a global nonprofit organization founded in 2015 in Silicon Valley and originally operating as the Silicon Valley China-US Energy Association before rebranding in 2018. The organization is volunteer-powered, with 20+ named team members across co-presidents, regional leads for Silicon Valley, EMEA, Middle East, and Caribbean, and functional leads for events, education, marketing, and sustainability. EIN's stated purpose is to bridge professionals in the energy, environment, and transportation industries across the US, Asia-Pacific, and Africa through events and educational programs that advance cross-border collaboration on sustainability and clean energy.

EIN's core offerings are event-based rather than software-based. The flagship is the annual ENSPIRE Summit, which has run under themes including the 2019 US-China Energy & Climate + AI Summits (300+ attendees), ENSPIRE 2020 (Beyond Business-as-Usual), ENSPIRE 2021 (Envisioning a Carbon Zero Future aligned with COP26), and the ENSPIRE 2023 Forum on Low Carbon Innovation. Recurring secondary programs include Panel Discussions on topics ranging from V2G to hydrogen, the Investor & Startup Mixer for climate-tech deal flow, the Global Clean Future Influencer speaker series, the Women in Power series, and luncheons on topics like grid IoT and water treatment. In 2021, EIN added the Renewable Energy Finance Online Course developed with UC Berkeley faculty and experts from Tesla and Amergy Solar, which represents the organization's first structured, non-event educational program. EIN does not develop proprietary technology products; its technology footprint is limited to community platforms including LinkedIn, WeChat, Slack, Clubhouse, YouTube, and an email newsletter.

EIN's revenue model is nonprofit-style and multi-streamed: event sponsorships structured in four tiers (Platinum $20,000, Gold $15,000, Silver $10,000, Bronze $5,000), event registration and ticketing, and educational program fees for the Renewable Energy Finance course. The organization serves three primary segments: energy, environment, and transportation industry professionals seeking cross-border collaboration; corporate leaders focused on ESG and net-zero targets; and students and early-career professionals pursuing renewable energy project finance education. Core partnerships include Plug and Play, UC Berkeley, IEEE, TDK Ventures, Tesla, Amergy Solar, and Climate Change AI, each supporting specific events or educational content rather than long-term commercial contracts.

Name

Energy Innovation Network

Legal name

Energy Innovation Network

Website

https://energyinnovation.network

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Energy Innovation Network is a volunteer-powered nonprofit founded in 2015 in Silicon Valley that runs the annual ENSPIRE Summit and educational programs to connect global energy, environment, and transportation professionals across cross-border sustainability and clean energy initiatives.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Energy Industry Networking and Professional Events

akta.pro primary industry

Energy, Utilities & Sustainability Shows Organizers (THAHABAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Energy, Utilities & Infrastructure Congresses (THAHAJAJ), Renewable Energy & Clean Tech Access (Off-grid, Energy Poverty Solutions) (BPAGALAE)

Keywords

• Energy industry networking
• Sustainability conferences
• Renewable energy education
• Clean energy events
• Nonprofit energy community

Headquarters

HQ city

San Jose

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. Event Sponsorships: Corporate sponsors fund EIN events at various levels (Platinum $20,000, Gold $15,000, Silver $10,000, Bronze $5,000) for visibility and access to the energy innovation community.
2. Educational Programs: Revenue from online education programs such as the Renewable Energy Finance course delivered in partnership with UC Berkeley professors, featuring industry experts from Amergy Solar and Tesla.
3. Event Registration Fees: Ticket sales for summits and conferences including the annual ENSPIRE Summit and specialized events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Energy Innovation Network is a volunteer-powered nonprofit that convenes global energy, environment, and transportation professionals through signature events such as the annual ENSPIRE Summit, panel discussions, Investor & Startup Mixers, and thought-leadership series. It also operates the Renewable Energy Finance online education course co-developed with UC Berkeley professors and industry experts, generating revenue through event sponsorships, registration fees, and program tuition.

Product overview

Energy Innovation Network is a nonprofit organization that operates a portfolio of event-based programs and educational offerings rather than a traditional software product. Its core offerings include the annual ENSPIRE Summit conference series (covering US-China Energy & Climate themes and AI in Energy), recurring Panel Discussion events on topics ranging from V2G to Corporate Sustainability, Investor & Startup Mixer networking events, and the Renewable Energy Finance Online Course developed with UC Berkeley faculty. These programs collectively serve to connect global professionals in energy, environment, and transportation industries for education, networking, and collaboration toward sustainable innovation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ENSPIRE Summit: Annual flagship summit event series focused on energy innovation and sustainability
• Global Clean Future Influencer
• Investor & Startup Mixer
• Women in Power
• Renewable Energy Finance

Products and services

• ENSPIRE Summit Annual flagship conference series bringing together global industry professionals, experts, scholars, and business elites in the energy, environment, and transportation sectors to discuss sustainability, climate innovation, and cross-border collaboration.
• Panel Discussion Events Recurring online and in-person panel discussions covering Community Solar, Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G), Deep Decarbonization, Grid-Interactive Efficient Buildings, Blockchain in Mobility, Battery Second Life, Energy Efficiency, Hydrogen, Climate Change and Machine Learning, and Corporate Sustainability.
• Investor & Startup Mixer
• Global Clean Future Influencer Series
• Luncheon & Discussion Events
• Renewable Energy Finance Online Course Educational program on renewable energy project finance developed in partnership with UC Berkeley professors and industry experts from Amergy Solar and Tesla. Covers renewable energy overview, legal/policy framework, and commercial-scale project finance case studies for professionals and students.
• Women in Power Series

Quantifiable outcome

• 300+ attendees at major summits
• +1 more outcomes

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

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Plug and PlaycoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2023Event partner for ENSPIRE 2023 Forum on Low Carbon Innovation. Plug and Play is a prominent innovation platform and startup accelerator that collaborates with EIN on climate-tech events and startup engagement.
• GCIC (Global Climate Impact Center)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2023Event partner for ENSPIRE 2023 Forum, contributing to the ecosystem of climate innovation and low carbon initiatives.
• Great Way Trading & Transportation, Inc.minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2023Event sponsor for Low Carbon Innovation Forum. Founded in San Francisco in 1993, Great Way is a provider of customs brokerage, freight forwarding, and logistics services.
• TDK VenturescoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2021Co-host partner for Session 3 (Mobilizing Finance into Climate) of ENSPIRE 2021 Summit in partnership with Energy Week. TDK Ventures is a venture capital firm focused on climate and energy technology investments.
• IEEEcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Collaborated on AI in Energy Summit co-hosted with Stanford IEEE in 2019, featuring academic and industry experts in energy and machine learning.
• Climate Change AIminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Co-hosted event on Climate Change, Machine Learning and the Power Grid, facilitating intersection of AI/ML expertise with climate action.
• Vectors AngelminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2021Co-host partner for 2019 International Biofuel Standard Workshop, part of the collaboration with others event series.
• UC BerkeleycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Partnership with UC Berkeley professors (Dan Kammen, Steve Weissman) for Renewable Energy Finance online education program. Professors serve as subject matter experts delivering comprehensive curriculum on renewable energy project finance.
• Amergy SolarminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Industry subject matter expert for Renewable Energy Finance course, providing case study expertise on commercial scale project finance from a leading solar developer.
• TeslaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Industry expert (Wanning Lyu) from Tesla Energy for Renewable Energy Finance course, providing insights on battery energy storage project development for commercial and utility-scale applications.
• CSEE North American ChaptercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Assistant host for 2019 US-China Energy & Climate + AI Summits, supporting cross-border collaboration between US and China on energy and climate topics.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• World Energy Council: Global member-based energy network and convening organization spanning more than 90 countries, focused on energy transition dialogue. Closest analog to EIN in being a network/community-driven, mission-oriented (vs. profit-driven) global energy organization.
• American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE): US nonprofit that convenes the renewable energy industry through events, policy advocacy, and member networking. Directly comparable to EIN as a nonprofit energy convening organization with event-driven programming and corporate sponsorships.
• Smart Energy Decisions: Event and content platform for corporate energy and sustainability buyers, including the Smart Energy Decisions Summit and peer networking. Comparable to EIN as an event-driven energy community serving corporate sustainability leaders with sponsored programming.

Broad incumbents

• BloombergNEF: Bloomberg's energy research and events arm (BNEF Summit, NEF conferences) serving investors, corporates, and policymakers in the clean energy transition. Comparable to EIN as a higher-scale, paid-staff energy industry convening and research organization.
• Plug and Play Tech Center: Major startup accelerator and innovation platform that runs climate and sustainability programs with corporate partners. Listed as an EIN event partner for ENSPIRE 2023, demonstrating direct overlap in climate-tech event convening and corporate-startup matchmaking.
• International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA): Intergovernmental organization that convenes governments, industry, and civil society around renewable energy deployment and policy. Comparable to EIN in convening and cross-border renewable energy education focus, though at much larger institutional scale.
• S&P Global Commodity Insights (CERAWeek): Operates CERAWeek, the flagship energy industry conference, plus extensive energy research. Comparable to EIN as a high-profile energy convening platform, though with paid staff, proprietary research, and orders-of-magnitude larger scale.

Emerging players

• Greentown Labs: US-based cleantech incubator and startup community that runs demo days, investor events, and corporate partnerships in the energy/climate-tech space. Comparable to EIN's climate-tech investor/startup mixer programming and mission to connect clean energy founders with capital.

Regional players

• Clean Energy Council: Australian peak industry body for the clean energy sector, running major renewable industry events such as the Australian Clean Energy Summit. Comparable to EIN in nonprofit industry-body model and event-driven value proposition, though focused on the Australian market.

Others

• Renewable Energy World: Industry media and events brand covering solar, wind, and storage. Adjacent to EIN as another event/media platform serving the renewable energy professional community and a potential partner channel for educational programming.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCOvVW6pvvglhKU69P0tyMIA/featured
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/silicon-valley-china-us-energy-association
• Xx.com/energydotnet

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 Energy Innovation Network