Green Success Stories sat down with Stefan Cooksammy, co-founder of Rainbow Energy, to learn more about how he is giving energy consumers a stake in clean energy. Rainbow Energy is changing things up and giving people the chance to switch to an energy supplier that provides 100% green power and rewards people with a stake in the company. Rainbow Energy built an easy-to-use platform that will make sure people actually enjoy thinking about your energy usage.
Tell us a little bit about you and your background:
After growing up in a proud British/Trinidadian household in Northamptonshire, I pursued a career in rugby as a teenager. Following a long list of serious knee injuries, I decided to embark on a ‘slightly’ different career ….. in finance. After reading Economics and the University of Birmingham, I went on to work for PwC, Deutsche Bank and a Mayfair-based investment boutique. I founded Rainbow Energy with Neil Cockerill in June 2020
What is a fun fact about you?
I made my grandad very proud by representing Trinidad and Tobago in Rugby 7s.
Why do you think climate change and sustainability is such an important topic today?
We are on the precipice of an environmental Armageddon. There was a damming report released by the UN this week suggesting that Climate change is impacting all our lives (and worsening at a faster rate than previously thought) and we only have a very small window in which to make a difference. What’s more, it’s the poorest and most marginalized in society that will be affect the most. So, we are being forced to act now at a policy level and as individuals.
What do you envision your industry looking like 10 years from now?
Consumers will be allowed to make better informed decision on their energy usage with transparent and complete data being made available by their energy supplier. At Rainbow, we want to use this data to help our customers lower bills, reduce their carbon footprint and decarbonise their homes. We also want to redefine capitalism by allowing the diverse communities we serve to benefit from growth in our business. We want to break down the trade-off between customer and shareholders by giving our customers a stake in Rainbow.
What can the average person do to make a difference?
Generally be more engage with their energy consumption ….. what type of energy am I using, where is it coming from, are there ways to reduce my usage, am I being efficient with my energy, is there a more planet-friendly option?