Female Founder Fridays - Enough Energy, In Conversation with Ciara Flannery, Co-Founder

November 1, 2024
Ciara Flannery, co-founder of Enough Energy, joins us for a deep dive into her journey from operations management to spearheading advancements in sustainable battery technology. With an impressive background, including time at Amazon and a leadership role at Spektrix, Ciara brings a unique blend of resilience and business acumen to the table. From navigating the challenges of the high-stakes corporate world to launching a venture that’s poised to revolutionise battery systems, Ciara shares insights into her career, the industry’s landscape, and the mission driving Enough Energy forward.

Enjoy this exclusive conversation as Ciara speaks with FounderCatalyst about her vision, obstacles, and what it takes to create meaningful change in the energy sector.

FC: Could you summarise your professional background?

CF: Yes! I studied physics at the University of Bath, and I was an athlete too—a sprint athlete—so I had to balance training and competing, which became a big focus for me. After uni, I worked at Amazon in operations management at one of their fulfilment centres in Doncaster, which was a high-pressure, fast-paced environment - a position I really thrived in. From there, I wanted to learn more about business and make a bigger impact, so I moved to London and joined Spektrix, the market leader in SaaS ticketing platforms for performing arts organisations and theatres. I was there for five and a half years, mostly as Chief of Staff to the CEO. It was massively valuable to work alongside an inspiring and successful CEO and founder; I learned so much about the challenges of running and scaling a business.

FC: I bet! That’s a lot of experience.

CF: Yeah, and before I left Spektrix, I transitioned into a new role, focusing on market strategy—looking at where Spektrix should expand next and how.

I reached a point where I felt ready to make a business successful in a new market, which hadn’t already been proven. That, combined with my competitive streak as an athlete, pushed me to want to start a business. That’s when I started talking to Jack, my co-founder.

FC: Your background is fascinating, and you definitely have a breadth of experience in different fields. And the sprinting aspect of your life must be beneficial in so many ways. Do you still compete?

CF: I hung up my spikes, so I’m not competing anymore. But athletics was such a big part of my life from a young age—I started at eight and competed from age ten, earning an England vest at eighteen. It definitely translates to the workplace. I learned how to work hard, push myself, but more importantly I think I gained a lot of mental toughness.

FC: Absolutely. What have you enjoyed most about building your own business and being your own boss?

CF: Oh, I love the challenge. No day is the same, and while I’m probably more stressed than I used to be, I feel fulfilled. I’m also so excited about what we’re building—it’s going to have a huge impact. It’s not just an iteration on existing tech, it’s a whole step change in battery technology.

FC: That sounds exciting. Do you want to walk us through it a bit? I was on your website, and it looks fascinating…

CF: Absolutely. We’re redesigning battery systems. In simple terms, we’re integrating power conversion into battery modules, making power inverters obsolete. That reduces the overall system cost by up to 50%, whilst also making them more resilient and adaptable. It’s a huge opportunity, especially with the battery energy storage market set to quadruple by 2030. Right now, we’re focused on a specific use case for the tech - we’re developing a battery-integrated EV charger that can deliver ultra-rapid charging from any location, no matter the strength of the grid connection.

It will help to solve the biggest barrier to commercial vehicle fleet electrification, which is that grid constraints are blocking the installation of chargers.

FC: Governments must love the carbon footprint reduction, and the cost savings are enormous. Is it linked to the national grid?

CF: Yes. Grid infrastructure upgrades at the local level just can’t happen fast enough to keep up with electrification. And getting upgraded power supply is incredibly expensive and can take years. Our systems help reduce the need for those upgrades whilst also supporting a balanced grid.

FC: Wow, so it’s a win-win on many fronts.

CF: Yes, definitely.

FC: Have you faced any specific challenges in fundraising so far? I assume you’re still fundraising through your boost page.

CF: Yes, we are. We’ve done well with grant funding, particularly from The Faraday Institution, which awarded us an entrepreneurial fellowship to support our technology development. We’re also part of the Advanced Propulsion Centre’s 18-month accelerator program, which has been massively supportive with our commercial strategy. A big challenge has been building an investor network from scratch as we’re both first time founders. Having existing relationships or warm introductions is massively helpful.

FC: Since using FounderCatalyst, have you hit any specific milestones?

CF: Our advanced assurance for SEIS and EIS flew through with Sam’s help! That was a big win. And we brought on angel investment earlier this year.

The WhatsApp group is incredibly helpful—I always search the chat when I have questions because someone’s usually already asked.

FC: Many people say the WhatsApp group is brilliant. As a female founder, have you faced any gender-specific barriers?

CF: It’s hard to say. I’ve heard statistics that female founders are more likely to be asked about risks as opposed to opportunities in pitches, which forces you to answer defensively. But it’s difficult to know if I’ve experienced that personally. I’m just trying to take advantage of opportunities for female founders, even if it feels uncomfortable sometimes.

FC: I hadn’t heard that before, but it’s a really insightful point. Every female founder I speak to has a different experience, but there’s always an awareness of gender dynamics.

CF: Yeah, the advice I received was to reframe those risk questions in your head before answering so you can showcase the scale of the opportunity rather than being defensive. It takes practice, though—I’m still learning.

FC: What advice would you give to a younger female founder or someone aspiring to be an entrepreneur?

CF: You have to back yourself. If you don’t, no one else will. Trust your instincts. It’s easy to question everything, but you’ve got to move forward and trust your decisions.

FC: That’s really good advice. Are there any moments where your instincts paid off?

CF: It’s a daily thing. Every founder knows they’re making constant decisions. You can’t agonise over every one, or the stress will overwhelm you. Focus on what matters, trust your gut, and keep moving forward. Something good will come if you keep doing the right things.

FC: On a different note, are there any exciting projects or developments coming up?

CF: Yes, we’re working on something with a customer that we haven’t shared publicly yet, but we’re excited to reveal more soon.

FC: With your boost page and fundraising, do you have a specific target?

CF: Yes, and we’re in the midst of our first raise now. Focused on angel groups and VCs with experience in climate tech and hardware solutions.

FC: Is there anything else you’d like to mention?

CF: I didn’t talk about Jack! He brings a huge amount of specialist technical knowledge and experience building an engineering operation from the ground up. We have pretty complementary skill sets - I think we make a great team.

FC: Would you say having complementary skills is key for co-founders?

CF: Absolutely. You don’t want to be the same person, or you end up in an echo chamber.

One principle I took from Amazon is to disagree and commit—don’t be afraid to have the tough conversations, but then always align on a way forward and stick to it. Jack and I do that well.

FC: That’s a great sound bite—disagree and commit. It’s been a pleasure talking with you, Ciara. Your passion for your business is inspiring.

Thanks to Ciara Flannery for contributing to Female Founders Friday and we'll be on hand to guide her if needs be throughout her fundraising process.

The Enough Energy website is here if you'd like to learn more about it. And the LinkedIn page is here.

Click this link to let us guide you on your fundraising journey.

Author: Gideon Stott, Digital Marketing Executive at FounderCatalyst