Insider Brief
- 257 raised $9.2M in seed funding, led by F2 Venture Capital and top energy/AI investors, to modernize the $500B residential energy market with AI-driven insights and customer engagement tools.
- The company’s digital energy twin technology builds AI-powered energy profiles for every U.S. home, helping utilities, solar, HVAC, and electric providers improve targeting, reduce costs, and boost sales.
- Early pilot partners saw up to a 300% ROI improvement, as 257’s performance-based platform enables providers to analyze data, target ideal customers, and pay only when a sale is made.
PRESS RELEASE — 257, a software and AI company with a vision to reshape the $500B residential energy market, has announced a $9.2 million seed funding round to revolutionize how energy product and service providers analyze and engage with consumers.
Leveraging a detailed, proprietary energy profile on every US home, and AI-driven upgrade predictions, 257 helps companies in the utility, solar, HVAC and electric supply markets improve customer experience and engagement — paving the way to a smarter, more resilient residential power system.
The round was led by longtime partner F2 Venture Capital, as well as top energy and AI angels, including Mike Fallquist (Founder & CEO of Crius Energy, Co-Founder & CEO of Energywell), Jeff Hammerbacher (founder and co-CEO of Open Athena, founder of Cloudera, original Facebook data team manager), Otto von Troschke (a European growth capital investor focusing on the energy transition, co-founder of SUSI), and Gil Golan (former GM CTO and head of GM Ventures). The proceeds will accelerate 257’s mission to modernize the residential energy experience, delivering the insights, marketing efficiencies, and personalization that have transformed so many other consumer verticals.
“Despite billions spent annually, providers lack the data and tools to effectively connect with consumers — leading to higher costs, missed sales opportunities, and slower adoption,” said Scott Rosenberg, co-founder and CEO of 257. “We’re bridging this divide with data, analytics and marketing tools that help providers deliver personalized, relevant interactions from the first consumer touchpoint.”
With 130 million U.S. households projected to spend more than $5 trillion on energy products and services over the next decade — an average of $40,000 per home — the residential energy sector is ripe for digital transformation. Tens of thousands of providers across the utility, solar, HVAC and electric supply markets spend over $20B annually to engage prospective customers.
At the heart of the 257 platform is a digital energy twin for each U.S. home, built using hundreds of public and proprietary data sources and advanced machine learning techniques. These twins form the core of 257’s three initial products:
- 257 Insights — Powerful, household-level insights into current and prospective customers, enabling data-driven decisions in consumer engagement.
- 257 Audiences — AI-powered propensity scores, helping providers find the best prospects for solar, heat pumps, alternative energy plans, and more.
- 257 Engage — Brandable lead capture and customer onboarding forms that use 257’s data to improve first contact with a prospective customer.
“We’re at the early days of the energy transition, but also at a moment when software, data and AI can play a transformative role in ensuring this shift is cost-effective and accessible for all consumers,” said Tal Chalozin, 257’s co-founder and CTO. “257’s AI models analyze tens of millions of homes to predict pinpoint future consumption and pinpoint the best upgrades for each household — helping providers drive efficiency, lower costs, and faster adoption.”
Pilot partners collaborating with 257 over the last 6 months have significantly boosted their customer acquisition rate, in some cases achieving a 300% improvement in ROI. Unlike data brokers, lead generation companies, or agency models, 257 operates on a performance-based model, allowing providers to perform analyses, build audiences, and target customers for free, paying only when the platform drives a successful sale.
“I’m thrilled to back successful, repeat entrepreneurs as they redefine the residential energy market with a scalable, data-driven approach that prioritizes consumer and provider outcomes,” said Jonathan Saacks, Managing Partner, F2 Venture Capital.
Founded by Scott Rosenberg and Tal Chalozin, who built multi-billion-dollar media platforms at Roku and Innovid, 257 is bringing proven consumer, marketing and AI expertise to the home energy market.
Energy providers can learn more or request a demo at 257.co or [email protected]. or contact at [email protected] for further inquiries.
About 257
257 is a venture-backed enterprise software company dedicated to using data and AI to accelerate the adoption of residential energy products.
