Invest in Neighborhood Sun

This glaring gap between the demand for solar and access to the solar installations highlights the inequity in clean energy adoption. 

Fortunately, community solar proves to be a promising solution, offering a way for those who may not have suitable rooftops or the funds to buy their own panels to still benefit from and support local solar energy. Community solar works by pooling resources to build large solar installations, which are then shared among multiple subscribers. 

At Neighborhood Sun, we excel in connecting those who want clean energy with those who are generating it to benefit all stakeholders involved. We bridge this  gap through our SunEngine(™) platform, which allows us to efficiently manage community solar projects for developers and community solar subscriptions for residents and small businesses. Our success lies in our ability to connect solar projects with mass market consumers, ensuring that clean energy is accessible to all. Neighborhood Sun serves as the missing piece to an equitable clean energy transition as we foster a seamless connection  between solar project owners and consumers.

Our Traction Since Our Last Wefunder Campaign Speaks for Itself

Since our last raise of $1MM in 2022, WE HAVE SUCCESSFULLY GROWN OUR REVENUE by 257% building out our technology Sun Engine platform and supercharging our market expansion. We have passed on 89% more savings than in 2022.

Strategic growth: 

This year we plan to enter new markets, expand our customer base significantly, and continue growing our revenue for both customer acquisition and ongoing customer management. With our increase in productivity and automation through our Sun Engine platform, we can grow our revenue without a commensurate growth in expenses.

Concrete Results from Last Investment Round in Neighborhood Sun

How Does Community Solar work?

Community solar makes it possible for anyone who pays an electricity bill to support solar energy and save money in the process so that even people who can't install solar panels on their own homes or properties still benefit from solar energy. Instead of each person needing to own and install their own panels, they can subscribe through Neighborhood Sun to get a share of the energy generated by their local community solar farm, resulting in savings in the form of solar credits on their utility bill. This makes solar energy accessible to more people, including renters and those with shaded roofs.

Our Proven Business Model

Recurring Revenue is the Key to Accessing the $2B Community Solar Industry

The extra thing that makes Neighborhood Sun even more valuable than you may already think? It’s our Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR).

Our SunEngineTM advanced software platform is the white label solution that solar asset businesses  are looking for. Whether they want a full licensing agreement complemented by customer management, or just a white label solution they can use internally, we believe Sun Engine is the best platform for the industry. Fourteen companies with 134 projects have already contracted with us. We sign long-term contracts with solar asset owners, which translates into many years of ARR.

We’ve Developed a Multi-Channel Sales Approach Using Key Technology Developed In-House

• Direct sales: We have an experienced team leading the training and ongoing management of sales personnel through our sales academies and accountability metrics.”
• Strategic sales: Our community partners work with us in ways no other community solar company can match.”
• Referrals: Because we put so much emphasis on customer development and we are the most credible green brand in the community solar space, we're able to work with our customers to generate referrals to their friends and neighbors.”

Since establishing SunEngineTM, we have already conducted seamless transitions from our 3 main competitors’ platforms, proving how much developers can see the benefits of SunEngineTM over other platforms. Some of the key new features in SunEngineTM that have been developed to address increasing needs in the community solar space include:

• Several automations features that allow business users to continuously improve sales and communication workflows with granular filtering options to allow for targeted messaging and outreach without requiring support from IT. 
• CRM and accounting system integrations automate critical business information flow and ensure financial data is automatically and accurately updated across platforms.
• Automated subscriber allocation adjustments and churn reports have significantly reduced labor time and costs, as well as provide key insights into various subscriber trends.
• Full data separation for white-labeling options allow for clients to manage, customize, and analyze their data and enrollment flow to provide personalized subscriber acquisition and management.

Creating More Community, Not More Customers

Neighborhood Sun is without competition in the way that we acquire and manage customers for community solar. We fill the roles that otherwise require two or more companies to manage separately.

• Our leadership team has worked together for almost three years now.
• Our experienced and well-connected Board is also a differentiating factor. We have successful solar entrepreneurs, impact VC investors, energy industry vets, and our chair, Bill Bumpers, is a long-time leader in the legal energy world.

What we’ll use your investment for

We are raising $500,000 to upgrade our SunEngineTM technology platform, enter new solar markets and hire key executives to our team who can help us scale to the next level. 

Your investment will allow us to expand on the success we achieved in 2023 and really take advantage of the massive opportunity in solar today. Every solar farm we add to our community has a positive impact on society, and one step closer to disrupting the outdated electric utility industry.

What am I actually investing in, and how do I make money?

You are investing in what is called a “SAFE,” which stands for a Simple Agreement for Future Equity.  It essentially acts like a convertible note structure in many early stage companies, but it is not a debt instrument.  The SAFE instrument converts to equity (either common or preferred shares) when the next financing event happens (either a capital raise or a sale of the company). In this SAFE instrument, Neighborhood Sun (NSun) is offering a discount on the equity conversion, meaning whatever price we get, you will get a discount on it, plus potentially more. The "more" is because there is a maximum value cap, meaning if we get a price higher than that, you still convert at the discount plus your conversion is capped at whatever the valuation cap is.  For example, if the company gets a $50MM valuation, you would get about twice the number of shares you'd otherwise get at $23MM if $23MM was our value cap.  Conversely, if the next round of equity capital comes in at a valuation below $23 MM, you would still benefit from the discount on that valuation.  You would earn a return on your investment when we have a liquidity event or an exit that allows you to then sell your shares in the company. If the company is sold at any price, then the economics of the SAFE still hold as if you had converted the day before the sale into equity.