Energy Engage Live was created by a team of entrepreneurs, analysts, researchers, and experts in the energy sector. Their accomplishments include the creation of energy tech startups Enechange and SMAP Energy, international business accelerators as well as the inception and management of the $100M Japan Energy Fund (JEF).
The team behind Energy Engage Live has successfully founded and scaled companies in the international energy market.
Enechange was founded in 2017 in Tokyo, Japan. It provides one of the most popular energy switching websites in Japan, having 3 million monthly unique visitors, and working with over 100 energy suppliers.
SMAP Energy, based in London, UK provides a SaaS (software as a service) solution enabling utilities to analyse energy consumption data using advanced machine learning techniques. Both companies were founded by the same team in the Cambridge Energy Data Lab at the University of Cambridge (UK).
Following on the requests from numerous Japanese energy companies served by Enechange and SMAP Energy, the team created Japan Energy Challenge to help identify and bring other promising international companies to Japan. Now in its third year, Japan Energy Challenge counts over a dozen major companies – such as Tokyo Gas, Eneos, and more – amongst its sponsors.
In 2020, Enechange and SMAP Energy then partnered with Daiwa Investment Securities, Looop and Hokuriku Electric Power Company to form Japan Energy Fund – a renewable energy fund promoting investment in assets primarily in emerging economies in the Middle East and Africa as well as in emerging clean energy technologies.
Yohei is a serial entrepreneur and PhD student at the University of Cambridge with a passion for energy data. Throughout his career, he has founded four companies and has raised over US$15M in funding. Yohei was the second shareholder in Enechange – currently the most popular Japanese energy switching company with over 3M monthly users – and a member of the 2017 Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe class.
Adnan is a graduate from the University of Cambridge – Master of Philosophy of Energy Engineering and PhD in Engineering. Adnan is a co-founder of SMAP ENERGY and oversees the Middle East team. He has a unique network in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) made of key energy sector players from these regions.
Yuichiro is a graduate from the Department of Electrical Engineering, School of Engineering, University of Tokyo. He has previously worked for a private equity investment fund, as well as Eurus Energy – the largest wind power developer in Japan – and Tokyo Gas.
Ahmad holds a Master of Science in Energy Studies and Studies and Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical and Computer engineering from the American University of Beirut. He has experience working in engineering and the energy and development fields with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (UNESCWA).
Carlos holds a Master of Philosophy in Engineering for Sustainable Development from the University of Cambridge and is a Certified Expert by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management in Climate Change and Renewable Energy Finance. Prior to joining SMAP Energy, Carlos has worked in engineering and supply chain management for the oil & gas services company Petrofac.
Jinan holds a Master of Science in Energy Studies and Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical and Computer engineering from the American University of Beirut. Jinan has worked in management consulting for a Lebanese electricity utility and then joined SMAP Energy and Looop MENA.
Eppy holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering from the American University of Beirut. Prior to joining SMAP, Eppy has worked for the UN Global Compact (UNGC) Network Lebanon as a project officer.
Fabio holds a Master of Arts in International relations from the University of Bologna and has studied also in Denmark and Argentina. He has over five years of experience working for industry associations, think tanks and private companies from the energy sector in London and Brussels. Besides his native Italian and English, Fabio speaks French, Spanish, and Portuguese.
