The rise of electric vehicles (EVs) has been accompanied by concerns over charging infrastructure, particularly in urban areas. While the United States currently has 61,000 public charging ports, experts project a need for over 1.2 million fast-charging ports to support moderate EV adoption. Itselectric is an innovative provider of curbside EV charging solutions. Their unique approach involves partnering with property owners to utilize excess electrical capacity “behind-the-meter,” circumventing lengthy permitting processes. This strategy enables Itselectric to install functional Level-2 chargers in just 48 hours. Property owners benefit from this arrangement at no cost, receiving a share of the revenue generated by the charging stations on their premises. Itselectric is currently conducting pilot programs across New York and plans to expand to seven additional cities within the year.
AlleyWatch caught up with itselectric COO and Cofounder Tiya Gordon to learn more about the business, the company’s strategic plans, latest round of funding, and much, much more…
Who were your investors and how much did you raise?
itselectric, a Brooklyn-based electric vehicle curbside charging company, raised a $6.5M seed round, bringing its total funding to date to $11.8M. The raise, led by Failup Ventures and Uber Technologies, and with participation from Halogen Ventures, The Partnership Fund for NYC, Pulse Fund, Newlab, Gratitude Railroad, Tale VP, Equity Alliance Fund, LACI Impact Fund, and The Helm, will support deployments across seven cities in the United States in 2024, including Boston, Los Angeles, Detroit, Jersey City, and San Francisco. With fresh funding, itselectric’s curbside charging infrastructure will also help support Uber’s goal of helping rideshare drivers go electric.
Tell us about the product or service that itselectric offers.
itselectric’s Level-2 charging posts eliminate the need for utility permitting, connection and coordination by connecting behind-the-meter to draw spare electrical supply from adjacent buildings. This allows them to be installed at zero cost to property owners or cities. itselectric then shares revenue earned at each charger with the property owners, bringing both clean transportation infrastructure and economic benefits to all communities. Additionally, itselectric offers the only UL-certified detachable cable EV charger, reflecting the company’s commitment to customer experience and innovation, with a focus on safety and product quality.
What inspired the start of itselectric?
2023 was the hottest year on record with transportation being the third largest contributor of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. But transportation is also a sector where the choice to drive electric will create a collective difference. Our mission is to make charging easy, convenient, and affordable not only for drivers, but for cities, providing the pathway for everyone to go electric, supporting the adoption of electric vehicles as a key component in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
How is itselectric different?
itselectric has been named as one of the products that will define technological innovation for the rest of this decade and beyond.
We’ve crafted a public charging solution to address the infrastructural and environmental justice barriers cities face in the deployment of electric vehicle charging. Instead of requiring costly and time-consuming new utility connections, itselectric’s Level-2 charging posts connect behind-the-meter to draw spare electrical supply from adjacent buildings; allowing them to install at zero cost to property owners or cities. itselectric then shares revenue earned at each charger with the property owners bringing clean transportation infrastructure and the benefits of the green economy into all neighborhoods. With a critical focus on frontline and Justice 40 or disadvantaged communities. itselectric is bringing affordable, equitable, curbside, EV charging to the millions of city drivers across the United States who cannot charge at home as they park their cars on the street.
The two leading barriers for EV adoption in the US are the cost of EVs and access to charging. It is our model of providing free chargers that revenue share back to communities that closes the gap for the current disparities in where charging can be found. Highly scalable, itselectric is the world’s public charging system powered by buildings.
What market does itselectric target and how big is it?
The global electric EV market was valued at approximately $185 billion in 2021 and is expected to reach $980B by 2028, exhibiting a compound annual growth rate (“CAGR”) of 43.5%.
Additionally, the Department of Energy re-released their requirements for 1M public L2 chargers by 2030. This demand is driven by government estimates that 25% of drivers lack access to an off-street parking space. This translates to 70 million vehicles in the U.S., who currently spend about $140B on fueling their vehicles every year that will require charging infrastructure to convert to electric transportation. This represents $10.5B TAM by 2026.
What’s your business model?
itselectric’s solution is differentiated from every other U.S. company as we can rapidly scale by utilizing existing electrical supply in the adjacent private property. This “behind the meter” connection saves months of time from engineering and permitting, allows for more flexibility where charging infrastructure can be located, and brings down installation time to just two days per charger.
itselectric’s primary revenue source will be from EV drivers paying itelectric for metered charging.
How are you preparing for a potential economic slowdown?
We are focused on building out infrastructure. Not only for the long-term and evergreen economic benefit, but for a sheltered industry that can weather a slowdown. Groups who have invested in itselectric include not only generalist VCs who see the potential for a unicorn in climate, but multinational corporations who know that expanding charging infrastructure will without doubt expand their sales. Others include impact investors and public/non-profit funds who recognize scaling EV charging in cities is also a matter of sustainable growth that brings jobs.
What was the funding process like?
It’s not controversial to say that 2024 has been categorized as a challenging year in which to raise capital. The same was true for us when we raised our pre-seed in 2022. But for investors (generalist, climate, impact) looking to invest in seed-stage companies with clear indicators of growth where they can get in early, our demonstrated traction provided them with a very compelling option. Examples of this includes our win of the contract for the City of Boston as a pre-seed company where we beat out incumbents in our space that included Tesla, adding to track records where we also shone against established giants including winning the Fast Company Next Big Thing in Tech as well as the Innovation By Design Award, where we competed against both Pepsi and Nike winning in the category of Sustainability.
What are the biggest challenges that you faced while raising capital?
The biggest challenges are often the biggest rewards. We knew we needed the right leads for the round for it to come together the way we wanted. When we met the Nordic fund Failup who were looking to build their portfolio in climate tech here in New York – everything made sense. EV infrastructure is second nature across Finland, Norway, Denmark. We introduced them to Uber whose interest in itselectric was born from the fact that EV rideshare drivers cut emissions 4x more than regular motorists, but many lack near or at home charging; our puzzle pieces all fell together; creating a compelling round for the syndicate to then commit their investments.
What factors about your business led your investors to write the check?
“itselectric has designed an innovative public charging solution that addresses the infrastructural barriers that cities face in the deployment of electric vehicle curbside charging,” said Topias Soininen, general partner at Failup Ventures. “Their thoughtfully designed chargers are a highly scalable solution that will rapidly bring curbside charging to the millions of city drivers who park on the street and contribute to the nationwide adoption of electric vehicles.”
“We are thrilled to invest in itselectric as part of our push for an all-electric future,” said Camiel Irving, GM of Uber US & Canada. “Electric rideshare drivers cut emissions up to four times more than regular motorists, but many lack off-street parking and home charging options. itselectric is innovating to address this and expand overnight curbside charging, helping more drivers confidently go electric, ease range anxiety, and boost earnings potential.”
“itselectric is revolutionizing urban infrastructure,” said Jesse Draper, founding partner, Halogen Ventures. “Their mission to bring highly accessible curbside charging combined with economic benefits to urban communities, offers an innovative solution for a problem we need to urgently solve. We’re incredibly excited about itselectric as they expand across cities to make sustainable transportation a reality across the nation.”
“As a climate technology investor, Pulse Fund is dedicated to funding breakthrough solutions in the decarbonization of infrastructure and mobility,” said Tenzin Seldon, Founder & Managing Partner at Pulse Fund. “Our investment in itselectric underscores the company’s commitment to solve one of the most pressing challenges in the transition to electric vehicles in cities, serving 40 million US drivers who cannot charge due to a lack of dedicated off-street parking.”
“Access to reliable EV charging infrastructure is critical for the sustainable growth of urban areas like New York City. The Partnership Fund for New York City is proud to back itselectric, a Brooklyn-born company that is at the forefront of this transformation,” said Maria Gotsch, President and CEO of the Partnership Fund for New York City. “Their innovative solutions operate at the intersection of technology and the public interest. By making EV charging more convenient and accessible, itselectric is supporting carbon emissions reduction and clean transportation goals for New York City and state.”
What are the milestones you plan to achieve in the next six months?
In 2024, itselectric is scaling our team, both in leadership and in the creation of satellite offices, enabling us to deploy chargers across seven cities in the U.S., including Boston, Los Angeles, Detroit, Jersey City, and San Francisco.
What advice can you offer companies in New York that do not have a fresh injection of capital in the bank?
Simply put, build your network.
NYC now outnumbers SF startups (as of May 2023, Manhattan has the most early-stage startups in the nation, edging out San Francisco, the longstanding leader in startup activity). There’s now incredible resources in the city to ensure we stay in that position. A key example is the NYC/EDC’s work to support impact-driven, early-stage tech companies through such programs as the Venture Access Alliance and NYC Founders Fellowship. There’s Tech:NYC, and of course Newlab. These are the folks that are waiting to hold open the doors (or the hands as needed!) to the next big promising NYC-based startup.
Where do you see the company going now over the near term?
In the near term, itselectric is focused on deploying its curbside chargers across seven cities in the U.S. in 2024, including Boston, Los Angeles, Alexandria, Detroit, Jersey City, and San Francisco. We remain laser-focused on our mission to make charging easy, convenient, and affordable not only for drivers, but for cities, providing the pathway for everyone to go electric.
What’s your favorite summer destination in and around the city?
Our offices are in Newlab at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, and the greatest pleasure of summer is taking full advantage of the ever-expanding network of bike lanes across the city. Though the lanes are not the destination, they’re always a total scene in the warm weather when we are coming and going from Brooklyn to Manhattan.
