Ep. 173: Cisco DeVries, CEO of OhmConnect

Today's guest is Cisco DeVries, CEO of OhmConnect. OhmConnect provides home energy management solutions via smart meter analytics and energy market integration. OhmConnect's platform enables residential users to sell their energy reductions directly into energy markets. Before OhmConnect, Cisco co-founded Renew Financial, which became one of the largest dedicated clean energy finance companies in the U.S. As CEO of Renew, he raised over $2 billion in private capital that financed energy efficiency and clean energy projects in nearly 100,000 homes. Previously, Cisco spent five years as the Chief of Staff to Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates. In 1996, President Clinton appointed him to serve as an aide to the U.S. Secretary of Energy, where he held roles at the White House and the U.S. Department of Transportation. Cisco has over 20 years of experience in public policy and energy efficiency. He also holds a B.A. in political science from UCSD and a Master's of Public Policy from UC Berkeley. In this episode, Cisco explains what OhmConnect does, how their platform works, and what led him to serve as CEO. He also touches on the relationship between OhmConnect and CA utilities and barriers to large-scale deployment. Plus, we have a lively discussion on pricing carbon and other policies that would address climate change. It was great to have Cisco join me this week, and I'm excited for listeners to learn more about OhmConnect. Enjoy the show! You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests. Episode recorded August 13th, 2021