Sad news here today. We’ve taken the incredibly difficult decision to shut down Glowb. We set out a couple of years ago to build the most trusted and customer centric residential solar business in the UK. We have built nearly 40 residential solar systems, achieved 5* reviews across the board and ended up delivering a customer experience that we are really proud of. However… we’ve spoken to nearly 100 investors in this space in the past few months. Time and time again we’ve heard the same message - across Europe and North America, investors in this space are seeing intense competition, skyrocketing CAC and ever smaller margins. They all asked us - why will it be different for Glowb? The short answer is, it’s not. We’ve been experiencing that too. We haven’t grown as fast as we wanted, and our margins have been shrinking before our eyes. There are a few groups I need to say a huge thank you to: Our team has been exceptional throughout our journey, but not least in the past few difficult weeks. They have continued to work hard, put our customers first, and help ensure that we can close down in an orderly way. They all have so much to be proud of in what we’ve built at Glowb. If you want to hire one of the most dedicated and talented professionals in the solar industry, please get in touch. Our investors have been incredibly supportive throughout our journey, not least in this recent difficult period. Francesca (Check) and Matt at Ada Ventures in particular, who led our pre-Seed round, have been right with us in the trenches as we’ve tried to work through this and decide what to do. I couldn’t ask for more supportive, thoughtful and compassionate investors. This is one of those times when it would be really easy to fall out with your investors - this is quite the opposite. Thank you also to all our customers. Both for trusting us with your homes, and for all the supportive and warm messages we’ve received from you in recent weeks. We won’t leave you in the lurch - we will stick around to honour your warranties for their duration. Your systems generating clean energy every day are Glowb’s legacy. To my co-founder and Chair Colin - your vision, support, hard work and friendship have made everything we achieved possible. Thank you for everything. Thank you also to all our other friends, advisers, suppliers and partners who have been with us on this journey. There are far too many of you to name here. I know I’m not the only founder contemplating a shut down out there. If you’re out there wrestling with something similar, please feel free to reach out for moral support/ practical advice. Most startups fail, and no one talks about it. The risk of failure doesn’t mean that it wasn’t worth trying in the first place. I’ve learned a huge amount throughout the Glowb journey, which I'll always be grateful for. As for what’s next for me? I'm still figuring it out, but it will almost definitely be in energy/climate. Watch this space.
Glowb
Renewable Energy Power Generation
Regents Park, England 798 followers
We make light work of solar.
About us
*Glowb is now closed* The transition to cleaner, smarter home energy should be easy and straightforward for all UK homeowners. Our vision is to be the most trusted and most people-centred solar business in the UK. Glowb is on a mission to make light work of solar - bringing trust, financial accessibility and simplification to customers, accelerating the UK transition to cleaner and more self-sufficient home energy management.
- Website
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www.glowb.uk
External link for Glowb
- Industry
- Renewable Energy Power Generation
- Company size
- 11-50 employees
- Headquarters
- Regents Park, England
- Type
- Privately Held
- Founded
- 2022
- Specialties
- Solar, Energy, Finance, Fintech, and Renewables
Locations
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Primary
Get directions
210 Euston Road
Regents Park, England NW1 2DA, GB
Employees at Glowb
Updates
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When you strike a partnership that just works. 😍 Earlier in the month we announced Glowb's partnership with Zoa, which for us marks way more than a new (game-changing btw 😜) offering in our roadmap. Read about it here: https://lnkd.in/eC5kHm2s Sometimes partnerships can feel a bit token; 'we should probably do some partnerships, soon'. But for Glowb, our decisions are always meaningful. Our partnership with Zoa continues to prove that we're embarrassingly compatible: our vision for something different, our mission to redefine it and the shared values and culture of our people to make it happen. When these important things are aligned, the output is so much stronger. Together we will: 🌍 Reduce climate change 🛠 Build things differently to catalyse massive change 😇 Create more happy customers so that we can reduce climate change We're so lucky to collaborate with such like-minded, creative and committed people and grateful for all the #goodvibes. 🚀 🚀 🚀 Sarah Chapman Sara Brooks Tom Fraine Ben Lister Lucy Kirkland
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We're proud to be featured in TechRound's 10 Innovative Solar Startups to look out for in 2024. Read about how we're changing the solar game here: https://lnkd.in/ejJ9xwzU
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The future of home energy is here. 👇 Today we launch our game-changing solar and battery optimisation app, an AI-powered tool to transform how people use energy in their homes to optimise savings. 🤑 Solving this sector-wide problem means finally UK homeowners can easily unlock the opportunity from new, agile energy tariffs; buying power cheaply and selling when it's expensive. This will transform the economics of domestic battery storage in the UK and catalyse the shift to renewables. We're delighted to partner with the brilliant Zoa team who share our vision for slick, intuitive design driving massive change. 🚀 🚀 Read the full press release here: https://lnkd.in/et-gnsVk If you're thinking of solar for your home and want to deal with a company committed to redefining the standards, check us out and book an appointment to get the ball rolling: www.glowb.uk 💜 Sarah Chapman Lucy Kirkland Colin Fraser Gurjit Bains Ben Lister Sara Brooks Tom Fraine Elsa Hatakka Francesca (Check) Warner Diarra Smith Jen Davies Emily Garnham Sammy Fry Billy Fox Will Wells David Rowan Jeremy Oppenheim Harley Green Catia Cesari Becky Moffat Ben Moxham Danny Lopez
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Excited to be around like-minded brands and businesses working together to electrify, at the Solar & Storage Live event. Come say hello on stand F9 with our friends at Zoa, and meet CEO Sarah Chapman. #SSLive2024 #SolarStorageLive2024
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We're delighted to have a CEO who's always walking the walk. 👣 Glowb believes solar should be straightforward and simple for all homeowners. Influencing policy and having important discussions like these is all part of our mission: to help accelerate the UK transition to cleaner and more independent home energy. Fancy solar for your home? Book you FREE solar design and quote: www.glowb.uk and get your system up and running for Spring ☀ 🐣
Great to be representing Glowb in Westminster this afternoon with the Startup Coalition for a round table with Shadow Energy Security Minister Alan Whitehead MP. We had a room full of energy startup founders with big ideas about policies Labour should be prioritising to accelerate the UK energy transition. Top of the list for me (and others): - Standards for APIs for in-home energy technologies - i.e. making sure all the hardware consumers have installed can talk to each other - Support for workforce training and skills - the energy transition needs 400,000 new jobs by 2050 Other big themes: smart meters, demand side response, unblocking grid connections Thank you Charlie Mercer for organising a great event!
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Today's the day! 📣 📣 There's VAT relief on ALL home battery storage installations in the UK. So if you're thinking about solar for the first time, looking to increase the storage capacity of your existing solar system, or simply want a standalone battery without solar (and yes, that's a thing 🤓), now is the time to increase your energy independence and power up your home. If you want to geek out on this a bit more, have a read of this article to learn what it really means for you: https://lnkd.in/eHnZmTjB If you're ready to get started, you can book 5 minutes with us and we'll arrange your free home survey ASAP www.glowb.uk 👌
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🎉 🎉 🎉 We at Glowb are feeling excited and proud to announce we've been selected to join Tech Nation's prestigious Climate Programme for 2024! Every year, the programme selects 24 innovative climate tech companies, united in their missions to revolutionise the fight against climate change to come together and level up all efforts. We are thrilled to be in such great company and excited to collaborate with fellow founders to achieve environmental impact at scale. Let's go, let's go!! 🚀 🚀 Sarah Chapman Jen Davies Diarra Smith Colin Fraser Lucy Kirkland Sammy Fry #technation #hsbcinnovationbanking #founders #climatetech
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2023 came to a head with the exciting announcement of a VAT cut on home batteries. A battery-only install now makes sense if you're wanting to activate smart energy savings but not ready (or able) to commit to a home solar installation. Read about what this means for you and your hopes to make your home a renewable one. https://lnkd.in/eHnZmTjB #solar #homesolar #solarinstallation #batterystorage #batterytechnology #renewableenergy
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