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Piper Foster Wilder makes one thing clear when you ask her about her company. "We are not the traditional tech company. We're not a bunch of bros. It's all women," she said.
As the self-described non-technical co-founder and CEO of 60Hertz Energy, Piper straddles the complexities of helping microgrids and their managers use assets more effectively with a commitment to keeping people the priority.
In today's Tactical Tuesday, Piper explains how she embraced human-centered design (HCD), confident decision-making, a clear vision and task prioritization to find solutions to move her cleantech company forward.
HCD is a problem-solving technique that puts people at the center of the development process and prioritizes their wants, pain points, and preferences during every phase.
It played a crucial role at 60Hertz Energy, the Anchorage, Alaska-based company that offers computerized maintenance management software for microgrids.
"We didn't know what we were doing initially. So we hired a human-centered designer who had done extensive work with us. We chartered a small airplane and flew above the Arctic Circle to visit a community called Venetie, Alaska, the location of one of our operators," she said.
The flight — so bumpy Piper's colleague got sick to her stomach — ended with a landing on a lake. Piper was still nursing, so she brought her infant and husband along on the flight and the subsequent three-hour interview with a powerplant operator.
"We asked a lot of questions and recorded the content. It was one of my richest memories in starting 60Hertz for two reasons," she said.
"I had ideas about what I thought the product would or could do, but I learned I had a massive bias.
"The more important piece was I wanted the software at that time to touch on deeply human aspects of what we have to bring to work sometimes. Which is to say, if there is a trauma in our experience, how do we get our jobs done?
"How does it impact you if you live in and out of jail with a chronically intoxicated family member? I'm a disciple of the adverse childhood experiences (ACE) thesis and think if more of us understood how ACE affects our ability to perform our work, we would have far more effective public policy solutions.
"I thought it was the right time to gently bring up some of these questions in this human-centered design interview. And it wasn't, and I was wrong."
You can learn more about Piper in Episode 541, including how she embraces "the more painful lessons or dumb things" she'd done building her career and why she finds it cathartic. Today we share a snippet of that extended conversation, focusing on how she's adopted confident decision-making, a clear vision and task prioritization to find solutions to move the renewables industry forward.
Join us as she touches on various deep and meaningful issues, like persuading investors to overcome their own unconscious bias against a woman-led tech company.
NOTEWORTHY QUOTEs:
“I would certainly invest in a second-time founder the next way through because so much of what you’re paying for is learning curve.”
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SUNGROW focuses on integrated energy storage system solutions, including PCS, lithium-ion batteries and energy management system. Pleae visit https://www.mysuncast.com/sungrow
ABOUT THE HOST OF SUNCAST:
Nico Johnson is the creator and host of SunCast, consistently rated a top solar podcast in the clean energy sector. The content of the show is geared towards listeners looking for insights on where the markets are headed, how to position themselves or their companies, and what today's market leaders do to stay ahead of the pack.
Nico is an Investor, Executive Coach, and 16-year veteran of the solar industry, having led development in the US and Latin America for global companies like Trina Solar and Conergy.
You can connect with Nico Johnson on Twitter, LinkedIn or email.
If you’ve been second-guessing your work decisions or maybe trying to reconsider how you "fit" in the renewable energy industry -> grab 20 minutes on Nico's calendar and discuss whether having him as Your personal coach might be the right next step.