Leap Secures Strategic Funding From Japan Energy Fund, Positioning Company For International Expansion

SAN FRANCISCO – (COMMERCIAL THREAD) –Jump, the main supplier of access to the energy market, announced this week to have secure strategic financing of Japanese energy fund (JEF), a low-carbon technology fund backed by ENECHANGE Ltd., positioning the company for a potential entry into the Japanese market. The company also today announced the addition of David Brewster, EnerNOC co-founder and sustainability entrepreneur and investor, to its advisory board.
Japan’s unique confluence of favorable market conditions, along with aggressive renewable energy mandates, has led to the exponential growth of the country’s distributed energy capacity – and with it, enormous opportunities to generate greater value of assets connected to the network.
âAs the electricity sector in Japan undergoes further deregulation, we are seeing a huge demand for solutions to generate greater value in the energy markets,â said Thomas Folker, CEO of Leap. âThe new financing and the strategic relationship with JEF allow us to expand market access and services to providers of distributed assets in Japan. In addition to this exciting opportunity for Leap, we are delighted to welcome David, an energy veteran with extensive experience in scaling up energy market access solutions, to the board. Leap Advisory.
âLeap’s comprehensive solution provides potential partners in Japan with the ability to easily add unclaimed value to their distributed assets, helping pave the way for further decarbonization, digitization and decentralization,â said Yohei Kiguchi, co-founder and CEO of JEF and ENECHANGE Ltd. âWe are excited to invest in such an innovative solutions provider as Leap, and we look forward to continuing our collaboration and exploring opportunities to implement Leap’s solution in Japan. ”
The company’s addition of David Brewster is further indication of Leap’s growth and readiness for new markets. Brewster co-founded and evolved EnerNOC into the world’s largest demand response provider. The state-owned company grew to around 1,500 employees and $ 500 million in revenue, before being acquired by Enel Group in 2017. Meanwhile, Brewster led the launch of EnerNOC in the markets of wholesale from all over the world, including Japan, where it helped shape the development of Japanese demand. response market. As an advisor to Leap, Brewster brings deep expertise in launching and scaling market-based clean energy solutions.
âLeap provides a valuable solution to all owners and operators of distributed energy resources by facilitating access to the energy market,â said David Brewster. âI am delighted to support the growth of Leap and thereby facilitate energy innovation. ”
About Leap
Jump is the leading global platform for generating new value from resources and grid-connected devices through integration with energy markets. Leap does all the heavy lifting, seamlessly connecting technology partners to high value-added revenue streams and providing a simplified and automated access point for market participation with batteries, electric vehicle recharges, smart thermostats, HVAC systems, industrial plants and other flexible assets. By facilitating the participation of new distributed resources in energy markets, Leap lays the foundation for Virtual Power Plants (VPPs). Leap enables its partners to deliver resilient, zero-carbon capacity to the network while strengthening engagement with their customers through new value chains. Leap is a privately held company with offices in San Francisco and the Netherlands.
About the Japanese Energy Fund
Backed by leading Japanese companies, the Japanese energy fund aims to build a sustainable society by investing in innovative international companies equipped with technologies related to decarbonisation. The Fund’s initiative revolves around two main axes: JEF Renewables and JEF Ventures. The first invests in renewable energy companies in emerging countries, and the second invests in energy start-ups with advanced technologies in European and North American countries with advanced energy markets. Through these investments, the Fund aims to build a sustainable society by focusing on five SDG goals.