# DR Richardson

> DR Richardson is the Boulder-based co-founder and CEO of Elephant Energy, which he started with Josh Lake in 2021 after struggling to install a heat pump at his own home. A former partner at Vision Ridge Partners, he moved from investing in sustainable assets to coordinating home electrification through equipment selection, system design, rebates and contractor partnerships. He also mentors through Terra.do and co-hosts Boulder Climate Happy Hour.

- **Role:** Co-founder and CEO at Elephant Energy
- **Organizations:** Elephant Energy, Vision Ridge Partners, Community Energy, New Energy Economics, Terra.do, Boulder Climate Happy Hour
- **Education:** Brown University, Phillips Exeter Academy
- **Known for:** Co-founded Elephant Energy in 2021., Helped build Vision Ridge Partners during roughly a decade in sustainable-asset investing., Led Elephant Energy through its $3.5 million seed financing announcement in 2022.

## Career timeline

- **2004–2008** — Attended Brown University; his LinkedIn profile lists ski-team captaincy from 2006 to 2008 and leadership of the Roosevelt Institution in the same period.
- **After college** — Worked in strategy consulting, where he worked with future Elephant Energy co-founder Josh Lake.
- **2010** — Moved to Boulder and joined the early team at Vision Ridge Partners, working in sustainable-asset investing.
- **2010–2019** — Worked at Vision Ridge Partners, eventually as a partner; Crunchbase lists these dates.
- **2019–2021** — Consultant at Community Energy, according to Crunchbase.
- **2020–2022** — Board member at New Energy Economics, according to Crunchbase.
- **2021** — Co-founded Elephant Energy with Josh Lake following an attempt to install a heat pump at his Boulder home.
- **2022** — Elephant Energy announced a $3.5 million seed round led by Building Ventures.
- **2024** — Elephant Energy announced B Corp certification and celebrated its 1,000th heat-pump installation with a donated installation in Lafayette, Colorado.
- **2025** — Elephant Energy announced its Los Angeles launch on March 26; its company history records its 2,000th project during 2025.
- **2026** — Discussed heat-pump group buying and results from a 2025 Switch Together campaign in a September trade-press interview.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Elephant Energy in 2021.
- Helped build Vision Ridge Partners during roughly a decade in sustainable-asset investing.
- Led Elephant Energy through its $3.5 million seed financing announcement in 2022.
- Co-led Elephant Energy as it achieved B Corp certification in 2024.
- Elephant Energy celebrated its 1,000th heat-pump installation in December 2024.
- Elephant Energy expanded to Los Angeles in March 2025.

## Latest updates

- **2026-09** — In ACHR NEWS, Richardson reported that a 2025 group-buy campaign with Switch Together generated more than 85 heat-pump installations in about three months and an 80% conversion rate. These are his reported results, not independently audited figures.
- **2025-11** — Appeared on episode 41 of The Heat Pump Podcast to discuss Elephant Energy’s founding, contractor partnerships, incentives and expansion.
- **2025-03** — Elephant Energy announced its launch in Los Angeles.

## Links

- Website: https://www.elephantenergy.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardsondr/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/dr-richardson
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-21