Agenda

Dewey Gottwald Center

9:30–10:30
The Evolving Energy Tech Market

Energy startups are evolving to meet new demands in policy, investment, and commercialization. This panel brings together industry experts—Annie Gilleo, Kacy Gerst, Adam James, and Jonathan Mele—to discuss emerging trends, market challenges, and the opportunities shaping the next generation of energy technologies. Attendees will gain insights into how innovation and policy are driving the future of the sector.

10:40–11:40
Enabling Distributed Resources

Distributed Energy Resources have the potential to reshape how we think about capacity, if we can implement them effectively. This panel—featuring Mila Hunt, Santosh Veda, Max Parness, Alex Bazhinov, and Karan Patel—will explore the different types of technologies and models coming together to build scalable solutions in Virginia. Attendees will gain insights into how decentralized energy can enhance grid resilience, efficiency, and sustainability.

12:35–1:20
Keynote Address: Andy Lubershane

Andy Lubershane is the Head of Research at Energy Impact Partners, one of the world’s leading energy-focused venture capital firms. As our Energy Tech 2025 keynote speaker, Andy will dive into not only how the energy transition requires deploying new technologies, but what it takes to build a company that changes our industry’s future.

1:30–2:30
Bringing Fusion Power to Virginia

With Commonwealth Fusion Systems’ recent announcement to build its first commercial fusion power plant in Chesterfield, VA, the future of fusion energy in the Commonwealth is closer than ever. This panel will explore what it takes to bring fusion to our grid, from infrastructure and investment to policy and workforce development. Attendees will gain insights into how Virginia is positioning itself as a leader in this groundbreaking energy transition.

2:40–3:30
New Tools for Growing Customer Loads

Growing power requirements is the hot topic in the energy industry as AI takes center stage, and Virginia is the epicenter of global data center growth.  This panel features three solutions helping pave the way for continued expansion for Virginia’s largest industry, covering flexible computing, advanced conductors, and on-site fuel cells.

3:30–4:30
Data-Driven Grid Resilience

This panel—featuring Brian Basset, Mishal Thadani, and Kevin Jones—will explore how advanced analytics, AI, and real-time monitoring can help utilities predict, prevent, and respond to disruptions. Attendees will gain insights into the role of analytics in building a more reliable and adaptive energy system.

Discovery Room

9:30–10:30
A Busy Engineer’s Guide to 
HAL 9000 A.I.
A.I. is everywhere these days, especially tools like ChatGPT. But you’re busy with important things — you know, like keeping the lights on. You just want the essentials — how these tools work, where they’re headed, and what AI can help you with right now — so your boss will finally stop asking. Yes Dave, we can do that.

10:40–11:40
How to Gain Traction (and Dollars) for 
Your Idea

Bringing a hardware idea to life requires rapid prototyping and smart design iteration. In this workshop the SPARK Product Development team will guide participants through the design process, sharing real-world insights on turning concepts into functional products.

1:30–2:30
Unlocking Innovation: 
State and Federal 
Funding Pathway

2:40–4:30
SPARK VIRGINIA Innovation Challenge

Watch Virginia’s top energy innovators compete live in the SPARK VIRGINIA Innovation Challenge, a high-energy pitch competition spotlighting breakthrough technologies in utility, energy, and climate solutions. Eight finalists will deliver rapid-fire pitches to a panel of investors, utility executives, and industry leaders, vying for $10,000 in prizes. Don’t miss this opportunity to see cutting-edge innovation in action and discover the next big idea shaping Virginia’s energy future!