Editorial line-art portrait illustration of Yoav Lurie

Yoav Lurie · Impact Edge

Yoav Lurie

Investing in the systems that will shape the next decade.

I founded Simple Energy in 2011, which merged with four companies to form Uplight — a $1.5B public benefit corporation serving over 100 million utility customers, acquired in March 2026. I now invest through Impact Edge in companies building across four markets I have specific, hard-earned views on.

Thesis

Impact Edge invests in companies rebuilding the foundational systems of how we power our world, how we work, how we connect with each other, and how we make the things we need. Not because impact is a category — because these are the markets where the next two decades of value will be created.

Portfolio

Pillar I

Energy & Power Systems

Fifteen years inside the energy system. Two exits. Still active across software, hardware, and infrastructure.

  • Uplight

    Energy software for 100M+ utility customers. Founded by Yoav; acquired 2026.

    Exited
  • Simple Energy

    Customer engagement and rebate marketplace for utilities. Merged to form Uplight.

    Exited
  • WattBuy

    Address-level clean energy access and plan switching.

    Chairman Exited · Schneider
  • WeaveGrid

    Software linking EVs and utilities for managed charging.

  • Beard SPAC

    Energy transition acquisition company.

    Board
  • Lightcell

    Photonic engines turning fuel into electricity via light.

    Woman-Led
  • Zitara

    Battery management software for grid-scale storage.

    Exited · Elysia / Fortescue
  • Floodlight

    Satellite-based GHG measurement and climate risk analytics.

  • Galy

    Lab-grown cotton and cocoa using cellular agriculture.

Pillar II

Future of Work

The relationship between workers, earnings, and how work gets done is being rebuilt from the ground up.

  • Beem

    Low-cost credit for people priced out of mainstream banking.

  • Branch

    Earned wage access and digital banking for hourly workers.

  • Gridwise

    Earnings tracking and mobility analytics for gig drivers.

  • Hosta AI

    Property assessments from photos. Bridges physical and virtual built environments.

    Woman-Led
  • StretchSense

    Motion capture gloves for animation, gaming, and XR production.

  • LightTwist

    Cloud-based virtual studios for video production.

Pillar III

Trust & Humanity

Real connection is getting harder. Trust is degrading. These companies push back.

  • Hive AI

    Detection of deepfakes, AI-generated media, and content moderation at scale.

  • Tin Can

    A landline-style phone that gives kids real connection without screens.

  • Base Operations

    Urban security intelligence for global enterprises.

    Woman-Led

Pillar IV

Advanced Manufacturing

The next decade rewards companies that can build hard things faster, cheaper, and at higher quality.

Selected Funds

  • Earthshot Ventures
  • Vision Ridge Partners
  • At One Ventures
  • Powerhouse Ventures
  • MCJ Collective
  • Matchstick Ventures
  • Lux Capital
  • The Fund Rockies
  • LearnStart
  • V1.VC
  • Praxis Ventures
  • Level One Fund (NZ)
  • GD1 (NZ)

Roots

Rooted in Boulder. I've been an investor, mentor, advisor, founder, and entrepreneur-in-residence at Techstars Boulder since 2011, and was part of the effort to bring it back when it nearly shut down. Some of what's built here is global; some of it is for the people who live next door. Both matter.