industry: Solar, energy and AI software
MBA Founding Student Name: Amit Seidenberg de Castro
Brief description of the solution: Gadi is an AI agent purpose-built for rooftop solar that turns post-installation customer service into a growth engine for solar providers. Automate data integration, analysis, and performance prediction to proactively monitor production, anticipate issues, and engage users through natural language automation.
Funding dollars: Raised $350,000 in non-dilutive funding to build MVP and run early commercial pilot
What inspired you to start this venture? Sunlight is the fastest growing energy source. Rooftop systems alone will account for nearly half of new renewable energy capacity by 2030. However, the industry is not prepared for the operational burden that comes with that scale. Service costs will rise, half of the systems will eventually be abandoned, and support for homeowners will be reduced to zero. Loss of upgrades and referrals increases acquisition costs, leaving 95% of rooftops unused. This “post-installation crisis” slows growth, frustrates customers, and jeopardizes the entire renewable energy transition.
Our founding team knows this issue firsthand. After building a dominant ML-based solar installation market, we saw the same truth everywhere. That means solar won’t deliver on its promise unless someone takes care of everything that happens after the roof panels are installed. Gadi was created to do just that.
My own experience in turning support and success functions into the biggest revenue driver for previous startups has given me the opportunity to scale startups to unicorn status and move from “support as a cost center” to “support as growth.”
What is your biggest accomplishment so far in your venture? Over the past year, we partnered with six U.S. installers to connect more than 1,000 rooftop systems and build MVPs. Within our first month of incorporation, we processed our first online payment and signed eight commercial contracts. This early momentum confirmed both the depth of the problem and the willingness to pay for real solutions.
Most importantly, we are solving real problems for real people and can have a global impact. I get to see my son’s face every morning and know that he is striving for a better future.
What was the most important challenge you faced when starting your company and how did you solve it? Let go.
AI is evolving rapidly, and building with it can feel less like coding a deterministic product and more like leading a team you can influence but not fully control. The same goes for startups at this stage. There are too many variables to manage at once. As a lifelong control freak, the hardest challenge for me is accepting it.
The solution was to learn to prioritize speed over perfection and trust in the process, team, and technology.
How did the MBA program help you advance this startup business? INSEAD has been helpful in almost every way. Academic tools ranging from finance, accounting, and valuation to full-fledged entrepreneurship gave me the foundation to confidently start a company. The time and space to focus on Gadi, the global network, and the support from faculty and classmates created real momentum. Winning the Patrick Turner Prize was a defining moment. I enrolled in an MBA because I wanted to start this company. INSEAD was the best starting point I could have hoped for.
Which MBA class was the most valuable in building your startup, and what was the biggest lesson you learned from it?
customer insights – Professor Jib Carmon: We showed how emotions shape decision-making and drive real-world impact.
Initiatives for new business – Professor Erdem Dogcan Yilmaz: Provided comprehensive theory and valuable, practical personal feedback.
Deep learning practice – Professor Florin Chocan: It helped bridge the gap between AI and business and recognize the genius of engineers.
Energy transition and climate finance – Professor Pierre Hillion: The financial framework needed to advance the energy transition directly supports Gadi’s mission.
sustainable finance – Professor Lucy Tepla: Opening Funding opportunities for mission-driven projects and climate technology startups.
Startups and Law – Doug Colom: Provides the essential legal foundation for early-stage company formation.
Strategic communication and leadership: He emphasized that being an entrepreneur is first and foremost about being a leader.
Who are the professors who have contributed significantly to your planning and why? Professor Jiv Carmon — “Being an entrepreneur is irrational, but society needs them moving forward.”
His guidance on customer insights and behavioral frameworks taught me to understand the drivers and frictions of every decision and how thoughtful nudges can meaningfully change behavior. These are the lenses I wear every day with Gadi.
How has your local startup ecosystem contributed to the development and success of your venture? Tel Aviv’s startup ecosystem is a huge advantage. The density of AI talent, the pace of iteration, and the cultural instinct to move fast meant we weren’t starting from scratch.
I arrived at INSEAD, already shaped by an environment that encouraged rapid construction, testing, and learning. This foundation made it easy to accelerate Gadi after connecting to a more global network.
What are your long-term goals for your startup? We want to make rooftop solar power generation easy for anyone and highly profitable.
From there, we aim to connect these rooftops into an integrated, intelligent layer to ensure all systems are running, retrieving, and ultimately contributing to the transition to renewable energy.
Looking back, what is the biggest lesson you wish you had known before starting and scaling your venture? You’re never ready. Anyway, let’s go early. Momentum is everything.
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