Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) has announced the 57 organizations selected to present at its 2025 Pitch Fest, scheduled for September 23–25 at the company’s Oakland headquarters. The event will bring together innovators in climate technology, grid modernization, and wildfire resilience, chosen from a pool of more than 400 applicants.
The initiative continues PG&E’s efforts to identify and scale new solutions to California’s pressing energy and climate issues. “Pitch Fest is one of the most impactful ways we connect with the energy and climate tech ecosystem,” said Mike Delaney, Vice President, Utility Partnerships and Innovation, PG&E. “We’re excited to accelerate solutions that can make our grid safer, more sustainable, and more affordable — and we’re energized by the creativity and commitment of this year’s presenters.”
PG&E plans to allocate up to $25 million in funding for new projects by year-end. The company will work closely with selected vendors from Pitch Fest to define projects and integrate their solutions into PG&E’s systems.
Funding comes from PG&E’s electric research and development budget through the Electric Program Investment Charge (EPIC), which supports California investor-owned utilities in testing new technologies that improve safety, reliability, affordability, environmental sustainability, and equity for all electric customers in the state. Additional funding may be available depending on project alignment with other PG&E innovation programs.
The three-day event will feature a headline panel on its first day with startup co-founders Anukool Lakhina (BurnBot), Steven Chen (Treeswift), and John Taggart (WeaveGrid). They will discuss their experiences partnering with PG&E in conversation with Quinn Nakayama, Senior Director of Grid Research Innovation and Development at PG&E.
Participating organizations will each have 15 minutes to present their solutions across themes such as wildfire management, electric vehicle integration, customer electrification, resiliency measures, large load management, undergrounding infrastructure, and operational cost savings.
PG&E serves over sixteen million people across Northern and Central California. More information about the company is available at https://www.pge.com/, https://www.pge.com/news/, or https://www.pge.com/innovation/.
For further details about the announcement: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pge-announces-finalists-for-2025-pitch-fest-57-energy–and-climate-tech-innovators-selected-from-400-applicants-302558023.html
