# Hamed Babai

> Hamed Babai, also known as Hami, is the Chicago-based founder and CEO of Power Kiosk. With a Northwestern engineering Ph.D. and a background in transportation research and energy brokerage, he built software connecting energy buyers, brokers, and suppliers. His published essays examine shared leadership, focus, listening, and customer relationships.

- **Role:** Founder & CEO at Power Kiosk
- **Organizations:** Power Kiosk, Northwestern University, YPO
- **Education:** Ph.D., Engineering, Northwestern University
- **Known for:** Founded Power Kiosk, a retail-energy procurement and management platform., Earned a Ph.D. in engineering from Northwestern University., Coauthored research on predictive logic in route-choice behavior.

## Career timeline

- **2011** — Northwestern Transportation Center listed Babai as a dissertation-year fellow researching simulated path travel times.
- **2012** — Co-listed on a EURO 25 presentation about online truckload pricing and sourcing; later dated the initial Power Kiosk concept to 2012.
- **2013** — Power Kiosk incorporated on July 26, 2013, according to BBB business records.
- **2016** — Coauthored the journal paper Foxes and sheep on predictive logic and route choice, published under Hamed Alibabai.
- **2017** — Completed a first fundraising round in September and partnered with Steve Joung.
- **2020** — Discussed Power Kiosk in a June 3 SuperbCrew interview; company appeared on Inc. 5000.
- **2023** — Published essays about focus, shared leadership, and listening.
- **2024** — Published customer-retention essay and Power Kiosk appeared on Inc. 5000.
- **2025** — Published Mastering the Sales Mindset; Power Kiosk ranked 1,750 on Inc. 5000.
- **2026** — Power Kiosk ranked 2,672 on Inc. 5000, reporting 121% three-year growth.

## Achievements

- Founded Power Kiosk, a retail-energy procurement and management platform.
- Earned a Ph.D. in engineering from Northwestern University.
- Coauthored research on predictive logic in route-choice behavior.
- Led Power Kiosk through Inc. 5000 appearances in 2020, 2024, 2025, and 2026.

## Latest updates

- **2026-10** — As of the October research check, Inc. lists Power Kiosk at number 2,672 on its 2026 Inc. 5000, with 121% three-year growth.
- **2025-02** — Published Mastering the Sales Mindset: Practical Tips For Better Results on February 14.
- **2024-10** — Published an essay describing proactive customer retention and Power Kiosk’s customer-engagement feature.

## Links

- Website: https://powerkiosk.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hamedbabai/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/hbabai

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/hamed-babai
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-11