Clean energy is one of those things, like ice cream, that everyone can agree is a good thing. In a 2018 survey from Consumer Reports, 76% of participants agreed that increasing renewable energy is a worthwhile goal. But with only 11% of U.S. power coming from renewable energy sources, there seems to be a disconnect in what people want, and what they actually do.
Inspire, a clean energy technology company, wants to make it easy for consumers make the switch to access clean energy.
“Inspire’s technology empowers consumers to be part of a net-zero future by providing access to clean energy, as well as insights to help consumers reduce consumption,” CMO David H. Dancer said. Compared to other renewable energy services, Inspire says they offer a flat fee for unlimited access to renewable energy and full transparency about the impact they’re making on the environment.
According to Inspire, the average consumer can prevent around 1,270 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions from being burned into the atmosphere in one year through sustainable efforts like recycling. When that consumer switches to clean energy, their impact jumps to preventing more than 13,020 pounds of carbon dioxide from being burned.
Leading a mission-driven company that wants to change the world requires a company culture centered around entrepreneurial spirit and grit, regardless of employee background. That’s why the Inspire team is made up of scientists, creatives, engineers and activists — all united by one clear vision.
“Everyone at Inspire is here because of a shared passion for creating a better tomorrow and renewing our lease on our shared planet,” Dancer said.
So, what does that tomorrow look like?
Below, Dancer told Built In LA about the meaningful projects employees adopt alongside their mission-driven jobs. Outside of working toward a future powered by renewable energy, Inspire employees take training sessions on climate change and sustainability, build solar panels with the nonprofit GivePower, and receive paid time off to volunteer and vote.
Describe your role and responsibilities at Inspire.
As CMO, I lead the marketing strategy to support the company’s disruption of the energy industry through its innovative digital energy experience, which provides everyone access to clean energy to live a carbon-free lifestyle.
In this role, I oversee all marketing operations of the company and develop marketing strategy and vision to continue Inspire’s mission-driven work, which includes leading branding, growth, customer retention and customer acquisition in new markets across multiple channels.
What made you want to work at Inspire? What gets you excited to go to work each day?
I am excited by the opportunity to be part of the disruption of an antiquated energy industry. Inspire’s technology empowers consumers to be part of a net-zero future by providing access to clean energy, as well as insights to help consumers reduce consumption. This means that what’s good for the customer is good for the company, and good for the planet. At Inspire, all three incentives are perfectly aligned.
What is the company culture like at Inspire? How is the mission reflected in its culture?
Our team is made up of scientists, creatives, engineers and activists. They are the next generation of renewable energy leaders. Everyone at Inspire is here because of a shared passion for creating a better tomorrow and renewing our lease on our shared planet.
Can you tell us more about your partnership with the nonprofit GivePower?
We’ve partnered with GivePower, a nonprofit organization that develops clean water and energy systems in communities across the world. Through annual treks, Inspire teams have installed solar and water desalination plants worldwide, including communities in Nepal and Colombia to support more than 80,000 individuals, and provide better access to education, healthcare, clean water and energy.
What does the future of clean energy look like? How will Inspire be a part of that?
To ensure everyone can easily access 100% renewable energy, we need to revolutionize the 150-year-old energy industry through innovation. We need to make renewable energy consumer-centric and up-to-date with the digital era including more choice, control and transparency.
This starts with a personalized flat monthly subscription for unlimited access to 100% clean energy and provides our customers with transparency about the impact they’re making. Customers are encouraged to consume less energy through built-in incentives that save our customers money while promoting clean energy usage.
How does Inspire encourage its employees to be proactive in addressing climate change, both inside and out of the office?
All of us at Inspire are dedicated to the climate change movement and this manifests both inside and outside the four walls of our office. In addition to Inspire-sponsored employee treks with our nonprofit partner GivePower, we give employees paid volunteer time off on environmentally focused days like Earth Day and World Environment Day. We regularly organize group volunteer efforts to give back to our communities in Santa Monica and Philly and encourage employees to share these experiences broadly via our social and collaboration channels. Additionally, our ongoing series of training and development sessions cover topics such as updates on our mission, climate change and sustainability trends and movements.
Beyond these efforts, we also know the power of civic duty, so we provide time off to vote for all employees, as well as ongoing education on what’s on the election ballot and how to get involved.
All of us at Inspire are dedicated to the climate change movement and this manifests both inside and outside the four walls of our office.”
What cool, meaningful projects or initiatives is Inspire working on right now?
We recently announced the nationwide availability of our virtual energy platform that functions as a completely digitized utility, with the ability to scale over time and power consumers’ lives with clean energy no matter where they are in the Inspire network.
This makes Inspire the only clean energy technology company with the ability to deliver a personalized flat-price, monthly subscription for unlimited access to 100% clean energy with a plan to build further capabilities over time.
Moving forward, we have plans to expand the Inspire platform nationally and integrate all types of energy systems, including solar management and storage, and expand into electric vehicle charging and connected home devices. With the power of our platform and the trend towards the digitization of everything, our goal is to allow consumers to manage all clean energy needs in one place and eventually move off the grid completely.
We will be rolling out our new virtual energy platform to additional cities and states across the country in early 2021, enabling the opportunity to create a national market with 100% clean energy.
What do you look for in new hires?
We are looking for individuals who have a shared commitment in making the world a better place and willingness to challenge the status quo. This also includes the entrepreneurial spirit, grit and tenacity to thrive in a startup. Of course, being performance- and results-oriented are also key attributes of everyone on the Inspire team.
