Pay it forward: Helping K12 Solar spread their wings

Velocity Venture Capital’s 2014 Entrepreneur Showcase will pit entrepreneurs against each other for the most valuable prize of all: funding. Bring in American Idol style voting and coaches for each team of entrepreneurs and this contest is one that can have a profound effect on business.

SMA’s Brandie Leathers, Director of Applications Engineering and Project Management, is proud to be a coach and mentor, volunteering her time to help a well-deserving team. During the team selection, Brandie fought tooth-and-nail to coach K12 Solar, where her expertise would be invaluable for entrepreneurs JD Maher and Miguel de Anquin.

How and why?

For solar to bring power to the homes and businesses of tomorrow, we need to empower the solar businesses of today to succeed. Brandie will provide guidance as they refine their business plan and strategize their marketing opportunities in an effort to win the needed funding to take K12 Solar to the next level—more solar systems on rooftops and more money donated to schools!

The Entrepreneur Showcase is a nonprofit accelerator program using peer-to-peer mentorship to pay forward the valued experiences of each coach and share successes with our region’s future business leaders.

“It’s an honor to have someone with Brandie’s level of expertise on our team. We know her guidance will pay tremendous dividends for us,” said K12 Solar co-founder Miguel de Anquin. “Our goal is to offer people a new way to afford solar and educate students on the importance of renewable energy by donating to local schools with each installation.”

Ready for the next step

Doing right by the environment and our local schools is a great feeling and an even better investment. We encourage everyone to visit K12 Solar’s website to learn more about their mission. Want to become a supporter? Vote for K12 Solar in this year’s Entrepreneur Showcase and help send them to the next round!