Powerhouse’s team also includes
Ben Serrurier ’17 M.E.M., a second-year student at the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies (F&ES), who brings extensive industry knowledge of utilities and energy infrastructure.
In addition to a $25,000 cash prize, the business receives automatic entry into the
Yale Entrepreneurship Institute Summer Fellowship.
One of the finalists, Kitchen Table, which was co-founded by
Zoe Lloyd ’17 M.E.M./M.B.A., won the Audience Choice Award. Kitchen Table makes it easier for people to eat healthy meals at home with frozen, plant-based meals.
Other finalists included Alectro LLC, which aims to accelerate the transition to renewable energy by designing and implementing large-scale solar projects; and Turboarcjet, which is developing an all-electric jet engine as a cleaner alternative to the engines used in today’s commercial planes.
The Sabin Prize was one of four prizes awarded during Startup Yale, a daylong series of entrepreneurship competitions inviting innovative ideas from across the Yale community. The prize is managed by the Yale Center for Business and the Environment (CBEY), which is based at F&ES and the Yale School of Management.
Powerhouse has taken advantage of multiple resources available to social entrepreneurs at Yale — including participating in Yale Entrepreneurial Institute’s Venture Creation Program last year. This semester they participated in the Social Entrepreneurship Consultancy project course run by CBEY and the Social and Environmental Entrepreneurship Student Interest Group at F&ES.
During the team’s presentation, judges commended the flexibility of their business model and the ripe opportunities in battery storage.