The current system for providing power to large businesses with multiple buildings is antiquated. Unlike homeowners, who are charged for their actual usage, campuses purchase a set amount of power each month. It makes sense that this amount is based on the greatest possible need. This remains true even if the company rarely hits this maximum usage, such as only during one busy period.
SaLisa Berrien, the founder and CEO of COI Energy, found this problematic. She worked for 25 years as an energy engineer at major utility companies such as PECO, ConEdison, and Exelon, as well as a few clean energy startups, after earning a degree in mechanical engineering and later an MBA.
Berrien was drawn to this field because, as a child, there were times when her family struggled to pay the electricity bill. “We often had no lights. As a result, my self-esteem suffered,” she told TechCrunch. She was taunted by other kids who knew her family’s situation.
So, after she earned her degree and started working for an electric company, “My friends thought I was crazy. They told me it was a boring, male-dominated industry of older men. They asked why I would choose that. But it was personal for me because I remembered what it felt like to be a kid,” she said. Berrien hoped to make electricity more efficient, affordable, and accessible so no child would have to go without.
She was involved in customer operations, smart grids, and clean energy projects.
“As an engineer, I would provide recommendations on how to boost their buildings’ energy efficiency and how to eliminate slowdowns on production lines,” Berrien explained.
She discovered how to leverage big data to maximize energy efficiency. However, no one addressed the fundamental issue: Companies were reserving and paying for far more energy than necessary.
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Commercial clients often questioned why they were being overcharged. “I agreed,” she stated. “Why can’t you simply pay for what you use as needed?”
Berrien’s response resulted in three patents (and counting) and the creation of COI Energy using that technology, as well as the formation of a team comprised of building management, energy engineers, and a former energy executive. She hired experts in fields ranging from regulation to pricing.
COI’s solution involves a marketplace where businesses connected to the same utility can sell a portion of their energy allocation when COI’s data predicts they will not require it. COI is one of the Top 20 Startup Battlefield finalists and will be presenting its technology at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025, which takes place this week in San Francisco.
COI installs an energy gateway at each customer location to track energy consumption using patented technology. It integrates with the building’s systems and SCADA systems. According to Berrien, it’s hardware-agnostic, which means it can integrate with any existing utility or building energy system. After gathering data for some time, the platform forecasts how much energy a company will truly need. “We can predict 90 days out,” she stated.
The business can then decide how much of its unused energy it wants to make available. COI compensates the companies for that capacity, and the buyers on the marketplace pay COI to acquire it. “If a customer gives us 100 kilowatts, we will pay them for that 100 kilowatts, and then the buyers would buy that from us.”
COI is still in the pre-seed stage, having secured $3.5 million in funding from investors like former Talen Energy executive Paul Farr, Morgan Stanley Inclusive and Sustainable Ventures, Kachuwa Impact Fund, Chloe Capital, and crowdfunding via Republic.
However, the startup is already making money through five pilot customers, each with at least 50 buildings. It has operations in California, Florida, Massachusetts, and New York, and has a waiting list. Furthermore, Berrien mentioned that COI is in negotiations to become a solution provider to Switzerland, which is introducing a national energy policy in 2026 that will allow businesses and homes to share capacity.
Furthermore, recalling her early difficulties, Berrien’s startup has committed 1% of the businesses’ savings on the platform to charities that assist underprivileged people with their energy needs. These groups assist with bill payments, weatherization, and energy programs such as solar.
“We’re paying it forward with what we call Kilowatt for Good,” Berrien stated.
Her goal is to provide technology that helps overburdened energy systems right now. “You’re sharing capacity rather than wasting it. So, we’re improving the planet. We’re improving our bottom lines. At the same time, we’re supporting and uplifting our communities,” she said.
If you want to find out more about COI Energy directly from the source — as well as see many other companies, listen to their pitches, and hear guest speakers on four different stages — then come join us at Disrupt, from Monday to Wednesday, in San Francisco. Find out more here.
