David Energy
Physical AI
NYC retail energy provider installing free plug-in batteries to cut business electricity bills in Con Edison territory.
David Energy is a technology-driven retail electricity provider (REP) that helps New York City businesses beat their utility bill. Its 'Beat the Utility Plan' gives commercial customers free plug-in battery systems (LFP chemistry, roughly toaster-oven sized) that charge when power is cheap and discharge at peak, cutting demand charges and turning each site into an energy asset. David Energy installs and maintains the batteries at no cost, switches the customer's supply to itself, and monetizes via a small supplier margin plus software-optimized energy, demand and grid-program revenue. It pitches aligned incentives: lower customer bills, and company revenue tied to savings. Founded in 2019, it operates in the Con Edison territory. (Company-reported facts.)
Research mapping
Physical AI / Grid, Power & Thermal Infrastructure (L2) / A
Evidence boundary
Original analysis and independent corroboration remain under development. Commercial scale and durable technical advantage remain under review.
What makes it defensible
A retail-energy license plus a distributed battery fleet and optimization software - a consumer-facing DER platform that turns commercial sites into grid assets the utility cannot easily replicate.
Position in the stack: Retail electricity supplier and behind-the-meter DER operator, aggregating small commercial batteries into a flexible grid resource.
Who buys it
Named customers: Wonder, Impact Kitchen, Leon's Bagels, Domino's, Paris Baguette, Nitehawk Cinema
Founding team
James McGinniss — Co-Founder & CEO — Founded David Energy in 2019; background in energy markets and battery storage.
SourceFinancing detail
- Last round
- Series A+
Investors: Union Square Ventures; Cathay Innovation; BoxGroup; Keyframe; Great Oaks
Mapped funds and investors
Direct relationships supported by published evidence.
Reported holdings as-of
No sourced relationships mapped yet.
Disclosed investment history
No sourced relationships mapped yet.
Showing up to four relationships in each group. ETF weights describe the fund’s portfolio, not ownership of this company. Private investment history does not establish current ownership.
Evidence & media
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U.S. energy provider deploys plug-in batteries across 21 commercial kitchens to slash power costs
What this source supports: David Energy deployed plug-in batteries across 21 NYC commercial kitchens with food platform Wonder.
What it does not establish: No unit economics, revenue, or grid-service revenue disclosed.
Source -
David Energy deploys plug-in batteries across 21 NYC commercial kitchens
What this source supports: Same 21-site plug-in battery deployment across NYC commercial kitchens.
What it does not establish: Repeats the announcement; no independent measurement.
Source -
How Free Batteries Help NYC Small Businesses Save on Electric Bills
What this source supports: Reported example of NYC small businesses using free David Energy plug-in batteries.
What it does not establish: Illustrative single-site examples; not portfolio-wide economics.
Source