Exclusive: David Energy connects tech and electric providers

David Energy, a New York-based electricity provider, has closed a $20 million Series A led by Union Square Ventures' climate fund and Keyframe Capital, CEO James McGinniss tells Axios.

Why it matters: New York is among the dozen-plus states that have enabled the rise of retail electricity providers, and David deploys software that integrates with customers' distributed energy resources.

How it works: Retail electricity providers (REPs) essentially sell the electrons flowing across poles and wires to the homes and businesses at their endpoints.

• "Think of us as Amazon or a logistics company shipping packets of energy on public roads," CEO James McGinniss tells Axios.
• The company's software integrates with smart thermostats, solar panels, battery systems, EV chargers and other customer resources.
• The software adjusts consumption in real-time, chiefly by dialing back demand as much as 50% when electricity demand is high, helping reduce electricity bills while easing strains on the grid.

Go deeper: David Energy customers include Barry's Bootcamp and Crunch Fitness franchises, and the company plans to expand this summer to residential offerings.

• The company had initially hoped to sign-up large commercial and industrial clients, but soon pivoted to smaller commercial tenants, particularly "chain stores, restaurants, gyms, and retail storefronts," McGinniss tells Axios
• The company is set to launch a pilot in New York this summer aimed at the residential market.
• David's service area also includes New Jersey and Massachusetts, and it plans to introduce its commercial offering in Texas this fall.

Alan Neuhauser co-authors the Axios Pro Climate Deals newsletter. Sign up now.