In April, five scalable ventures with a lasting impact on society will compete in the 2021 Global Impact Award for the chance to win up to $50,000. In celebration of their achievements and anticipation of their April presentations will be featuring a Q&A series with the finalists on our blog over the next month. Today’s blog is all about Qilo.

Qilo demystifies energy data to help you make sustainable decisions that cost less. The venture was founded by David Brost (School of Engineering & Applied Science ’12).

Industry: Consumer Services

Number of Employees: 4

Total Funding (as of February 2021): $0

What problem are you solving?

People do not feel in control of their electric bills. They perceive it as a fee or tax they must pay each month.

 How do you solve this problem?

Qilo uses a mobile application to connect people to the electricity market and their energy consumption data to help them understand what they can do to reduce their electric bills.

About the founding team.

David Brost has an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis and has continually studied the electric grid over the past 13 years living in the U.S. and Europe.

Brett Adlard has an M.S. in Analytics from the University of Chicago with a focus on analytical projects and he’s snowboarded in three different continents and wants to hit all of them.

Edward Hayes has a B.S. in E-Business, Operations, and Entrepreneurship from the University of Dayton and he develops applications and devices to increase the energy efficiency of his condo.

Breck Furnas has an M.A. from the University of Chicago with a focus on cultural anthropology and has researched attendee behavior at museum exhibitions and has experience managing business operations, developing strategic initiatives, and driving end-user adoption of digital tools.

What do you love about being an entrepreneur?

You learn something new every day. The fun part is deciding what to do with the information.

What words of advice do you have for those starting a business?

You must be very motivated and dedicated to navigating the highs and lows and devote significant work and time.

Website: https://www.qilowatt.com/

Facebook: @qilowatt

LinkedIn: qilo