# Bill Lenihan

> Bill Lenihan is the founder and CEO of ZOLA iNTELLIGENCE, an enterprise energy technology company founded in 2023 out of the experience of Off Grid Electric and ZOLA Electric. Based in San Francisco, he moved from investment banking and private equity into technology operations, joining ZOLA Electric in 2015 and becoming CEO in 2019. His work combines distributed energy equipment with software and operational tools for energy service providers.

- **Role:** Founder and Chief Executive Officer at ZOLA iNTELLIGENCE
- **Organizations:** ZOLA iNTELLIGENCE, ZOLA Electric / Off Grid Electric, Switch Lighting, Calera Capital / Fremont Partners, Goldman Sachs, Credit Suisse, Bain & Company
- **Education:** BA, Business and Economics, cum laude, University of California, Los Angeles, MBA, Strategic Management and Finance, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
- **Known for:** Led ZOLA through a transition from direct energy provision toward enterprise technology for energy service providers., The company reports a technology footprint of more than 500,000 installations and about three million people reached., Led a company selected for Google’s 2026 energy AI accelerator.

## Career timeline

- **1989-1991** — Listed in UCLA water polo history as a player.
- **Before 2014** — Worked in M&A at Credit Suisse, private equity at Goldman Sachs and Fremont Partners / Calera Capital, and international operations at Switch Lighting.
- **2014** — First visited Arusha, Tanzania, while advising Off Grid Electric and considering joining.
- **2015** — Joined ZOLA Electric, then known as Off Grid Electric.
- **2016** — Appeared in a UN Global Climate Action Awards interview as president and CFO of Off Grid Electric.
- **2019** — Appointed CEO of ZOLA Electric.
- **2023** — Founded ZOLA iNTELLIGENCE, according to the company’s current history.
- **2026** — Zola Intelligence selected for Google’s North American energy AI accelerator.

## Achievements

- Led ZOLA through a transition from direct energy provision toward enterprise technology for energy service providers.
- The company reports a technology footprint of more than 500,000 installations and about three million people reached.
- Led a company selected for Google’s 2026 energy AI accelerator.

## Latest updates

- **2026-08** — Google announced Zola Intelligence among twelve North American companies selected for its energy AI accelerator.
- **2026-03** — Appeared on DealMakers to discuss his move from private equity to founding an energy technology business.

## Links

- Website: https://zolaintelligence.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bill-lenihan-79ab372

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/bill-lenihan
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-23