We had a packed house and a powerhouse lineup at our latest CleanStart Meetup focused on Regional Innovators in Energy Storage. From deep dives into manufacturing breakthroughs to bold new strategies for home energy control, the evening delivered exactly what we love—real talk with innovators who are building the future.

Dr. Ryan Poon, Director of Innovation and Strategic Growth at LiCAP Technologies, kicked off the night with a fascinating walkthrough of LiCAP’s activated dry electrode process. His presentation laid out how this process can dramatically reduce the cost, complexity, and environmental footprint of battery manufacturing—while boosting performance. Ryan also spotlighted the growing potential of sodium-ion batteries, an exciting lithium alternative that could lower costs and increase safety in grid and stationary storage. Sodium of course is one of the most abundant elements on the planet and sells for 2% of the price of lithium per ton. He noted that, along with many other observers, he was surprised by the recent announcement from BYD in China that most of their EVs would be powered by sodium-ion batteries.  It was about two years earlier than expected, especially for a battery that provides a lot of power, along with range, rather than just long cycle life.

Then we heard from Greg Connelly, founder and CEO of Kora Power, a startup rethinking home energy storage from the ground up. Greg shared the motivation behind his new venture: skyrocketing energy bills, a lack of customer control, and the frustrating limitations of current home energy systems. Kora is developing a next-gen smart panel, inverter, and battery platform aimed at turning every home into a grid-friendly, cost-saving appliance. His vision? Give homeowners control—and utilities a way to avoid massive infrastructure costs, especially for rewiring homes to double their panel capacity to provide for EV charging.  His idea is to use the smart panel to manage when the home has spare capacity for charging. The result in his mind would be making a million-customer VPP that would provide more flexibility in the grid and more payments to participating customers selling power and storage back to the grid to offset the recent dramatic increases in their bills.  He is about to complete an alpha prototype with a beta version before year’s end.  His vision is reinforced by new rules from the CEC and FERC (Order 2222) which require homeowners and utilities to make greater use of distributed storage capacity to support the grid.  

In response to a question about Quantumscape’s announcement of a breakthrough in battery technology, both speakers provided interesting perspectives from their close review of both products.  The breakthrough is a commercial product that uses a solid-state separator between the anode and cathode taking the place of a liquid electrolyte, conferring big advantages in range and safety. However, sodium-ion may have the better chance to become a dominant commercial product.  It is far less expensive, can be manufactured with modest changes to existing production equipment (leading to fast availability in large-scale quantities), and has paths to further improve energy density to narrow the gap with solid state.  Greg said that while keeping an eye on all options, in his mind he is going toward sodium-ion as fast as possible to replace lithium iron phosphate.

What made this meetup especially memorable was the candid back-and-forth between Ryan and Greg, who represent two different but interconnected layers of the storage ecosystem: one at the cutting edge of materials and chemistry, the other at the interface of technology and consumer use. It’s exactly the kind of collision of ideas we hope to foster through CleanStart.  

Big thanks to our sponsors—SMUD, The WET Center at Fresno State, ChicoStart, Witan Law, River City Bank, and Moss Adams—for making events like this possible.

👉 Don’t miss out on future CleanTech Meetups! These are your best opportunities to hear from the innovators driving the energy transition—and to connect with others building the clean economy right here in our region.

Each presentation is an opportunity to connect, inspire, and leave a lasting impression. I’ve learned and relearned that each time I’ve presented my startup in the past three years. In that time, I’ve participated in 13 pitching competitions, and have won the first place prize in 9 of them, and have taken something home (audience choice, or second place) in every single one. They’re a great way to get funding for an early-stage startup, especially in the Sacramento Valley, and I’d love to share my most important learnings with you. Whether you’re addressing a boardroom, a classroom, or a virtual audience, the keys to success lie in preparation, delivery, and engagement. In this post, I’ll do my best to succinctly explain how I effectively prepare for a presentation and ensure that it’s as impactful as possible.

1. Know Your Audience

Before you create a single slide, ask yourself: Who am I speaking to?

• Tailor your content to your audience’s knowledge level and interests.
  • Adjust your vernacular, ensuring that your audience can accurately resonate with what you’re saying.
• Anticipate questions and prepare thoughtful answers.
  • If you are confident that specific pieces of information will come up during the Q&A, prepare an appendix slide to support your answer. When you have limited time for Q&A, these slides can expedite your response and deepen its impact.

2. Tell a Story

Your audience will quickly tune out if you try to give a lecture on a topic that falls outside of their expertise. Instead of giving a lecture, sweep them up in a story.

• A strong hook can make or break you. Several VCs have gone on record saying “… you have 45 seconds to impress me, or I’m leaning towards no.” (or making similar statements, give or take 15 seconds).
  • For some presentations and pitches, it’s best to start with a “visual” hook. For example, I normally start my pitches for Purpurātus with “For thousands of years, California’s coast has been covered in beautiful kelp forests…” alongside some slides with picturesque imagery of the Californian kelp forests.
  • For some, it might be better to start with a customer story or problem statement. Examples like Airbnb’s pitch deck start with a problem, putting the listener in the seat of a customer.
• Make sure each slide flows into the next. Disconnected idea flows have been the death of countless presentations I’ve witnessed. Make sure that a first-time listener can see the throughline from each slide to the next.
  • I recommend doing at least 2 trial runs of your pitch after you can get through it fluidly, each with first-time listeners.
• Summarize key takeaways at the end.

3. Engage Your Audience

A great presentation is a two-way street.

• Ask rhetorical questions to keep their attention and get them thinking.

Include digestible learnings that they can disseminate. People love to seem like an expert on a wide variety of topics. Give them another topic they can feel knowledgeable about through select sentences with statistics that will stick in their brain. Alliteration can help give them a snappy line to share

4. Engage Your Audience

Slides should support your message, not overshadow it.

• Limit text—use bullet points and avoid paragraphs. If your listeners are reading your slides, you can assume they are not simultaneously listening.
• Infographics are king. When you’re using as little text as possible, the phrase “A picture is worth a thousand words” is more true than ever.
• Stick to a consistent theme for fonts, colors, and layouts.
• Maintain readability with clear fonts and sufficient contrast.

5. Rehearse and Time Your Presentation

Practice makes you polished.

• Rehearse aloud, I usually do it twice before trying it in front of a colleague, making edits as necessary each time. By the time I present, I aim to have gone through the full presentation at least 15 times, with an audience for 5 of those.
• Time yourself to ensure you stay within limits.
• Refine transitions between slides to keep the flow smooth.

6. Master Your Delivery

Your delivery style sets the tone.

• Speak clearly and be mindful of your intonations. Speechcraft is an interesting thing; do not underestimate how much you can change a sentence’s impact just by shifting your pitch or volume on the first and last word.
• Use natural gestures and facial expressions.
• Make eye contact, even in virtual settings.
• Project confidence, even if you’re nervous. You need to seem like an expert on your topic at all times. When asked questions you can’t answer, instead of “I don’t know,” say “we’re working on that.” Or something similar. No matter what, do NOT overtly lie. It will bite you in the back.

Conclusion: Your Next Step

The best presenters aren’t born; they’re made through preparation and practice. I believe that while following these best practices, you’ll be on your way to delivering impactful, memorable presentations that inspire your audience to action, especially action to have you tell them more.

Rural Power Systems Inc. (also known as RPS Solar Pumps), a manufacturer of solar-powered water pump systems, is expanding its operations to Yolo County as part of a multi-million-dollar growth initiative supported by a state tax incentive program. The company, which operates in Woodland, specializes in off-grid water pumping solutions for agricultural, livestock, and off-grid residential use.

With roots dating back to 2014, Rural Power Systems has built a national reputation for providing practical, sustainable alternatives to conventional windmills and electric pumps. The company offers solar pump kits that customers can install themselves, enabling independent water access in areas far from utility lines. Its products are used on ranches, farms, remote homes, and even ponds, offering a clean energy solution for a wide variety of rural water needs.

The expansion was spurred by a $3.5 million tax credit awarded through the California Competes Tax Credit program. In return, the company has committed to investing more than $9 million in its business and more than doubling its workforce over the next five years from 47 employees in 2024 to a projected 123 by 2029.

The company plans to build a 36,000-square-foot facility that will include office space, a warehouse, and a manufacturing area. Without the state support, leadership had reportedly considered relocating manufacturing operations to a lower-cost region. The tax credit allows the company to stay and grow in California, strengthening the clean tech sector in the Sacramento region.

RPS’s products are designed to run entirely on solar power, with many systems operating without the need for batteries. This direct-drive approach reduces maintenance needs and provides a cost-effective solution in areas where utility access is limited or non-existent. Even customers with access to power are increasingly turning to solar due to its long-term savings and environmental benefits.