Meet Japan Energy Challenge 2019 Cohort: Switchd

Our new series of blog posts introduces this year’s participants of Japan Energy Challenge. Up next is Thomas Rogers, Director of Switchd, he’ll be discussing the role his company can play in the future of Japans’ energy markets.
Thomas launched Switchd after he and co-founder Llewellyn Kinch found a way to help energy customers switch suppliers and avoid expensive tariffs without going through the hassle of manually comparing every individual offer. In this article we’ll be shedding some light into what makes Switchd’s solution stand out from the rest.
Hello Thomas, can you tell us a bit about the company and its founders?
Around two thirds of people in the UK are on the most expensive energy tariffs available for their supplier. Switchd solves this by keeping consumers on the best energy tariff by actively searching over 20,000 tariffs each day, then automatically switching a customer when a better deal comes along. The company was founded two years ago by Thomas Rogers and Llewellyn Kinch, both data and operations management consultants.
How does your solution fit within the wider trends of Digitalisation and Decarbonisation in the energy sector?
The purchasing of energy and then reselling of energy back to the grid is going to become far more complicated with smart meters, home generation and P2P selling. Our technology platform will cater for this more complicated world, with automated smart decision making.
Are there milestones you are particularly proud to have achieved as a company?
Reflecting on our time at Switchd, our proudest milestones always come from customer feedback. Whether it be a grandma who can now afford a cruise, to a single father who now doesn’t worry about keeping the lights on.
Let’s look at Japan Energy Challenge’s scope, what specifically attracted you about the prospect of expanding to the Japanese market?
Automated energy switching is something that can help reduce consumers bills worldwide. We have built all of our tech in-house and are excited to see how this might expand to markets such as Japan.
And finally, how will your solution promote the expansion and modernisation of the Japanese energy sector?
Our solution has the potential to assist Japanese consumers in navigating the complicated world of buying energy in a digitalised and decentralised energy system, taking it beyond the traditional price comparison model.
Switchd will be taking part in Japan Energy Challenge in London this year, you can read about the other companies taking part in this year’s edition here. You can also find out more about the program, ventures and sponsors by clicking the links.

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