# Nate Richards

> Nate Richards is a Houston software entrepreneur, developer and co-founder and CEO of Enerex. After founding Entrance Software in 2003, he turned an early broker integration project into CORE, a retail-energy sales platform introduced in 2006. Energy Frameworks later grew around that product and merged with Powermatrix in 2019 to form Enerex, where Richards oversees strategy, finance and several U.S. corporate functions while advocating for connected, secure and practical software in competitive energy markets.

- **Role:** Co-founder and CEO at Enerex
- **Organizations:** Enerex, Energy Frameworks, Entrance Consulting, The Energy Professionals Association, Entrepreneurs' Organization, The Riverside Project
- **Education:** Computer Science and Economics degree programs, Rice University, EO: Navigating Your Exit, Harvard Business School Executive Education
- **Known for:** Built the original CORE retail-energy sales platform and established Energy Frameworks around it., Co-founded Enerex through the 2019 merger of Energy Frameworks and Powermatrix., Led companies recognized multiple times on the Inc. 5000, including Enerex in 2021, 2022 and 2024.

## Career timeline

- **2003** — Founded Entrance Software to provide custom IT solutions to the energy industry.
- **2006** — Introduced CORE, short for Collaborative Operations for Retail Energy, after early work with an energy broker.
- **2007** — Joined Entrepreneurs' Organization.
- **2010** — Became an affiliate member of The Energy Professionals Association.
- **2014** — Formed Energy Frameworks as a company centered on CORE and became its president.
- **2015** — Named to Houston Business Journal's 40 Under 40 and served as Houston president of Entrepreneurs' Organization for 2015-16.
- **2019** — Merged Energy Frameworks with Powermatrix to form Enerex; Enerex also became TEPA's inaugural Affiliate of the Year.
- **2023** — Spoke on practical uses of artificial intelligence in retail energy at a TEPA event in Ohio.
- **2024** — Joined the board of The Riverside Project and Enerex appeared on the Inc. 5000 for the third time.
- **2026** — Earned TEPA's Energy Management Professional credential and appeared in industry programming on software strategy, AI and retail-energy APIs.

## Achievements

- Built the original CORE retail-energy sales platform and established Energy Frameworks around it.
- Co-founded Enerex through the 2019 merger of Energy Frameworks and Powermatrix.
- Led companies recognized multiple times on the Inc. 5000, including Enerex in 2021, 2022 and 2024.
- Named a Houston Business Journal 40 Under 40 honoree in 2015.
- Received a Better Business Bureau Pinnacle Award in 2012.
- Served as Houston president of Entrepreneurs' Organization in 2015-16.
- Published and presented work on data visualization and trustworthy operational decision-making in the energy industry.

## Latest updates

- **2026-03** — Listed as an Enerex speaker for a TEPA Philadelphia session on consolidation, AI, APIs and the future of retail energy.
- **2026-02** — Earned the Energy Management Professional credential from The Energy Professionals Association.
- **2026-02** — Appeared on a MarketScale panel about buy-versus-build decisions, AI and software strategy for energy leaders.
- **2025-09** — Completed the Entrepreneurs' Organization Navigating Your Exit program at Harvard Business School Executive Education.
- **2024-11** — Began serving as a board member of Houston nonprofit The Riverside Project.

## Links

- Website: https://enerex.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/naterichards/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/nate-richards
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-26