# Andrew Ponec

> Andrew Ponec is the co-founder and CEO of Antora Energy, where he leads the development and deployment of thermal batteries that store low-cost electricity as heat in solid carbon. An engineer and repeat founder, he previously co-founded Dragonfly Systems as a Stanford undergraduate and helped take its solar power electronics from a classroom idea through acquisition by SunPower and deployment in more than 10 megawatts of solar plants.

- **Role:** Co-founder and CEO at Antora Energy
- **Organizations:** Antora Energy, Dragonfly Systems, SunPower, Stanford University, Activate
- **Education:** B.S. in Energy Systems Engineering, Stanford University
- **Known for:** Co-founded two energy technology companies, Dragonfly Systems and Antora Energy., Took Dragonfly's solar electronics from concept through prototyping, manufacturing, acquisition by SunPower, and deployment in more than 10 MW of solar plants., Named to Forbes' 2014 30 Under 30 list in Energy & Industry with his Dragonfly co-founders.

## Career timeline

- **2013** — Co-founded Dragonfly Systems with Stanford classmates Daniel Maren and Darren Hau to commercialize solar power electronics developed from a green-electronics course project.
- **2014** — Named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 Energy & Industry list with his Dragonfly co-founders.
- **2014** — Dragonfly Systems was acquired by SunPower; Ponec later oversaw installations totaling more than 10 MW that used the technology.
- **2017** — Completed a B.S. in energy systems engineering at Stanford University after returning from leave.
- **2018** — Co-founded Antora Energy with Justin Briggs and David Bierman and joined Activate's 2018 fellowship cohort.
- **2023** — Antora commissioned a 5 MWh pilot thermal battery at an industrial site in Fresno County, California.
- **2024** — Antora announced a $150 million Series B and opened its thermal-battery manufacturing facility in San Jose.
- **2026** — Antora began delivering energy from Project Big Stone, a 5 GWh system of more than 200 thermal batteries at POET's South Dakota bioprocessing facility.
- **2026** — Antora closed a $550 million Series C to expand project deployment, production, and its U.S. manufacturing footprint.

## Achievements

- Co-founded two energy technology companies, Dragonfly Systems and Antora Energy.
- Took Dragonfly's solar electronics from concept through prototyping, manufacturing, acquisition by SunPower, and deployment in more than 10 MW of solar plants.
- Named to Forbes' 2014 30 Under 30 list in Energy & Industry with his Dragonfly co-founders.
- Led Antora from early modeling and lab development to commercial-scale thermal-battery manufacturing and deployment.
- Oversaw Antora as it commissioned a 5 GWh, 50 MW thermal storage project built from more than 200 modules in South Dakota.
- Led Antora through a $150 million Series B in 2024 and a $550 million Series C in 2026.

## Latest updates

- **2026-07** — Antora Energy closed a $550 million Series C co-led by G2 Venture Partners and Eclipse, with plans to expand deployments, add a second U.S. manufacturing hub, and strengthen its domestic supply chain.
- **2026-05** — Antora announced energy delivery from Project Big Stone in South Dakota, a 5 GWh system comprising more than 200 thermal batteries and delivering 50 MW around the clock to POET.
- **2026-01** — Ponec published a World Economic Forum essay arguing that thermal storage can address the timing mismatch between intermittent generation and constant industrial or data-center demand.

## Links

- Website: https://www.antora.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-ponec-86b67046
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/antoraenergy?lang=en

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/andrew-ponec
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-09-27