Lightshed

What Lightshed does

Lightshed is a privately held, founder-owned professional services firm specializing in the preparation of USDA Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) grant applications for rural small businesses and farms. The company targets two primary customer segments — rural small businesses meeting SBA size standards in eligible rural geographies, and farms of any size meeting agricultural income requirements — and operates across 40+ US states. Its core service encompasses full-cycle application preparation, scoring optimization, submission management, and reimbursement support for energy projects (solar, energy efficiency) seeking 25-50% reimbursement grants, with a stated turnaround of 1-2 weeks for most projects.

The firm has built a differentiated client experience around three proprietary technology assets: the MyDashboard web portal (launched 2023) for project tracking and initiation with pre-filled company information; the REAP Advisor mobile app (launched 2022) distributed on iOS and Android for eligibility screening and educational content; and a FileInvite-powered secure file upload portal with electronic signatures and integrated bank statement retrieval (Credit Sense, BankStatements). The team is NABCEP-credentialed in solar PV and solar thermal, and founder Alex Arnold holds 9+ years of REAP-specific experience dating to 2015.

Lightshed monetizes through project-based, quote-driven professional fees for grant writing services, with no public pricing. GTM is sales-led and digital-first, combining SEO content marketing, the mobile app as a top-of-funnel screening channel, and an energy installer referral partnership program that routes rural project applicants into the service. The firm is bootstrapped (no disclosed funding rounds, no institutional investors), operates with a small team of fewer than 10 people, and faces a material program-level risk following the 2025 IRA-driven changes to REAP.

Name

Lightshed

Legal name

Lightshed, LLC

Website

https://lightshed.us

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Lightshed is a founder-owned professional services firm that prepares USDA-REAP grant applications for rural small businesses and farms seeking 25-50% reimbursement grants for energy projects, operating across 40+ US states with a tech-enabled portal and mobile app.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Federal Grant Writing Services

NAICS

Business Support Services (5614)

akta.pro primary industry

Permitting, Siting & Environmental Impact (EIA/NEPA) Advisory (EUAMANAB)

Keywords

• USDA REAP grants
• Grant writing services
• Rural energy funding
• Federal grant advisory
• Renewable energy grants

Headquarters

HQ city

Marshall

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Grant Writing Services: Professional fee-based grant writing services for USDA Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) applications. Services include application preparation, scoring optimization, and submission management. Revenue appears to be project-based service fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Lightshed provides professional USDA-REAP (Rural Energy for America Program) grant writing services for rural small businesses and farms, helping clients secure 25-50% reimbursement grants for renewable energy and energy efficiency projects. The service covers the full application lifecycle—from eligibility screening and document collection through score-optimized package preparation, submission, and reimbursement support—and is delivered through a digital client portal (MyDashboard), a mobile screening app (REAP Advisor), and a secure drag-and-drop file upload portal.

Product overview

Lightshed offers a single integrated grant writing service for USDA-REAP (Rural Energy for America Program) funding. The core offering is professional grant writing assistance for farms and rural small businesses seeking 25-50% reimbursement grants for energy projects. This is supported by a client-facing platform (MyDashboard) for project management and tracking, a secure file upload portal with electronic signature capabilities, and a mobile application (REAP Advisor) for eligibility screening and resource access. An eligibility walkthrough tool is also provided to help prospective clients assess their candidacy before engaging the service.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• USDA-REAP Grant Writing Services Core grant writing service specializing in USDA Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) applications for farms and rural small businesses. Covers the complete application lifecycle — eligibility assessment, document collection, score-optimized package preparation, submission, and reimbursement support — to secure reimbursement grants covering 25-50% of eligible renewable energy and energy efficiency project costs.
• MyDashboard Client-facing web portal for project management. Allows Lightshed grant writing clients to view and take action on all open REAP projects, start new projects with company information pre-filled, and track application status throughout the grant lifecycle.
• REAP Advisor Mobile App Standalone mobile application for iOS and Android providing USDA-REAP grant screening tools and resources for energy installers and rural business applicants. Features include project eligibility assessment, funding timeline determination, and direct connection to Lightshed's grant writing experts. Available on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

Quantifiable outcome

• 25-50% of energy project costs covered through USDA-REAP grants
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Energy InstallerscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRenewable energy installation companies serve as referral partners, working with rural small businesses and farms on energy projects and referring them to Lightshed for grant writing services. Installers have separate file upload areas in the client portal to submit project documentation.
• USDA State Energy CoordinatorscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEstablished relationships and communication channels with State Energy Coordinators across 40+ US states facilitate application processing and provide guidance on program changes such as the 2025 IRA program cancellation.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Brightergy: Clean energy advisory and project development firm serving commercial and rural customers on solar and energy efficiency. Overlaps with Lightshed's rural energy project customer base, though Brightergy focuses more on project execution than grant writing.
• Catalyst Cooperative: Energy consulting and cooperative services firm working on energy program design, distributed energy, and rural energy initiatives. Operates in adjacent territory to Lightshed's REAP-focused rural energy practice.

Broad incumbents

• Uplight: Energy data and program management platform (formed via merger of EnergySavvy and Tendril). Operates in adjacent territory of energy program enablement and customer engagement for utilities, with a technology-first model similar to Lightshed's platform approach.
• TRC Companies: Environmental, energy, and infrastructure consulting firm with renewable energy advisory and federal funding support services. Comparable in energy program advisory, though much broader and more diversified than Lightshed's REAP focus.
• Franklin Energy: National energy program implementation and consulting firm serving utilities and government. Comparable in that both firms bridge end customers with federal/state energy funding programs, though Franklin Energy is a much broader incumbent.
• CLEAResult: Large-scale energy efficiency program designer and implementer working with utilities and government agencies. Operates broadly in the energy program services space that Lightshed supports through REAP applications, with far greater scale and capital.
• The Cadmus Group: Environmental and energy consultancy with federal grant and program advisory capabilities. Provides comparable advisory services to clients seeking federal energy funding, but as part of a broader professional services portfolio.
• ICF International: Major consulting firm with energy, environment, and federal grants practices. ICF supports clients accessing federal energy funding, overlapping Lightshed's REAP advisory niche as part of a much wider portfolio.
• Van Scoyoc Associates: Federal funding and government relations consultancy helping clients secure federal grants across multiple agencies. Comparable in helping clients navigate federal funding programs, though at much broader scale and program coverage than Lightshed.
• The Ferguson Group: Federal grants and infrastructure funding consultancy that helps municipalities, tribes, and rural entities secure federal awards. Direct overlap with Lightshed's federal grant writing model, but at significantly larger scale and broader program coverage.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lightshedllc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Lightshed