EnergySage Secures $1.5 Million in Series-A Financing to Fuel Expansion of Online Solar Energy Marketplace

BOSTON, May 19, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- EnergySage announced today a $1.5 million Series-A round of funding to accelerate the national expansion of its online solar energy marketplace. Launchpad Venture Group led the round with participation from The New York Angels and the Clean Energy Venture Group. This strategic financing comes during a period of explosive growth for EnergySage, whose industry-first solar comparison-shopping platform is boosting solar adoption around the country by helping consumers and business owners make well-informed decisions that yield greater returns on their solar investments.

Combined with previous seed-round funding from angel investors, an award from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) as well as two Department of Energy (DOE) SunShot Initiative Awards, this Series-A financing brings EnergySage's total funding to more than $4 million. The new resources will be used to help the company amplify its sales and marketing efforts, building greater awareness of its groundbreaking solar comparison-shopping platform and expanding partnerships with businesses, municipalities, non-profits, utilities and a variety of other organizations striving to promote clean energy adoption. EnergySage currently operates in 30 states nationwide and expects to expand its footprint to all 50 states by year end 2015.

The EnergySage marketplace has transformed solar shopping by providing – in one place – all the information about solar energy systems consumers or business owners need to make a well-informed decision about solar installations. EnergySage enables users to quickly research and compare turnkey solar energy systems, explore financing options and obtain multiple price quotes from more than 250 high-quality, pre-screened solar installers. Consumers using EnergySage adopt solar at rates two to three times higher than industry norms and pay prices that are up to 20 percent less than market averages.

The marketplace also provides solar installers access to a large pool of knowledgeable prospective clients, giving them the ability to reduce customer acquisition costs and efficiently grow their businesses. With EnergySage, installers' sales cycles are 70 percent shorter and their customer acquisition costs drop by more than 50 percent compared to other channels.

In conjunction with this funding, EnergySage also welcomed Gail Greenwald of Launchpad Venture Group to its board of directors. She joins board members Robert Gervis, also of Launchpad, and Tibor Toth of Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, an additional stakeholder in the company. "EnergySage's early success demonstrates the tremendous potential to be realized by simultaneously addressing the challenges faced by both consumers and installers," said Greenwald. "This round of funding will fuel the company's continued expansion, resulting in more rapid adoption of solar."

"This new funding will enable us to expand our reach, connecting with more communities countrywide to bring desperately needed simplicity, transparency and choice to the process of solar energy shopping," said Vikram Aggarwal, CEO of EnergySage. "The solar industry is growing, but it's not meeting its full potential because solar is a complicated topic and a serious investment, and people haven't had easy access to the data and unbiased information they need to truly evaluate all of their options. The EnergySage marketplace uniquely addresses this problem by empowering people to shop for solar power systems like they shop for anything else—making apples-to-apples comparisons."

About Launchpad Venture Group
Launchpad Venture Group, a Boston-based angel investment group, provides funding and advice to early stage companies. Launchpad is the largest angel-investing group in the Northeast and one of the top three most active groups in the United States in both deal volume and dollars invested. Launchpad focuses on investments in technology, healthcare, life sciences, and the green/cleantech space.

About New York Angels
The New York Angels is one of the longest running active angel groups in New York City and has invested over $95 million in entrepreneurial ventures. The group is an independent consortium of over 100 individual accredited angel investors. The New York Angels typically invest $100,000-$1,000,000 in seed/early stage companies, and syndicate deals with angel group partners and VCs up to $2 million. Because of the vast experience of the membership, the group is receptive to a wide variety of industry sectors. The strength of the group is its ability to pool its money to make large investments, to mentor entrepreneurs to help them achieve their goals, and to make introductions that can accelerate growth.

About Clean Energy Venture Group
Clean Energy Venture Group is an investment group that provides seed capital and management expertise to early stage clean energy companies. Formed in 2005, the group is composed of seasoned entrepreneurs, executives and investment professionals with deep experience in the areas of energy, environmental and sustainability. CEVG has invested in over 20 clean energy companies and has had several successful exits.

About EnergySage, Inc.
EnergySage provides the first comprehensive online marketplace for consumers and businesses interested in converting to solar energy. By enabling people to comparison shop for "apples-to-apples" competitive quotes from pre-screened installers and financiers, the EnergySage Marketplace typically delivers cost-savings of up to 20 percent when compared to going directly to installers. EnergySage also simplifies today's complex solar industry by providing tools and unbiased information that enable people to fully understand their product and financing options as well as their return-on-investment scenarios. Many leading organizations have forged partnerships with EnergySage to promote the adoption of solar energy, including, Connecticut Green Bank, Staples, Walgreens and the World Wildlife Fund. For more information, please visit: www.energysage.com.

Media Contacts:
EnergySage
Tracey Frederickson
781.418.2414
[email protected]

Launchpad Venture Group
Gail Greenwald
617.257.7049
[email protected]

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SOURCE EnergySage, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.energysage.com