Going Green is always on the lookout to share the stories, ideas, and visions of the leaders in the renewable energy industry. Because of this, we are excited to share we are having Susan Stone, the CEO at Ubiquitous Energy on an upcoming podcast episode. Susan is a leader in Investing In Renewable Energy, and has a strong background in the business, finance, and growth phases of renewable energy and cleantech businesses. Before the episode, we had the chance to ask Susan some questions and get to know her a little bit better, prior to having her on the show.
Getting To Know Susan Stone
Susan Stone is CEO at Ubiquitous Energy. She has been a longtime board member and investor in the company. Prior to joining Ubiquitous, she was the founder and CEO of Sierra Wasatch Capital, an early stage venture capital firm, and managed early stage investing for Riverhorse Investments, Inc. Susan has also worked at JPMorgan in New York and Houlihan Lokey in Los Angeles as an investment banker focused on mergers & acquisitions. Stone holds an MBA from Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business and a bachelor’s degree from Yale University.
Tell us about your background:
I am a investment banker and venture capital investor turned operator, currently CEO at Ubiquitous Energy, where we make transparent solar technology. Our first products are windows for residential and commercial use.
What caused you to get into your industry?
I began investing in early stage cleantech in 2009/2010 and am a true believer in renewable energy. In my personal life I spend a lot of times outdoors and feel the impact of climate change every day in a very intimate way.
What trends are you seeing in your industry?
Because our first products are in architectural glass, that’s where we focus a lot of our attention. Within both residential and commercial building there is increasing interest in green building, net zero building and making the materials and techniques that enable those mainstream.
We’re also closely following the explosive growth of smart and connected home technology. Because we produce power via our windows, we can enable really interesting features and devices to be embedded in windows that are really part of a home’s “skin”. The ability for a home to constantly monitor its interior and exterior environment and react to it is on the horizon.
What is one Action Item for our listeners and viewers to take away from this conversation?
To think locally about how you power your home and fuel your lifestyle. Check with your utility to find out what percentage of their generation portfolio is from renewable sources. Be mindful as you add devices to your home – essentially, to pay attention!
What is a fun fact about you?
I’m lucky enough to live in the mountains in Truckee, CA with my husband and our dog, Kaya. The fun fact is that Kaya is an avalanche dog at Squaw Valley USA and for the Placer County Sheriff, where she’s a first responder helping locate any buried humans in the event a backcountry avalanche occurs.
Where do you see your industry ten years from now?
10 years from now, I see buildings generating their own power and reducing our reliance on the grid. I see transparent solar windows and facades as standard building materials as we turn skyscrapers into vertical solar farms.
Going Green wants to thank Susan for sharing her experience Investing In Renewable Energy.
Going Green, hosted by Dylan Welch, interviews leading experts in cleantech, sustainability, media, finance, and real estate on the Going Green podcast. Tune in and subscribe to the podcast on Apple or Spotify to listen to interviews with leading cleantech and sustainable experts. If you are interested in being featured on Going Green, click HERE.
