# Samir Pendse

> Samir Pendse is the co-founder and CEO of Coral, a New York-based climate fintech that turns the maddening maze of utility rebates and tax credits into instant point-of-sale discounts. His pitch is plain: most people don't want a heat pump, they want a warm house at a price they can afford. Coral advances rebate money upfront so HVAC and electrical contractors can knock thousands off the invoice at the kitchen table, then handles the paperwork with utilities behind the scenes. After a decade spanning microfinance at Accion, small-business lending strategy at Boston Consulting Group, and fintech product work, Pendse co-founded Coral in 2023 with engineer Nizar Dhamani. In March 2026 the company raised a $7.5M seed led by ResilienceVC, with strategic backing from Watsco Ventures, North America's largest HVAC distributor.

- **Role:** Co-founder and CEO at Coral
- **Organizations:** Coral, Snowe, Boston Consulting Group, Accion US Network
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** MBA, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, B.A. in Economics and Political Science, Northwestern University
- **Known for:** Co-founded and leads Coral, a climate fintech powering instant utility rebates for home electrification, Raised $7.5M seed in March 2026 (total funding ~$7.65M) led by ResilienceVC, Secured strategic backing from Watsco Ventures, the largest HVAC distributor in North America

## Career timeline

- **early career** — Started at Accion, a microfinance nonprofit focused on getting capital to underserved small businesses
- **mid career** — Joined Boston Consulting Group, helping large banks build small-business lending products
- **later** — Moved into fintech product roles, including Snowe, streamlining lending workflows to speed approvals for small businesses including contractors
- **2023** — Co-founded Coral with Nizar Dhamani to make heat pumps and electrification affordable via instant rebates
- **2025** — Coral named to Company Ventures' Boost Founder Fellowship cohort
- **2026** — Coral raised a $7.5M seed led by ResilienceVC with strategic investment from Watsco Ventures

## Achievements

- Co-founded and leads Coral, a climate fintech powering instant utility rebates for home electrification
- Raised $7.5M seed in March 2026 (total funding ~$7.65M) led by ResilienceVC
- Secured strategic backing from Watsco Ventures, the largest HVAC distributor in North America
- Powering 100+ leading installers across the US northeast
- Helped contractors cut upfront customer costs by roughly 30% and lift sales conversion 20-30%
- Selected for Company Ventures' 2025 Boost Founder Fellowship

## Latest updates

- **2026-03** — Coral announced a $7.5M seed round led by ResilienceVC with strategic investment from Watsco Ventures to expand instant energy rebates nationally.

## Links

- Website: https://startcoral.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/samirpendse

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/samir-pendse
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-21