Cleantechies Q&A: Zvi Alon

Executive summary:

• I graduated from Technion – Israel Institute of Technology in 1974 with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering. Today I hold a Vice Chairmanship at Ben Gurion University in Israel, where I promoted and supported advanced research in green technology, clean energy, medicine, and advanced nanotechnology.
• Outside of starting and running companies, I am very active in building and supporting organizations that improve the business ecosystems. I am the Founder and Chairman of the California Israel Chamber of Commerce (CICC) and am the Co-Founder of the California Israel Angels (CIA). The CICC is a not-for-profit, non-governmental membership-supported organization dedicated to strengthening business and trade relations between California and Israel. Similarly, the CIA drives its investment focus through opportunities that combine activities in both California and Israel.
• I established The Alon Family Foundation in 1995 with a mission to improve the quality of resources for charitable organizations, specifically in the fields of education, medicine, and social services.

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What is your field of expertise?

As a technology-focused businessperson and a business-focused technologist, roughly in that order, I have expertise in identifying successful business opportunities by matching technology with market needs. Today, I bring nearly 30 years of business experience to the solar industry as CEO and Chairman of Tigo Energy, Inc. in Silicon Valley. I look at the business from all angles, having served as an executive, partner, and advisor to various venture capital groups in high tech, cleantech, and real estate. Since Tigo sells to customers around the globe, I also have the opportunity to put my international business experience to work.

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Describe your journey to where you are today.

I began my career as an engineer and worked my way up to general management. Along the way, I found success as an investor and leveraged this into other areas, such as supporting causes through my charitable foundation. I have been able to walk through every aspect of technology, beginning with my work on the Intel 286 microprocessor many years ago. My next step was in the networking space, followed by some time in the software industry. I have served as chairman, chief executive, president, and founder of several international companies. NetManage in the US and NetVision in Israel are two of which went public. Now, I lead Tigo Energy.

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What does your company do, for whom, and how does it fit into the bigger picture of solving global issues with clean tech?

Tigo Energy produces smart solutions to increase solar installations’ efficiency and energy production. We service every type of project on every continent and ensure that system owners benefit from our cost, production, efficiency, and longevity, from the smallest residential projects to the largest utility systems. We firmly believe accelerating the global solar energy transition worldwide requires companies like ours to understand and empower the vast ecosystem of installers.

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What do you wish you could tell the younger you — what would’ve been incredibly helpful to you ten years ago?

I want to go back a little further than that. In 2007, I met Tigo’s founder. I just installed a solar system at my home, and he was about to launch his company, hence, discussing the opportunity to get involved. I advised on various topics, and in May 2013, I invested in Tigo Energy and served on the Board of Directors. Quite frankly, I assumed I was done working in an operational corporate role and was very happy staying involved with various companies and causes. I intended to remain active with Tigo in an advisory capacity; however, I answered the call again and signed on as Chief Executive Officer in 2014. I cherish the time I get to work closely with so many people on the Tigo team. Having said that, I do miss spending time with my family and philanthropic ventures.

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LinkedIn: Zvi Alon

Cleantechnies: cleantechies.com/zvi-alon/