Leap Forward Ventures

We're thrilled to announce that Veery Fledgling v0.4 "Barb", our fourth test and first weather satellite, is launching today! Barb will test: - a more sensitive radar capable of measuring ocean surface wind speed - end-to-end control software from Elodin - improved Iridium SBD software - partially-automated commissioning - and much more SpaceX livestream starts at 11am PST! https://lnkd.in/gCgq6f-M More details on Barb: https://lnkd.in/gDh9uzMK

Today, we're announcing Stand: property insurance for those impacted by climate-driven disasters. The growing impacts of wind, wildfire, and flood are pushing insurers out of markets, when that safety net is needed most. This can't be solved with insurers' typical tools. $22T of home value is at risk from climate catastrophes. As these grow, insurers are rapidly updating risk models, pushing rates up and availability down. But this ignores a critical truth: it's not just the location that matters, it's also the structural resilience of the home. Stand treats every home as unique: we create a physical simulation of each home to identify the specific causes of loss. This lets us help homeowners adapt while protecting the character of a property— not requiring them to turn their home into a concrete bunker. One of the most underused tools for insurers is to work *with* customers to help them avoid a loss in the first place. For homeowners today, the opposite is happening: insurers are looking for any reason they can to drop coverage in favor of lowering their exposure. We're starting by launching homeowners insurance in California, where wildfires have become the proximate cause in a massive availability crisis in the state. We believe by working with homeowners, we can help them not only insure their homes, but help them make them safer. I'm joined by my co-founders Jason Mueller, Sam Shank, Bill Clerico, and an incredible team. Each of them have built wonderful businesses in some of the most challenging industries. They also happen to be wonderful people! Read more here -- https://lnkd.in/ePEiqf2w

Congrats to Michael Rigney and Cala Systems on their launch and unveiling of a next-generation heat pump water heater that can both provide more hot water and save money & emissions at the same time. Excited to see all of your progress since we first partnered late last year! https://lnkd.in/ev6pEZbu

It's been decades since the technology on an appliance you rely on daily has gotten an upgrade. Until now... Cala Systems is using AI to save: you money, the planet and all of us from having to take cold showers. Congrats to Michael Rigney and team on all of the progress and the annc! Their hard work and passion made it a no brainer to partner with them and Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, Clean Energy Venture Group and Collaborative Fund https://lnkd.in/g-k8MypA

Congrats to James Quazi and the Balto Energy team! Very excited for you guys to finally be out there, and congrats on the amazing write ups at Axios, Canary Media and TechCrunch. https://lnkd.in/gDKmCb7n https://lnkd.in/gC_5RgPP https://lnkd.in/gezHEzxm

At Bayou Energy this month we announced our partnership with Solstice to create an 82% faster sign-up experience and that Bayou now has instant support for 52% of the US population 👉 View this month's update here: https://lnkd.in/gQ93Q2Qs - 🌞 Solstice and Bayou: Solstice needed a way to get accurate consumer utility data quickly for enrollment, at scale. With Bayou’s instant utility data API, Solstice provides a frictionless sign-up experience for any American to access clean energy that’s 82% faster than alternatives. - 🔌 Instant utility support: Bayou now authenticates accounts in one second and returns data within 60 seconds or less for utilities covering 52% of the US population. This month we've added 6 new utilities: 1. Arizona Public Service 2. Delmarva Power 3. DTE Energy 4. Kentucky Utilities 5. Pacific Power 6. San Diego Gas and Electric - 📄 Updates to the API: Retrieved bills can now be filtered and are sorted according to their billed on date Interested in learning more or building on Bayou?: - 🧑💻Get started with the product: https://www.bayou.energy/ - 👋 Reach out to me directly: https://lnkd.in/gHHWFpW9

Congrats to James Quazi and the entire team at Balto Energy! We’re proud to be partners on your journey.

Awesome to see our portfolio company Bayou Energy continuing to increase utility coverage - up 18% in just a three months! 🚀 https://lnkd.in/gy-26AjQ

That's a wrap! #SFClimateWeek was bigger and better this year than it's ever been. Check out our recap of the events we hosted and some of the key takeaways and things we learned.