Powering the Future of US Solar

I'm excited to announce our investment in Heliose, a real-time solar marketplace that brings together consumers, installers, and lenders. Social Leverage, alongside Origin Ventures, Junction Venture Partners, and Revelry Venture Partners participated in the company's pre-seed funding round. As part of our investment, Social Leverage will be a board observer.

Founder Jason Owen and the Heliose team have long held a steadfast belief in the transformative power of solar energy. They view it not only as a crucial element in building a more sustainable world but also as a means of empowering individuals to make informed energy decisions. Their ultimate goal is to revolutionize the solar industry by making solar energy accessible, affordable, and easy to install.

In the US, energy prices continue to rise, while less than 4.5% of single-family homes have solar. And even though it’s the world’s cheapest energy source, solar is twice as expensive in the US compared to other developed nations.

Part of the reason is that today’s process of getting solar is siloed, fragmented, and all-around frustrating. Residential solar in the US is ten years behind other home services industries where very few parts of the ecosystem 'talk' to one another. Everything from quotes to installations to management happens in opaque ways and markets. As for sales, it’s essentially the Wild West where people are often sold their system in high-pressure situations on their doorstep. It’s hard to get multiple quotes, and it can often take months, not minutes.

Heliose’s technology and marketplace are set to solve these problems, making it easier, faster, and more cost-effective than ever to switch to solar. Their platform will control the entire process from the point of getting a click onto their website all the way down to contracting the installer. 

The Heliose platform is designed to make going solar the most obvious financial decision for homeowners. In the next 24 months, the Company plans to slash the price of residential solar by 50% and cut the average 60-day post-sale installation time to less than 72 hours.

Heliose invites all homeowners, installers, and lenders to join them in their journey. The Company is launching beta markets Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas and will be available for >90% of the US population later this year. If you want to explore rooftop solar, you can find more on the Heliose site or you can check out this in-depth review.