What’s your story, Rob Hallifax?
The stories behind climate tech founders
This year, we’re launching a new series of posts profiling founders of Climate Connection’s tech community, asking them to share their journeys, inspirations, and insights into how they got to where they are today.
Today, meet Rob Hallifax – the co-founder who kicked off our April Climate Tech Time with an invitation to imagine a clean energy home. He co-founded Windfall Energy to help everyone, regardless of whether they own their home or not, reduce their energy bills and access the abundance of renewable energy on the grid.
Here’s Rob’s story.
How did your career begin?
I studied mechanical engineering at university, but didn't go directly into a graduate engineering job. Instead, I did various things, including photography and teaching English in India. I then returned to engineering and technology, working for both big and small companies, developing hardware and software products.
Most of that time, I was focused on product management and product design, and I have enjoyed the variety that has given me.
How did you navigate the toughest moments in building Windfall Energy?
Starting something from scratch is always tough. One of the best ways to deal with tough moments is to find a great co-founder. It's easier said than done, but having previously started solo ventures, I realise that a good team (even a team of just two) is far greater than the sum of its parts.
Beyond that, I believe an important aspect of navigating tough moments is knowing when to have the confidence to persevere and knowing when to reframe what you're working on and take a different approach.
What have been the toughest challenges along the way?
I think it's been the sheer volume of things that need to be thought about and done. Although many individual tasks are challenging in themselves, most would be relatively achievable on their own, but when they're layered on top of one another, they can sometimes feel close to impossible. Prioritising and focusing are critical.
Have you ever felt like giving up?
Honest answer is no. We're building a great product that will improve people’s lives and be delightful to use. Not only that, but we're also helping reduce people's carbon impact and play a small part in improving the national energy infrastructure that benefits everyone. Of course, it’s been hard work, but also a lot of fun!
What advice would you give to anyone else looking to build a climate tech startup today?
In most ways, I don't think there's anything fundamentally different about building a climate tech startup than building any other startup. You have to understand the market and your customers, develop the right product, reach those customers, and do all of this while showing partners and investors that you're the right team to do it.
Having said that, because our mission is to try and do something good, and not just to make money, I've been amazed by the help and support we've received from so many different people, not least the Climate Connection community.
Can you tell us a story about how this community or an unexpected connection helped propel you to where you are now?
Windfall Energy exists only because my co-founder, Ashley Grealish, met at a meetup a couple of years ago. After meeting, we discovered we shared a desire to create a tech-for-good startup and had the complementary skills to do it.
Since then, we've been to many more meetups and events, including Climate Tech Time. I think it's fair to say that at every single Climate Tech Time event, we've met someone who's made a material impact on our business. Those people have ranged from new customers to advisors, to people now working with us, and to others who have become friends of Windfall Energy.
So there’s a glimpse into one of the founders of our Climate Connection community – a community built around the strategic magic of connection and intentional networking.
Interested in seeing yourself or another founder onstage?
We’re always looking for new startups and scale-ups to tell amazing stories. You can fill out our speaker nomination form here.
