SET Ventures has appointed Sarah Chapman as a Venture Partner to source the UK’s best energy startups and partner with founders to scale their companies into industry leaders.
Chapman has extensive experience as a founder and an operator in the energy transition since 2008. She built and successfully exited Faro Energy, a distributed solar energy company in Brazil that sparked corporate solar in the country. Chapman then founded Glowb, a UK-based residential solar venture that fostered innovation in domestic batteries that helped shift the industry’s adoption curve.
Why the UK Market and why now
From this experience Chapman has witnessed firsthand what role the UK market has taken in the energy transition. Saying:
“The UK leads in important energy transition trends such as offshore wind and flexibility markets. Meanwhile, UK regulation is evolving to enable new business models in areas like grid flexibility, battery storage and decentralised energy systems. SET’s focus on backing the companies that lead these innovations is what made them stand out to me as a firm.”
In her role, Sarah will help SET Ventures identify and support high-potential, digital technology companies in the UK that can scale across Europe and beyond. “I love working with founders and helping them navigate the challenges of scaling a business in the energy transition,” says Chapman. “I’m excited to bring my experience to SET and help drive the next wave of innovation in the UK.”
Both SET and Chapman feel that the UK is at an inflection point as it rapidly transforms its energy system. The combination of ambitious government targets, high renewable penetration on the grid and increasing electrification of transport and heating position the UK for more innovation in energy in the next few years than it has seen in the last several decades. SET is keen to capitalise on this with the appointment of Chapman:
“Sarah’s track record as an operator and firsthand experience with the UK market makes her an ideal addition to the team,” said Wouter Jonk, Co-founder and Managing Partner at SET Ventures. “There is a real buzz about the UK energy market driven by policy, a great pool of talent, a history of innovation and the conviction that renewables provide energy security for Europe. And while we have had success stories with UK companies in the past, we want to be at the heart of the innovative business models that will shape its future.”