Investor Q&A - Craig Lawrence
Who is Craig Lawrence?
Craig Lawrence is the founder and Managing Director of Realization Ventures, a consulting and advisory firm helping distributed and renewable energy companies launch new products and services. He has served in engineering, marketing, general management, and executive roles across his 25 year career, including roles at leading solar energy companies SolarBridge Technologies (acquired by SunPower) and SunEdison, Accel Partners, a top-tier silicon-valley VC, and IDEO, an award-winning global design and innovation firm. Craig holds a B.S. in Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin, and a Ph.D. from Stanford University.
Craig on Wunder Capital.
What about Wunder Capital's offering made you invest?
I had been searching for a way to invest, as an individual, in solar projects. Having spent nearly a decade in the solar industry, I feel I have a better than average understanding of the risks of these types of investments and have always wanted to invest some of my personal savings into solar. But, prior to Wunder Capital, there was not really a good way for me to invest smaller amounts of capital into these projects, which were typically limited to larger companies, institutional investors, or very high net-worth individuals (which I am not!)
As an investor, how important is creating impact with your investment (specifically within the environmental sector)?
It is important to me – but not the most important thing. I invest my time and energy creating impact through my work in solar and distributed energy, particularly around climate issues. My primary motivation in investing my money is to get returns – the fact that Wunder Capital is doing something with positive impact is a big benefit, but if I didn’t feel it would provide a great financial return, I woudn’t do it.
If given two potential investments with similar risk, and similar returns, would you prefer the solar investment, and why?
I try to follow a Buffett-style of investing and “never invest in a business you don’t understand”. I would prefer solar investments, all other things being equal, because I feel I understand the underlying assets, risks and the market trends that are driving the massive adoption of solar energy in the US and around the world.
Wunder Capital is helping to accelerate the proliferation of solar by financing the commercial solar revolution. Wunder also offers investors a great way to invest in the future of energy. Learn more about Wunder by visiting WunderCapital.com.