One of the amazing things about startups is how they give people the opportunity to help solve seemingly insurmountable problems and improve our day-to-day lives.

Katherine McConnell is one such founder, and her startup journey began with uniting two of her life’s passions – her interest in sustainability and her professional background in finance solutions for the energy industry.

The result is Brighte, a startup with a mission to make buying sustainable energy solutions easier and more affordable for homeowners.

“We were actually one of the first families in Australia to get a home solar battery,” Katherine says. “As a result, we gained an insight into what the savings could look like, and the financial freedom that comes from generating and storing your own energy.”

This experience also opened her eyes to just how difficult it was for many households to access affordable sustainable energy solutions, but her professional background helped her understand the challenges energy providers faced when offering a finance solution to household customers.



“I could clearly see a gap in the market for fast and affordable point-of-sale finance,” Katherine says.



Armed with this insight, Katherine began developing her own startup idea to bridge this gap. Her efforts weren’t without sacrifice however, as her days would start at 3:00am when she would rise to work on her business plan before heading into the office.



“It took a few months, but I got to this point where all I could think about was helping Aussies access finance to make their homes sustainable,” Katherine says.



So, in 2015, with the support of her family, she redrew on the family home mortgage and founded Brighte.



“I really enjoyed my corporate job, but I saw an amazing opportunity, and knew I had to go for it,” Katherine says. “I knew that this was a good idea, and I knew this was possible – I just had to take that leap. I have a really supportive partner in my husband, and he was the one who pushed me to go further and gave me the confidence to go it alone.”
 

Her decision to build Brighte on the AWS Cloud also gave her access to engineers who have helped her team quickly build and test new ideas.



“At the beginning of Brighte’s journey, we were able to use the AWS Activate program,” Katherine said. “We were able to get credits for different AWS services, which enabled us to move faster and use that money we saved to hire an extra engineer.”



Today, Brighte is partnering with more than 2,000 solar retailers nationally and has helped more than 110,000 Australian households acquire solar energy solutions. Last year, the company won a tender to become the finance and administration partner for the ACT Government’s Sustainable Household Scheme, and as of December 2021, Brighte had financed 10 percent of all solar installations in Australia.



“We recently we hit a milestone of $1 billion of payments and loan applications submitted through our platform,” Katherine says. “This speaks to the quality of our platform, team, and the huge opportunity we are looking into.”



But she says the greatest impact has come through Brighte financing installations that have reduced household carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by an estimated 800 million tonnes each year.



“Without a team, it’s just a dream”



For Katherine, the key factor underpinning what she has achieved has been the support she has received along the way.



“For me, it was really a combination of hard work, some lucky breaks, and a single-minded determination that every home should be sustainable,” Katherine says. “If you have a great idea, then work hard to see your idea come to life. There are definitely times when it gets really tough and it can be relentless day in, day out – so make sure you have a strong network of support, whether it’s your family or friends.”



Also critical to her success has been her team, who have helped her grow and expand her vision.

“I often say ‘without a team, it’s just a dream’,” Katherine says. “I find it incredibly exciting and humbling that so many people come to work every day to make our mission a reality. We see a lot of opportunity in the future. The energy industry is at a point of transformation, and Brighte is at the forefront of this change.”