Our Founder’s Story
Prateek Saxena is a veteran of the energy sector with myriad accomplishments to his name. His enthusiasm drives innovative ideas, while his determination turns them into practical solutions. In fact, his unique perspective often leads to not just practical, but unconventional solutions, which are effective due to their unconventionality; this facet has earned him the respect and admiration of prominent industry leaders over the years. He is most in his element during discourse on next-gen cleantech business innovation, and his passion for pioneering sustainable energy solutions has made him a sought-after speaker at international events.
Prateek’s history of intrapreneurial contributions to businesses, which not only allowed them to enter competitive fields but also successfully establish a firm hold on the market, set a precedent for future business and technology innovation: this would form the foundation of his startup, Hygge Energy.
The wonder years.
Following a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the prestigious National Institute of Technology, Nagpur, India, Prateek was hired by Hindustan Petroleum, the second largest public sector oil and gas company in India, at the young age of 21. His natural leadership skills led to a promotion as the independent supervisor at their lubricant blending plant. In just six months, he enhanced productivity by over 50% through efficient labor utilization, reduced wastage, and optimal inventory control. Following this, he also improved working conditions, prioritized associates' health, and fostered a positive atmosphere, further boosting productivity.
Impressed with the results Prateek had achieved at the plant, Mobil Corporation decided to hire him. Still in his early twenties, Prateek coordinated global supply and distribution of lubrication products from multiple international refineries. He managed one of their most lucrative businesses—international vessel supplies—and post-merger, led ExxonMobil's commercial vehicle lubricants vertical. His swift actions as Regional Manager resulted in over 100% sales growth in 18 months; this was achieved at the highest margin for ExxonMobil in Asia Pacific.
The next logical step was an MBA, which Prateek pursued at the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto. Here, he became a brand ambassador, featured in national dailies, and mentored students in strategy development. He defined a business strategy for the growing wine industry in Niagara, Chile and Turkey. He further demonstrated his strategizing skills during an internship with ExxonMobil Canada, where he formulated a strategy for their heating oil business in Canada.
The best way to predict the future is to create it... in Canada.
Prateek’s interview in the largest Canadian National Daily, The Globe and Mail (June, 2007)
A brand ambassador for the University of Toronto
After graduating, Prateek, skilled in building businesses from the ground up and extrapolating future scenarios from industry trends, joined OZZ Corporation, a Canadian energy startup expanding into smart meters and energy management. As Head of Operations, he promptly set up three new business lines and attracted a joint venture with Enbridge (one of the largest piped heating gas suppliers in Canada) targeting the submetering business for the high-rise condo market. In less than two years, OZZ had 50,000+ submetering and 30,000+ smart meter customers. Prateek also implemented an end-to-end smart meter installation process and custom meter reading and billing software.
The indisputable success of these ambitious programs caught the Ontario Government's attention. Recognizing Prateek's potential as an industry trailblazer, they appointed him the province's inaugural Demand Response Program Manager. In this role, he drew on his skill and experience to design, implement and successfully deliver a 300 MW demand response system for the Ontario Power Authority, partnering with 80+ utilities.
After the success of the OPA program, Prateek, now recognized as a veritable industry expert, accepted an offer from Wipro to lead a team of 150 software developers on smart grid projects in several U.S. states until the commencement of phase-2 of OPA's program. Notably, Prateek designed the first home energy management system integrated with Arizona Corporate Commission's rooftop solar program—a significant achievement.
The Ontario Power Authority was now all set to start phase 2 of the demand response program and asked Prateek to return after he finished his project with Wipro, which he did. His expertise enabled the successful delivery of phase 2 of the program.
The secret of getting ahead is getting started… on your startup.
Subsequently, Prateek was invited by the $22 billion Mahindra Group to head their independent business unit focused on utilities in the Americas. This was the turning point.
Here, he did what he does best: established a brand-new business unit while developing a business idea of his own. Mahindra Group hosts an annual entrepreneurship competition, offering incubation and seed funding to the winner until the idea spins off as an independent company. Prateek initially secured second place. However, he managed to demonstrate the value of his innovation not only to Mr. Anand Mahindra himself but also to industry experts in multiple countries; his software platform was showcased at international events, solidifying its credibility. At his second attempt at the Mahindra Group's entrepreneurship competition in 2017, he was the undisputed winner: he was selected out of 200,000 associates as Mahindra’s In-house Entrepreneur for his business—Hygge Energy in its nascent form. To achieve this, he underwent a rigorous selection and vetting process that comprised 16 different levels of scrutiny by the executives and board members of Mahindra Group regarding the business plan and strategies from conception to commercialization. Prateek’s business was selected as the top innovation in Mahindra Group.
First Runner-up: Prateek with Mr. Anand Mahindra, Chairman and Founder, Mahindra Group, at the Mahindra Rise Awards
First place at the topmost Mahindra innovation awards: Prateek with Mr. Anish Shah, MD & CEO, and Mr. Hemant Sikka, President Farm Sector, Mahindra Group
Hygge in its nascent form: Prateek’s win at Mahindra’s Innovation Awards, 2017
Armed with a grant from the Government of Ontario and a partnership with Niagara-on-the-Lake Hydro, Prateek commercially deployed his software platform as the Intelligent Electrical Vehicle Charging System (IEVCS), which was the first solution of his intrapreneurial venture. Prateek had already received both national and international awards for IEVCS, and its commercial deployment led to further recognition.
Mayor Bob Chiarelli’s announcement of IEVCS launch: Tim Curtis (President, NOTL Hydro), Mayor Bob Chiarelli and Prateek
Prateek’s innovative software platform recognized as a ‘Top Ten Innovation’ by the International Energy Agency: Climate Change Conference, Paris, 2016
Prateek honored at the World EV Conference, EVS29, Montreal, 2016, for IEVCS by the Government of Ontario
The President of SAP applauded Prateek at SAP TechEd and dubbed IEVCS a game changer.
SAP is the world's leading enterprise resource planning (ERP) software vendor, the largest non-American software company by revenue, and the world's third-largest publicly traded software company by revenue.
SAP later invited Prateek to be part of their global working committee on internet of things (IoT) for the energy market. He was invited to be the guest speaker in a Voice of America series co-hosted by SAP on the topic of electric cars and modern infrastructure.
IEVCS honored by SAP as the Most Innovative Solution on their platform, 2015
Soon after IEVCS, Prateek deployed a second product built on his software platform, this time in partnership with Innovate UK, SmartKlub, Satellite Catapult, and Open University. Termed Community Action Platform for Energy (CAPE), it was adopted by Milton Keynes Council upon completion. CAPE assesses energy efficiency using satellite imagery. Prateek believes that community-led energy projects will play a crucial role in achieving a low-carbon future if they are allowed to reach their full potential: communities and local authorities currently don’t have access to required resources, which acts as a hindrance to sustainability of cities. Interactive by design, CAPE addresses this issue through collaboration and information. Ever since its implementation, the platform has been used by councils to design energy efficiency programs, by vendors to target their market promotion, and by customers for collaborative projects.
Prateek has been honored with several awards for CAPE, including a BusinessGreen Technology Award for Social Impact Technology of the Year in 2017, and a Smart Cities UK Award under the category of Housing, also in 2017. CAPE was recognized by Patrick Allcorn, Head of Local Energy, Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, as a solution that could not only stimulate investment and business growth in the UK, but also support BEIS’s three main energy objectives.
Prateek has received recognition and been invited to speak at various other events as well. One of them was the 17th Annual Energy, Utility, Environment Conference (EUEC) in San Diego, where his talk centered on the right portfolio of renewable energy, demand response systems and energy efficiency. He also gave a talk at the Low Carbon England Conference in Birmingham, conducted in partnership with SmartKlub, Co₂Club and 3PPP, where he was interviewed by the BBC. This was followed by his talk at the New Energy Forum in Xi’ang, China, an event that he co-chaired. He has also spoke at I-Grid China.
At Low Carbon England Conference, Birmingham, 2015
Prateek delivered the keynote address at the Formula Electric Smart Cities Conference, Montreal, in 2017 Courtesy Mahindra Racing. He shed light on how utilities can solve the problem of transformer overloading despite the increasing proliferation of EVs.
At Formula Electric Smart Cities Conference, Montreal, 2017
In 2019, Prateek’s intrapreneurial venture, with two products already under its belt under the aegis of Tech Mahindra, spun out and became an independent entity—Hygge Energy Inc. MaRS invited Hygge to join their already impressive portfolio of startups. Since then, Prateek has been industriously building and nurturing Hygge, meticulously shaping it into a thriving enterprise from its inception, while also developing and honing its proprietary blockchain-based peer-to-peer energy platform with versatile applications in diverse use cases across the energy industry.
Prateek was awarded Top Unicorns of Silicon Valley by UC Berkeley
Prateek had the privilege of giving a talk at the G20 Digital Innovation Alliance Summit held in Bangalore, India, in August 2023. Hygge was bestowed with the honor of being one of the three companies chosen to represent Canada, tasked with showcasing Canadian innovations at the prestigious G20 summit, and championing the Government of Canada's sustainable development goals aimed at fostering inclusivity and innovation for driving sustainable industrialization, which not only generates jobs and income but also promotes long-term economic stability. The speech was delivered before a distinguished audience comprising prominent corporate executives, leading investors, and pioneering innovators representing the top 20 global economies.
In his talk, Prateek discussed cleantech and sustainability industries that are rapidly growing as we address the critical state of our ecosystem. He emphasized the vital importance of incorporating energy disparity, especially its distinct link to emerging economies, into these discussions. Prateek elaborated on how Hygge's solution empowers communities by offering them the tools to realize their full potential through resilient renewable energy systems and efficient power trading.
In 2020, Hygge initiated its partnership with UC Berkeley's Smart Village Movement, marking the inception of the first smart village project. Hygge took up the challenge of demonstrating its solution in Sohrarim (Meghalaya, India), situated in the region that experiences the world's heaviest rainfall—a formidable task for any solar-based energy solution. Now, three years and counting, the project continues to deliver uninterrupted high-quality solar power to the community through the Chief Minister Youth Center, where it has been deployed, even under exceptionally harsh weather conditions. Despite remarkably severe rainfall, Hygge’s system remains resilient, ensuring reliable and continuous solar power supply not only to the students of the skill development school at the Youth Center, but also to neighboring entrepreneur centers thanks to its adaptable and scalable P2P capabilities.
In 2023, Prateek was appointed to the Board of Trustees of UC Berkeley’s Smart Village Movement. Together with SVM, Prateek uses education in conjunction with affordable and reliable renewable energy as tools for economic growth and job creation in rural and remote communities.
SVM: Hygge Microgrid at Chief Minister Youth Center in Sohrarim, Meghalaya
SVM: Village children in Sohrarim using appliances running on Hygge’s platform
SVM: Prateek with Meghalaya Chief Minister, Mr. Conrad Sangma
SVM: Skill development classes at the Youth Center
Prateek's passion for uplifting underprivileged communities extends beyond Hygge and SVM; he helps run a charity, Astha Kiran, that brings energy awareness and education to socioeconomically underprivileged children through annual scholarships.
Astha Kiran has been empowering underprivileged children through education since 2004. With the help of Prateek's enthusiastic and regular involvement over the years, the students are learning how to win the global fight against energy poverty while simultaneously meeting energy sustainability challenges through live, working renewable energy models to glean a practical understanding of the subject matter from an early stage. They start in the 7th grade with awareness building as the first step, and steadily make their way forward with increasingly more advanced education. Scholarships are provided to encourage the children to pursue higher education in the fields of sustainability and renewable energy.
Zainab and Ramdevi explain how solar power is transforming their lives
The true ingenuity that lies behind Hygge’s proprietary products is in their application: they are interlinked as well as independent. Each product is customizable and innovative in its own individual right, but this modular approach has opened up a near limitless market to Hygge as it can have layers freely added, removed and customized as per the requirements of the customer. Prateek’s vision of Hygge Energy requires a rare combination of acuity, drive and passion to realize, which he not only possesses in droves, but has also indelibly instilled in the cultural fabric of Hygge Energy.
Making waves!