Deep Dive on Funding from the California Energy Commission

Join us for a fireside chat between OpenGrants CEO Sedale Turbovsky, and California Energy Commission's (CEC) Deputy Director of Energy Research and Development Erik Stokes. We dove into the CEC's various funding opportunities, and learned what they mean for energy and climate researchers & entrepreneurs.

The California Energy Commission is leading the state to a 100 percent clean energy future for all. As the state's primary energy policy and planning agency, the Energy Commission is committed to reducing energy costs and environmental impacts of energy use while ensuring a safe, resilient, and reliable supply of energy.

In This 1-Hour Session, We Covered: - CalSEED - EPIC - Clean Hydrogen Program - Industrial Decarb and Load Flexibility Program - Carbon Removal Innovation - Climate Innovation Program - Long Duration Energy Storage Program

About the Speakers

Sedale Turbovsky, Co-Founder & CEO, OpenGrants Sedale Turbovsky is the CEO and co-founder of OpenGrants, a venture-backed startup focused on building modern infrastructure for funding. He has been an entrepreneur since childhood. After honing his leadership skills as an outdoor guide in his younger years, he started his professional career as an independent consultant focused on delivering data products and digital strategies to enterprise clients in South America. He is experienced in independent grant writing and public/private partnerships at the highest level, having worked directly with OpenGrants’ current strategic partner, Momentum.

Erik Stokes, Deputy Director, Energy Research and Development, California Energy Commission Erik Stokes is the Deputy Director of the Energy Research and Development Division at the California Energy Commission. In his 14+ years at the Commission, Erik has spearheaded numerous initiatives to bring new clean energy technologies to the market. Erik has worked to strengthen California’s innovation ecosystem for cleantech entrepreneurship which has helped cleantech start-ups attract over $9 billion in private investment.

In addition, Erik has worked to address barriers that prevent broader deployment of emerging clean energy technologies, particularly in underserved communities. In 2016, Erik and his team pioneered a $50 million design-build competition to transform low-income neighborhoods into some of the most technologically-advanced clean energy communities in the world. In 2019, his team launched Empower Innovation, the first professional networking platform developed specifically for the cleantech sector. Empower Innovation has grown to over 3,000 members.