Optivolt is a San Francisco-based provider of shade-tolerant, full-stack solar technology that enables self-powered IoT devices, 5G infrastructure, military equipment, robotics and electric vehicles. The company has developed a full-stack shade-tolerant solar platform designed to keep machines and critical infrastructure powered through adverse conditions. Optivolt intends to use the financing to expand operations and broaden its business reach. Leadership includes founder & CEO Rohit Kalyanpur, co-founder & CTO Daniel Kofman, and COO Bobby Ram. In May 2022 Optivolt closed an $8.2M seed round, bringing total funding to date to $10.1M. Optivolt Labs has developed a scalable technology stack for solar integration that includes efficient power-transfer systems, solar developer and simulation tools, and cloud-based APIs to enable fleets to self-charge in ambient light. The company positions its tools as retrofit-friendly, able to integrate with existing batteries and device designs without major changes. Optivolt is early-stage and four people strong; founders Rohit Kalyanpur and Paul Couston dropped out of University of Illinois to start the company and entered Techstars Chicago. The team plans near-term field testing with several enterprise fleets that have signed on for pilot programs. Growth priorities include hiring additional engineering talent and validating performance in the field before broader commercialization. Founder Kalyanpur has also received mentorship and connections through a Thiel Fellowship and expects to relocate to the Bay Area soon.

Total raised

$10M

Funding rounds

2

Latest round

Seed

Latest activity

May 2022