Located in Slough, the centre will train 1000 heat pump engineers per year and develop new heating systems. [32] In September of that year, Octopus acquired Evolve Energy, a US Silicon Valley-based start-up, in a $5m deal. The plan allows households to become part of the UK Tesla Virtual Power Plant, which connects a network homes that generate, store and return electricity to grid at peak times. You need to ask yourself these questions when defining your success. Read more . Jon holds an MBA in Business Administration from La Trobe University and Chifley Business School. [29], In September 2019 Octopus acquired German start-up 4hundred for 15m; the acquisition of 4hundred, which had 11,000 customers, was Octopus' first overseas expansion. Besides industry-standard fixed and variable tariffs, the company is known for innovative tariffs which are made possible by the national rollout of smart meters. [9], In 2018 Hanwha Energy Retail Australia (Nectr) chose the Kraken platform, developed by Octopus to provide billing, CRM and other technology services to support its launch into the Australian retail energy market. Plm was subsequently rebranded as Octopus Energy France. Jackson applauds Boris Johnsons aspiration to make the UK the Saudi Arabia of wind, and believes such a project could transform our economy: If we build enough wind generation to meet our winter needs, nine months of the year were going to have unbelievably cheap electricity. In November 2021, Octopus acquired Italian energy retailer SATO Luce e Gas, rebranding the business as Octopus Energy Italy, investing an initial 51m and targeting 5% of the Italian market by 2025. He now runs Octopus, the green energy supplier founded in 2015 and valued at 4bn, with more than 3 million customers in 14 countries and backers including former US vice-president Al Gore. Everyone wants to talk about the transition fuel maybe a 20 per cent hydrogen mix in our gas supplies, that kind of thing Even if the hydrogen was zero-carbon which, by the way, the creation of hydrogen so far in the UK at scale is definitely not it would only reduce the carbon emissions of gas by 6-8 per cent because of the lower energy density, [and] it would put bills up dramatically, because hydrogen is a lot more expensive. Octopus Energy Group is a British renewable energy group specialising in sustainable energy. .more. Octopus Energy is a green energy company and one of the leaders when it comes to environmentally sustainable practices. [12], Besides the Octopus Energy brand, as of September2021[update] customers are supplied under the Ebico Energy, Affect Energy, Co-op Energy, M&S Energy and London Power brands. What advice do you have for other businesses on environmental sustainability and its impact on climate change? As of September 2022, more than 450 charging companies were taking part, allowing customers access to over 300,000 chargers in over 50 countries through a single card and/or app. I literally dont get invited to them. His first job on the milk round earned him 15 a week and he joined Greenpeace at sixteen. Greg is an experienced digital entrepreneur, passionate about making the green energy revolution affordable through technology. The UKs biggest energy companies might shrug off such strident criticism from a campaigner, but Octopus has rapidly ascended to challenge what Jackson, 50, calls the lazy oligopoly of the big six. James has been instrumental in the creation of Octopus Energys proprietary technology, digital-first offerings and its global expansion. [12][13], In both 2018 and 2019, Octopus was the only energy supplier to earn "Recommended Provider" status from the Which? The Kent areas where house prices rose the most in 2022. Greg Jackson was grilled by viewers on profits, prices and electric blankets . In 2006, he sold a customer relationship tech business for 4.5m. Octopus Energy is one of the fastest growing energy firms to ever launch in Britain and is on track to join the Big Six utility providers. [55], Octopus Renewables is contracted as the investment manager for Octopus Renewables Infrastructure Trust, an investment trust established in 2019 which owns wind and solar generation in the UK, Europe and Australia. The companys flexibility platform KrakenFlex will be used together with Elia Groups energy data affiliate, re.alto, to enable electric vehicles, heat pumps and other green technologies to be used for grid balancing. He spends around an hour each day dealing directly with customers to understand that experience better, along with discussing trade-offs such as pricing strategy and infrastructure. [30], In May 2020, Australian electricity and gas supplier Origin Energy paid A$507 million for a 20% stake in Octopus. These days, Greg Jackson is the founder behind the only energy company recommended by Which?. Internally its called Winder (wind-Tinder, geddit?). A day later, Generation Investment Management, a fund chaired by Al Gore, committed to a $600m investment in Octopus. Greg Jackson, CEO Greg Jackson Founder Octopus Energy agrees $600m deal with former-VP Al Gore backed sustainable investment fund We're over the moon to be able to announce our $600 million partnership with Generation Investment Management, a sustainable investment fund, co-chaired by former US Vice-President and climate champion Al Gore. Theyre not doing it because they care about the planet, and theyre not doing it because they care about bills.. With operations in the US, Japan, Germany, Spain, Italy, New Zealand and Australia, Octopus Energy Group's mission to drive the affordable green revolution is going global. Greg Jackson on Twitter: "Octopus Energy recent commitments: 10,000,000 to build a decarb of heat R&D centre 5,000,000 to establish the Centre for Net Zero 108,000 to its BLM fund 1,000 ad on a right wing channel So, 15,108x more on progressive stuff More soon, but hope perspective helps." / Twitter. Now his mission is to turn Britain on to renewables, despite the efforts of a small noisy group, including Nigel Farage, attacking net zero goals. Climate change is no longer this vague thing: people are literally baking in India and Pakistan, he says. Events  We want a similar effort to the vaccine rollout, says Jackson, sweeping bags of Frazzles aside. The company also supplies software services to other energy suppliers. [26], In September 2021, Octopus was appointed as the Supplier of Last Resort (SOLR) for Avro Energy, acquiring Avro Energy's domestic customers and increasing their customer base to 3.1m customers. Stuart has a degree in Economics from Cambridge University. [37], In January 2022 Octopus Energy entered the French market with the acquisition of Plm nergie, a French energy start-up with 100,000 retail and corporate accounts. [45][46] At the time of the acquisition, the generation assets were reported to be worth over 3.4billion. Hey I'm Constantine, welcome to Octopus Energy! [6] Later in 2018, Octopus gained the 100,000 customers of Iresa Limited, under Ofgem's "supplier of last resort" process, after Iresa ceased trading. In 1992, after graduating from Rio Grande High School, Jackson founded his own martial art, Gaidojutsu, which combines rudimentary techniques from catch wrestling and Muay Thai with basic judo locks. One business C360 that was subsequently acquired, was founded to pioneer a new way of using technology to drive marketing or as Greg puts it SaaS before it was trendy. Greg is also an investor in several tech start-ups and as an advisor, supports companies and entrepreneurs with fundraising, mergers, acquisitions and strategy. [10][11], In August 2019, an agreement with Midcounties Co-operative saw Octopus gain more than 300,000 customers, taking its total beyond 1 million. [4] Greg Jackson is the founder of the company and holds the position of chief executive. As for the future, Octopus is looking to go global, kicking off by launching in Australia this October in partnership with Hanwha Group, a leading solar panel manufacturer, expanding the move to greener energy. [53], In January 2022, it was announced that Octopus Renewables had bought the Broons/Biterne-Sud wind farm in Cotes dArmor, northeast Brittany, France from Energiequelle for an undisclosed price. What is the number one trait you look for in employees before recruiting them as part your team, and how has this requirement been integrated into the organisations culture and recruitment policy? Greg: No country is off limits to Octopus Energy, we aim to bring cheaper, greener energy and world-class customer service to many people all over the world. In 2009, Jackson released an instructional book about his fighting style called Jackson's MMA - The Stand Up Game. [citation needed]. How we work  Upon the acquisition, Octopus announced it was targeting a million Spanish energy accounts under its brand by 2027. Octopus Energy Group is a British renewable energy group specialising in sustainable energy. Octopus is also unusual in that, as well as selling to consumers, it derives more than half its value from the technology it licenses to other businesses in the UK and around the world (a model reminiscent of Amazon). The project, which coincided with COP26, was realised in Glasgow through collaboration with the local art community, and was designed as a call for global leaders to invest in renewable energies such as solar PV, in order to power a sustainable future. Jacksons career has been far from typical for the energy business. We then realised the change within the energy industry we could enable with a strong technology platform underpinning us, and thats how Octopus Energy came about. Rachel holds a Bachelors degree in Economics from the University of Sussex, as well as a Masters in Economic and Politics from the University of Cambridge. The New Statesmans weekly environment email on the politics, business and culture of the climate and nature crises - in your inbox every Thursday. Octopus Energy for Business works with companies to provide future-proof energy services, supplying them with 100% renewable and fairly priced power. The collection of projects reflects Jacksons entrepreneurial background. He now runs Octopus, the green energy supplier founded in. With its smart tariffs proving customer appetite for flexibility, Octopus is pioneering a global system change to enable a cheaper, faster transition to renewables. Love building organisations around people, disrupting industries which underserve customers and society. John is a highly experienced energy entrepreneur. . Greg: Our proprietary technology platform, Kraken, enables our operating model and efficient customer service. Zoisa also runs Octopus Energy's renewable generation arm, which recently announced the acquisition of a 3GW portfolio of renewable energy assets across seven countries. We need to work like that now on the clean energy system., [See also: The power trap: Why the energy crisis is a crisis of politics], This article appears in the 13 Oct 2021 issue of the New Statesman, Perfect Storm. Contact. [61] In May 2021 it was announced that E.ON had completed the migration of all two million former npower customers to its Kraken-powered E.ON Next customer service platform. Greg Jackson and his gyms have won five World MMA Awards altogether. Greg Jackson, Founder & CEO. We train our managers to take on many of the functions that are normally covered by HR departments. Aside from that, every experience has helped in some way or another, and been a vital lesson to learn to get me where I am today. There is growing evidence that diverse workforces are more productive than non-diverse workforces. His morning routine echoes the tycoons underprivileged childhood. Since our interview, Octopus has rejoined the race, submitting a last-minute bid. Profit? Jackson declined to comment on it. It was at that point she founded Octopus Electric Vehicles, and since then has been building a team of experts passionate about helping consumers and businesses make that transition to electric vehicles. Before Bulbs collapse, Octopus flirted with taking over its rival. My mum is very, very politically opinionated and I have that., Jackson wont be drawn on how long the energy crisis will last: Its a fool that predicts commodity markets. These are things we should do everything to avoid., He believes the energy crisis has underscored the need for Britain to move away from oil and gas. . Deepak is a successful entrepreneur himself, taking the tech business he founded from concept to IPO. The other key difference between Octopus and other utilities companies is technology. Octopus Energy is currently value at $2 billion, how did this evaluation come about? Recommended Provider accolade five years in a row. Quick and essential guide to domestic and global politics from the New Statesman's politics team. Jackson and his family moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico when he was three years old. This platform was created 50/50 by our tech team and our customer service team, and is worked on and tweaked constantly to create the best process for the team who are looking after customers. As a company we are completely digital, so we asked everybody to take their laptops home on Friday, and when lockdown was announced on Monday, our team just plugged the headsets into their laptops and continued working as usual. In September 2021, Octopus Energy Group was valued at approximately $5 billion following a $600 million investment from Generation Investment Management and a $300 million investment from Canada Pensions Plan Investments Board. consumer organisation. Octopus founding team are from tech rather than energy backgrounds and are determinedly using technology to drive down prices, enable great service and drive towards a renewable future through the smart grid, which is essential to decarbonise affordably. Greg Jackson starts each day by flicking on the radio and scrunching into his bath. Fiona studied Engineering, Economics and Management at Oxford, and initially worked at BMW on a hydrogen fuel cell for an auxiliary power unit, as part of a hydrogen car that used a combustion engine. Before Octopus he ran a business with Octopus' founder and CEO Greg Jackson (no relation, honestly!) Prior to Affect Energy, where John built up a strong reputation for good, local customer service in Sussex, he was Managing Director of Thermabead Ltd in Worcester. Greg is also a strong advocate of maintaining a good work-life balance with his work-life blend, which to him means creating a symbiotic, rather than a compartmentalised relationship between his various work commitments and personal life, so he can remain present in all of them. "The cost of generating a green electron is already today dramatically cheaper than generating a fossil fuel electron" In the latest Inside Octopus, flex-perts Alex and Devrim discuss the path to a cheaper, smarter energy model through flexibility. We speak to Greg Jackson, CEO of Octopus Energy Group, the technology-to-investment energy platform, about the importance of government intervention in energy policy, the role of technology, and how a greener future could be nearer than we think. A day later, Generation Investment Management, a fund chaired by Al Gore, committed to a $600m investment in Octopus. [21], The same month saw Octopus launch the not-for-profit Octopus Centre for Net Zero (OCNZ), a research organisation tasked with creating models and policy recommendations for potential paths to a green energy future. [18] The same month saw the launch of London Power, a partnership with the Mayor of London. 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