Danny Kennedy

CEO, New Energy Nexus

Danny Kennedy is the CEO of New Energy Nexus, connecting entrepreneurs everywhere to capital to build an abundant clean energy economy that benefits all. New Energy Nexus is a global platform organization for funds and incubators, with chapters in the USA, China, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Uganda and India. He acts as Managing Director of the California Clean Energy Fund. This includes overseeing the CalSEED.fund of $25m for very early-stage companies driving innovation and building equity in the California economy and the $12m CalTestBed initiative with UCOP. He is an adviser to Young Greentech Entrepreneurs in China with the Asia Society. Kennedy also serves as President of CalCharge, a public-private partnership with DoE National Labs, universities in California, unions and companies, working to advance energy storage.

Kennedy co-founded Sungevity in 2007, the company that created remote solar design, and Powerhouse, an incubator and fund in Oakland, CA. He was the first backer of Mosaic in 2011, the $1B solar loan provider, and remains on the Board of Powerhive, a solar mini-utility in Kenya. He was a founding Director of Sunergise, the solar-as-a-service business out of Fiji and the EnergyLab Australia. He is also a Director of the non-profits Power for All and the Epic Institute and is an adviser to the company Solar Philippines. Kennedy authored Rooftop Revolution: How Solar Power Can Save Our Economy – and Our Planet – from Dirty Energy in 2012. Prior to being an entrepreneur and investor he worked at Greenpeace and other NGOs on climate & energy since 1989.

Danny is also co-host of the award winning Climate of Change podcast, which won Best Green Podcast as part of the iHeartRadio's annual iHeartPodcast Awards held live at the SXSW Conference and Festivals in Austin in March 2024.