He Raised $100 Million To Bring Subscription-Based Solar Power Solutions To Homes And Local Businesses In Mexico

Entrepreneurship is often about taking big risks, and for Jonah Greenberger, that meant leaving behind a stable job at a global energy giant to venture into an entirely new country, industry, and business model.

From growing up in an academically inclined household to founding Bright, one of Mexico’s leading solar energy companies, Jonah’s journey is a masterclass in bold decision-making, resilience, and strategic execution.

In this inspiring conversation, Jonah talks about growing up with an influential father who was a professor in some of the top schools and transitioning from a large corporation to taking ownership of his destiny.

Listen to the full podcast episode and review the transcript here.

The Early Days: Growing Up Surrounded by Innovation

Born in Los Angeles, Jonah grew up in a family that placed a strong emphasis on education and technology. His father, a professor who played a significant role in developing the ARPANET (the precursor to the modern internet), was deeply embedded in the world of information technology.

He even organized some of the earliest tech conferences, introducing Jonah to figures like Steve Jobs and Jeff Bezos as a 10-year-old child. This upbringing instilled in Jonah a drive to make a meaningful impact on the world.

While Jonah had a natural aptitude for math and engineering—studying mechanical engineering at Stanford—Jonah always sought to apply his skills in a way that would create tangible change.

Jonah’s time at Stanford led him to discover the Mayfield Fellows Program, a selective program that immerses students in entrepreneurship. This experience planted the seed that would eventually grow into his desire to build something of his own.

Why Chevron? Learning from the Inside Before Venturing Out

Despite being surrounded by startup culture at Stanford, Jonah made an unconventional choice—he joined Chevron, a major oil and gas corporation. His decision was influenced by venture capital legend John Doerr’s advice.

John said: Start your career at a big company to understand its inner workings, see what’s broken, and identify opportunities for disruption. Building a successful company takes 10 to 20 years and what you choose really matters because you can only pivot so much.

Jonah initially planned to stay for two years but ended up spending five learning valuable lessons from the guidance he got from John and Kleiner Perkins. During that time, he worked on cutting-edge energy technologies, from fuel cells to biofuels.

But Jonah also learned a harsh truth: commercializing new energy technology takes enormous amounts of time, money, and patience, not to mention tremendous risk. This realization led him to look for opportunities where change could happen faster, ultimately leading him to solar energy.

Jonah went on to do an internship at Bloom Energy, a solid oxide fuel cell company, which was Kleiner’s first clean tech investment.

The Leap: Leaving Chevron to Start Bright

Jonah’s transition from Chevron to founding Bright wasn’t an impulsive move—it was catalyzed by a clear market opportunity. While working on energy investments, he noticed that the cost curve of solar panels was plummeting and that energy storage was falling five years behind.

Unlike other renewable energy sources like wind or geothermal, which needed very specific conditions like permeable rocks and soil to source heat from under the ground, solar energy had a unique advantage: it could be deployed almost anywhere with minimal constraints.

The breaking point came when Chevron, responding to plummeting oil prices, pulled back its investments in alternative energy. This was Jonah’s signal—it was time to take the leap.

Starting from Scratch in Mexico

Jonah left Chevron and set his sights on Mexico, where he saw a massive opportunity to bring affordable solar power to homes and businesses. If quitting his job was scary, moving to a new country where he didn’t speak the language was even more daunting.

The early days of Bright were a rollercoaster of emotions. Some days, Jonah felt like he was on the brink of revolutionizing an industry. Other days, he feared he had made a huge mistake. Beyond the emotional highs and lows, there were significant operational challenges.

Even basic tasks like opening a bank account were difficult, as Mexico’s financial infrastructure was still evolving. Although there were a ton of opportunities to add value in solar, margin stacking was a huge challenge.

Installers showing up with the wrong materials and high financial rates of 30% and above were only some of the issues Jonah faced. However, he viewed the challenges as solvable and saw that the industry was ready to take off,

Finding the Right Business Model: The Power of Trust

Bright’s business model wasn’t just about providing solar energy—it was about overcoming the barriers that had stopped the industry from scaling in Mexico. Jonah quickly realized that traditional customer acquisition strategies didn’t work.

He had to figure out how to lower the cost of solar by making the value chain more efficient and streamlining and automating it. They also needed to lower the cost of capital by making it easier to deploy capital.

Another challenge was to reduce default rates through accountability to the installers, homeowners, and Bright. Bright became a platform partnering with the Inter-American Development Bank on the debt side of third-party debt to installers, EPCs, and end customers.

Bright brought the transaction together in a streamlined way that lowered the costs of getting solar power and passed the benefits to the first users–homeowners.

Next, they moved to commercial establishments, focusing on larger industrial projects and decarbonizing the manufacturing sector.

Many companies, including giants like SunEdison and SolarCity, have tried bringing rooftop solar to Mexico but have struggled with trust issues. Homeowners were wary of signing long-term contracts, fearing unpredictable economic shifts.

The breakthrough came when Bright launched a student ambassador program–though not a novel idea to do rooftop solar in Mexico. Unlike their parents and grandparents, university students were more mission-driven and passionate about sustainability.

Unlike in the U.S., where trust in long-term contracts was well established, Mexican customers were skeptical of committing to solar contracts. The older generations had undergone several recessions, were debt-scarred, and were wary about exchange rate fluctuations.

By engaging students and offering them internships and educational opportunities, Bright built a network of trusted advocates who introduced solar energy to their families. This strategy not only solved the customer acquisition problem but also created a pipeline of talented future employees.

Bright also adopted strategies like listening effectively to customers and potential customers. Jonah could see that coming up with solutions to every single customer scenario and addressing every concern was virtually impossible. They would have to get creative with contracts.

Raising Capital and Scaling Bright

Bright has raised around $100M in capital, split evenly between debt and equity. The long-term vision is to deploy billions in debt financing to make solar more accessible while keeping equity funding to a minimum.

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Once the business reaches a certain scale, the goal is to sustain growth through project-based financing rather than continued equity raises. Jonah explains that they have recurring cash flows and own projects to get cash flow positive.

Although they incur general and administrative costs, customer acquisition costs, and capital expenditures, they use debt, so they don’t raise a lot of equity. Jonah foresees a time when they can deploy tens of billions of debt into projects but remain a standalone business.

Tracing his journey through scaling Bright, Jonah looks back at challenges he did not predict, such as regulatory and capital raising. Around the time he signed a $30M term sheet, the global economy took a hit, and the private equity firm funding the round couldn’t close.

Jonah recalls how they had to start a new equity raise, but the delay cost them in terms of laying off half the company to get adequate runway. That’s how they completed the due diligence–an altogether harrowing and painful experience.

The then Mexican government’s regulations and uncertainty around energy regulations made investors wary about distributed generation. This situation made it more challenging to raise capital.

Lessons for Aspiring Entrepreneurs

Drawing from his experiences, Jonah underscores the importance of selecting investors who can be strategic partners rather than focusing on valuation. Their backing can make the difference in scaling quickly and eliminating distractions–particularly when unexpected situations arise.

Jonah also believes in always having contingency plans, not necessarily additional sources of capital. However, you can tap additional resources to extend the runway when debt raises don’t close according to expected timelines.

Jonah is committed to developing Bright’s employees and creating a work environment they love. Bright’s long-term mission statement is to solve global warming, which will affect many people. But Jonah would want employees to feel the impact that goes beyond theoretical aspects.

Dedication to reversing the effects of global warming has become a very important part of Bright’s culture, as Jonah explains. He also believes that entrepreneurs should work on maintaining focus on the company’s end objectives and not get distracted by the challenges they face.

Focus also allows the team to be more successful than they could anywhere else they go. Jonah is determined to institute the right culture that ensures all the company’s stakeholders–employees, investors, and management–continue to learn and develop their skills.

His experiences have taught Jonah the value of spending more time interacting with customers on a personal level. He believes the information you get from watching someone’s face when they interact and hear the pitch or use the product is incredibly valuable. Everyone underestimates this strategy.

Bright’s Future: Decarbonizing Industry

Bright has evolved from a residential solar provider into a company tackling large-scale industrial decarbonization. As manufacturing sectors seek cleaner energy solutions, Bright is positioned to lead the way in helping businesses transition to renewable energy.

For Jonah, the mission remains the same: to build a business that drives real impact—one that doesn’t just innovate for the sake of innovation but changes the way the world consumes energy. And with Bright, he’s well on his way to making that vision a reality.

Listen to the full podcast episode to know more, including:

• Spending time at a large company provided invaluable industry insights that shaped his entrepreneurial vision.
• In emerging markets, trust is often the biggest barrier to adoption. Finding creative ways to build credibility can make or break a business.
• Scaling a capital-intensive business requires smart financing—balancing equity and debt to sustain long-term growth.
• Entrepreneurship is an emotional rollercoaster. Success comes from pushing through doubt and uncertainty.
• Founders should focus on building relationships with investors early, not just when they need funding; choosing investors who align with your long-term vision is as crucial as raising capital.
• A strong company culture built on transparency and high-performance individuals fuels growth.
• Strategic pivots and adaptability are essential for scaling and staying relevant; enterprise AI and vertical SaaS solutions are shaping the future of business innovation.

 

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