Pika Energy
AcquiredWestbrook, US · Founded 2010 · Delaware corporation · 7 known investors
Builds clean power solutions using advanced DC nanogrids to capture, manage and distribute renewable energy.
Also known as PIKA Energy · Pika Energy, Inc.
Founders & leadership
Pika Energy was founded in 2010 by Joshua Kaufman and Benjamin Polito.
Board
Investors · 7
Also in the syndicate · 3
Reported raises · per SEC filings
Form D private placements$8.4M disclosed across 5 of 7 rounds · 2014–2018
▶$1.9MraisedSep 2018 · 8 investors · Other EnergyRule 506(b)
- Paul FarrowDirector
- David MillerDirector
- John BobrowichDirector
- Bengt KarlssonDirector
- Joshua KauffmanExecutive Officer, Director
- Benjamin PolitoExecutive Officer, Director
- Offering amount
- $6M
- Amount sold
- $1.9M
- Minimum investment
- $10K
- First sale
- Aug 2018
- Incorporated
- Corporation, Delaware
- Federal exemptions
- 06b
▶$1.5MraisedMar 2018 · 14 investors · Other EnergyRule 506(b)
- John BobrowichDirector
- Paul FarrowDirector
- Bengt KarlssonDirector
- Benjamin PolitoExecutive Officer, Director
- Joshua KaufmanExecutive Officer, Director
- Offering amount
- $2.3M
- Amount sold
- $1.5M
- Minimum investment
- $5K
- First sale
- Feb 2018
- Incorporated
- Corporation, Delaware
- Federal exemptions
- 06b
▶$2MraisedJun 2017 · 26 investors · Other EnergyRule 506(b)
- John BobrowichDirector
- Benjamin PolitoExecutive Officer, Director
- Paul FarrowDirector
- Bengt KarlssonDirector
- Joshua KaufmanExecutive Officer, Director
- Offering amount
- $2M
- Amount sold
- $2M
- Minimum investment
- $5K
- First sale
- Jun 2017
- Incorporated
- Corporation, Delaware
- Federal exemptions
- 06b
▶$2.9MraisedApr 2016 · 19 investors · Other EnergyRule 506(b)
- Paul FarrowDirector
- Joshua KaufmannExecutive Officer, Director
- Bengt KarlssonDirector
- Benjamin PolitoExecutive Officer, Director
- John BobrowichDirector
- Offering amount
- $3.1M
- Amount sold
- $2.9M
- Minimum investment
- $15K
- First sale
- Feb 2016
- Incorporated
- Corporation, Delaware
- Federal exemptions
- 06b
▶$105KraisedApr 2015 · 3 investors · Other EnergyRule 506(b)
- Catherine YorkDirector
- Joshua KaufmanExecutive Officer, Director
- Benjamin PolitoExecutive Officer, Director
- Paul FarrowDirector
- Bengt KarlssonDirector
- Offering amount
- $1M
- Amount sold
- $105K
- Minimum investment
- $25K
- First sale
- Apr 2015
- Incorporated
- Corporation, Delaware, 2010
- Federal exemptions
- 06b
▶$500KofferedApr 2014 · Other EnergyRule 506(b)
- Benjamin PolitoDirector
- Bengt KarlssonDirector
- Paul FarrowDirector
- Joshua D. KaufmanDirector
- Offering amount
- $500K
- Minimum investment
- $10K
- Incorporated
- Corporation, Delaware, 2010
- Federal exemptions
- 06b
Source: SEC EDGAR Form D. Amounts as filed; amended filings shown once at their latest values.
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Pika Energy, Inc. was a Westbrook, Maine-based clean energy manufacturer that designed direct-current (DC) power electronics, software and controls for integrating distributed energy resources — principally solar photovoltaic generation — with battery storage, the electricity grid and DC loads. The company began by developing small, backyard residential wind turbines and wind-solar hybrid systems, then broadened its scope when the founders concluded that the underlying platform technology could more generally manage power flows and incorporate renewable sources.
Its flagship offering, the Pika Energy Island, was a home energy storage platform tying together solar PV, smart batteries, household loads and the grid, marketed on plug-and-play installation and system efficiency. Products included the Harbor Flex and Harbor Plus storage systems, which used Panasonic lithium-ion cells, and Smart Batteries that could be retrofitted into existing solar installations. The company also developed inverter technology capable of charging electric vehicle batteries or running off-grid. Pika manufactured in the United States and served residential and commercial customers.
Founding story
Ben Polito, who grew up on an off-grid farm on the Maine coast and studied mechanical engineering at MIT, founded Pika Energy in 2010 with MIT classmate Joshua Kaufman (with Keith Richtman also named as a co-founder in later coverage), starting in a basement in Gorham, Maine. The initial goal was to make backyard, residential-scale wind turbines more affordable and accessible; Polito had worked at technology startups for over a decade beforehand, including on U.S. Department of Energy-funded projects.
Business model
Pika Energy designed and manufactured hardware — DC power electronics, inverters, smart batteries and integrated storage systems — sold into the residential and commercial solar market, with U.S.-based manufacturing.
Traction
The company grew from a basement operation to its own facility in Westbrook with 18 employees by August 2017; it did not disclose revenue, though the CEO said first-quarter 2017 sales matched the whole of the prior year. It had won five U.S. Department of Energy awards as of late 2016, including an $875,000 DOE grant announced in September 2016.
Latest developments
Generac Holdings Inc. (NYSE: GNRC) announced on April 29, 2019 that it had acquired Pika Energy, with the transaction closing April 26, 2019 for undisclosed terms. Generac said Pika's integrated battery storage solutions would support its expansion into energy storage; Generac had earlier in 2019 also purchased Neurio Technology Inc. of Vancouver.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history, risks & controversies
Market position
Pika competed in residential and small commercial energy storage against companies ranging from small storage specialists to large inverter and battery incumbents, and positioned itself on plug-and-play installation, grid interaction and efficiency. Generac stated the acquisition was its entry into the energy storage market and that Pika's technology strengthened its position in the home energy marketplace.
Differentiation rested on the proprietary DC bus platform that allowed batteries, solar PV and other distributed resources to be combined without complex system engineering, on retrofit compatibility with existing solar arrays, and on domestic manufacturing.
Technology
The company's core technology was a patented DC bus, marketed as REbus, described as an "energy operating system" that automates the flow of clean power and lets solar PV, wind, batteries, DC loads and the grid interconnect. Around this it built power converters, inverters able to charge electric vehicle batteries or operate off-grid, smart batteries, and management software and controls. The design emphasis was on high conversion efficiency and simplified, plug-and-play installation.
Go-to-market
Pika sold through channel and OEM relationships, including distributors such as altE Store and installer partners such as ReVision Energy, alongside manufacturing partnerships with cell suppliers like Panasonic.
Homeowners and businesses seeking solar-plus-storage and backup power, reached through solar installers, electricians, contractors and distribution partners.
Geography
Headquartered and manufacturing in Westbrook, Maine, United States, after starting in Gorham, Maine; products were sold in the U.S. residential and commercial markets.
History
Founded in 2010, Pika Energy initially built small wind turbines and wind-solar hybrid systems, signing a distribution partnership with altE Store in February 2015. In March 2016 it closed the first tranche of a Series A round and launched the Pika Energy Island solar-plus-storage line built on its REbus DC bus. CEI Ventures made Pika the first investment of its Coastal Ventures IV fund in December 2016. The company partnered with Panasonic in July 2017 for lithium-ion cells in its Harbor Flex and Harbor Plus systems, raised $2 million in convertible debt in mid-2017, and launched two additional residential storage products in October 2018. Generac Holdings acquired Pika Energy in a deal that closed on April 26, 2019.
Risks & controversies
Company leadership cited recruiting as the most persistent challenge, particularly finding staff with specialized skills such as advanced power converter design and segment-specific market experience, and noted the capital intensity of core research, intellectual property, manufacturing tooling and product certifications.
Compiled by commissioned research from 8 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Timeline · 10
launches, deals, and filingsGenerac Holdings Inc. (NYSE: GNRC) acquired Pika Energy; the deal closed April 26, 2019 and terms were not disclosed. Generac described the transaction as its entry into the energy storage market.
Pika Energy released two residential energy storage products enabling its Smart Batteries to be integrated into existing solar systems.
ReVision Energy, LLC partnered with Pika Energy, including hosting a presentation on solar and batteries at the ReVision Energy showroom.
Panasonic Corporation partnered with Pika Energy to supply lithium-ion cells used in the Harbor Flex and Harbor Plus storage systems.
As of December 2016 the company had won five Department of Energy awards.
CEI Ventures, Inc., the venture capital subsidiary of CEI, announced the initial closing of its fourth fund, Coastal Ventures IV, and named Pika Energy as the fund's first investment.
Pika Energy announced it had won an $875,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to develop its technology.
$875K source ↗
In conjunction with the Series A funding, John Bobrowich and Wanda Reindorf, partners at Clean Energy Venture Group, joined Pika's board as a member and observer respectively.
Pika announced a product line for solar-plus-storage applications; the Pika Energy Island system uses the company's DC bus to integrate batteries with solar PV generation for homes and businesses.
altE Store, a distributor of solar panels and solar power products, partnered with Pika Energy, then a Maine-based manufacturer of residential wind turbines and wind-solar hybrid systems.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
Legal entities · 1
corporate structureIn the news
▸Research sources · 8
primary sources listed
- Pika Energy Company Overview, Contact Details & Competitors | LeadIQleadiq.com · web
8 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Pika Energy do?
- Maine manufacturer of DC power electronics and battery storage for residential solar-plus-storage, acquired by Generac in 2019.
- Who founded Pika Energy?
- Pika Energy was founded by Joshua Kaufman, Benjamin Polito in 2010.
- Who are Pika Energy's investors?
- Pika Energy's investors include CEI Ventures, NXT Ventures, Clean Energy Venture, Clean Energy Ventures.
- How much funding has Pika Energy raised?
- Pika Energy has disclosed $8.4M raised across 5 of its 7 known rounds.
- Where is Pika Energy headquartered?
- Pika Energy is headquartered in Westbrook, US.