ARLINGTON, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Opower, the leading energy information company, today announced that CEO Dan Yates and President Alex Laskey have been named to Fortune’s “40 Under 40” list. Selected by Fortune editors, the list recognizes 40 of the hottest rising stars in business under the age of 40.
Dan and Alex founded Opower in 2007 to pioneer an industrial innovation—information-based energy efficiency. Under their leadership, Opower has grown from two, to more than 200 employees, and developed relationships with 60 utilities across the U.S. and abroad to provide consumers with contextual information about how they’re using energy in their homes. Opower now reaches 10 million homes, has driven more than 485 gigawatt hours in energy savings and has cumulatively saved consumers $55 Million on their energy bills. By the end of 2012, the company predicts that it will save 1 terawatt hour of electricity, enough to power 100,000 average U.S. homes for a year.
“We founded Opower on the simple premise that it’s time to engage the millions of people around the world that are in the dark about their energy use,” said Alex Laskey, Opower’s President. “Less than five years later, it’s amazing how far we’ve come and the impact we’ve had. It’s a testament to the great team we’ve assembled it’s a tremendous honor to be recognized by Fortune alongside such a distinguished list of people.”
Prior to founding Opower, Alex enjoyed a career in politics and policy serving as a campaign manager, strategist and public opinion analyst for several candidates nationwide. Dan brought an entrepreneurial background to Opower, having founded an educational software company that he built and successfully lead to acquisition by one of the nation’s largest publishing companies. They subsequently combined their talents to start Opower, where Alex is responsible for engaging utility and government partners with the company vision and products. Dan drives the vision, strategy and leadership of its SaaS platform.
“Helping to preserve the environment while putting money back in consumers’ pockets is something Alex and I are very passionate about and we’ve been fortunate to surround ourselves with the very best, like-minded professionals,” said Opower CEO, Dan Yates. “It’s gratifying work and amazing to be honored for doing something you love.”
Over the past year, Opower has expanded its business internationally and has doubled its headcount. The company also recently announced two major partnerships that will help enhance and expand its services into new and existing markets. On Monday, Opower announced a joint effort with Facebook and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) to launch a new social energy application that will use the power of social networking to raise consumer awareness about energy consumption. The company also recently announced a partnership with global control technology giant Honeywell to launch a Web and smartphone connected programmable thermostat to help households better control their energy usage and save money.
Today, Opower will also be celebrating the opening of its new world headquarters in Arlington, VA with Senator Mark Warner (D-VA), Representative Jim Moran (D-VA-08) and Virginia Secretary of Technology Jim Duffey. The event will feature a ribbon cutting ceremony and a walking tour of Opower’s state-of-the-art offices.
Dan and Alex’s inclusion in Fortune’s 40 Under 40 can be viewed at the following links.
40 Under 40 Ranking
http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2011/news/companies/1110/gallery.40_under_40.fortune/36.html
When They Were Kids – Baby Photos of the 40 Under 40
How They Would Fix the Economy
About Opower
Opower is a leader in energy efficiency software, providing the utility industry’s only cross-channel platform proven to drive energy efficiency gains on a large scale. Using cutting-edge behavioral science and patent-pending analytics, the Opower platform enables utilities to provide targeted energy data and advice to each customer. Sixty utilities — including 8 of the 10 largest in the U.S. — partner with Opower to significantly improve the effectiveness of their energy-efficiency portfolios and motivate their customers to become more energy efficient, while dramatically increasing the level of customer engagement and overall customer satisfaction. For utilities with Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI), the Opower platform represents a cost-effective way to convert hourly data into measurable energy savings, delivering a clear return on investment directly to the customers. Founded in 2007 and privately held, Opower is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, as well as a second office in San Francisco, California. For more information, please visit www.opower.com.