ChargerHelp! co-founders Kameale Terry, Chief Executive Officer, and Evette Ellis, Chief Workforce Officer, are on a mission to fix broken charging stations. They've developed a technology-driven solution to improve reliability and customer confidence in electric vehicle (EV) charging. A Disadvantaged (DBE) and Women-Minority-Owned Business Enterprise (WMBE), ChargerHelp! blossomed after Kameale's experience as an EV Driver support tech. Her most common calls concerned individuals dealing with infrastructure issues.
Kameale joined the second cohort of Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator's (LACI) Founders Business Accelerator (FBA) in January 2020, where she met her co-founder Evette Ellis. Immediately the roadmap for ChargerHelp! was built. Participation in the FBA program, funded by the City of Los Angeles' Economic Workforce Development Department (EWDD) Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), boosted these entrepreneurs' confidence and momentum. ChargerHelp! was accepted in LACI's advanced two-year Intensive Business Development Program Incubation Cohort 1 in March 2020.
By addressing range anxiety and an average of 40% downtime of EV charging stations, ChargerHelp! works to improve the operational efficiency of charging stations throughout America by offering Reliability as a Service (RaaS). The ChargerHelp! EMPWR platform complements RaaS by gathering data about charging station health and providing important insights into optimal pathways to addressing issues that impact reliability. California is estimated to have 79,000 EV chargers with a national projection of 1.2 million by the end of the decade, putting ChargerHelp! in a strategic market position to leverage their $400,000 in grants and $6.15 million in equity investments for fast and responsive market growth. ChargerHelp! recently partnered with Tesla to provide RaaS to their Destination Charging Network of over 35,000 national locations, including hotels, restaurants, and resorts.
President Joe Biden recently invited Kameale Terry and Evette Ellis to the signing of the Inflation Reduction Act in September 2022. In support of national climate initiatives in the past two years, ChargerHelp! has grown from two founders to a team of approximately 30 key full-time personnel. In partnership with LACI's Workforce Development programs, ChargerHelp! delivers training to a new era of green-collar technicians hired from the City of Los Angeles to perform EV charger maintenance. With the help of LACI's team, Kameale and Evette were able to re-skill traditional gas and oil technicians to green jobs, and provide them with opportunities for meaningful work that will support EV adoption.
ChargerHelp! has grown to create its own nationally recognized workforce development program to re-skill adults displaced by changing energy markets or low economic conditions into Certified EVSE (electric vehicle supply equipment) Technicians. ChargerHelp! is located in LA City Council District 8.
Kameale joined the second cohort of Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator's (LACI) Founders Business Accelerator (FBA) in January 2020, where she met her co-founder Evette Ellis. Immediately the roadmap for ChargerHelp! was built. Participation in the FBA program, funded by the City of Los Angeles' Economic Workforce Development Department (EWDD) Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), boosted these entrepreneurs' confidence and momentum. ChargerHelp! was accepted in LACI's advanced two-year Intensive Business Development Program Incubation Cohort 1 in March 2020.
By addressing range anxiety and an average of 40% downtime of EV charging stations, ChargerHelp! works to improve the operational efficiency of charging stations throughout America by offering Reliability as a Service (RaaS). The ChargerHelp! EMPWR platform complements RaaS by gathering data about charging station health and providing important insights into optimal pathways to addressing issues that impact reliability. California is estimated to have 79,000 EV chargers with a national projection of 1.2 million by the end of the decade, putting ChargerHelp! in a strategic market position to leverage their $400,000 in grants and $6.15 million in equity investments for fast and responsive market growth. ChargerHelp! recently partnered with Tesla to provide RaaS to their Destination Charging Network of over 35,000 national locations, including hotels, restaurants, and resorts.
President Joe Biden recently invited Kameale Terry and Evette Ellis to the signing of the Inflation Reduction Act in September 2022. In support of national climate initiatives in the past two years, ChargerHelp! has grown from two founders to a team of approximately 30 key full-time personnel. In partnership with LACI's Workforce Development programs, ChargerHelp! delivers training to a new era of green-collar technicians hired from the City of Los Angeles to perform EV charger maintenance. With the help of LACI's team, Kameale and Evette were able to re-skill traditional gas and oil technicians to green jobs, and provide them with opportunities for meaningful work that will support EV adoption.
ChargerHelp! has grown to create its own nationally recognized workforce development program to re-skill adults displaced by changing energy markets or low economic conditions into Certified EVSE (electric vehicle supply equipment) Technicians. ChargerHelp! is located in LA City Council District 8.
Supporting LA Innovators and Startups
EWDD administers and provides financial support to several Incubator and Accelerator Programs in the City of Los Angeles through Community Development Block Grants (CDBG). These programs contribute to the City's innovation landscape by supporting the creation and growth of startups.
ChargerHelp! is a featured start-up that received assistance from the Los Angeles Clean Tech Incubator (LACI), which is the City’s non-profit clean technology commercialization center. LACI is focused on helping promising, early-stage clean technology companies bring their products and services to market, thereby creating "green" jobs in the City and promoting an inclusive green economy.
EWDD administers and provides financial support to several Incubator and Accelerator Programs in the City of Los Angeles through Community Development Block Grants (CDBG). These programs contribute to the City's innovation landscape by supporting the creation and growth of startups.
ChargerHelp! is a featured start-up that received assistance from the Los Angeles Clean Tech Incubator (LACI), which is the City’s non-profit clean technology commercialization center. LACI is focused on helping promising, early-stage clean technology companies bring their products and services to market, thereby creating "green" jobs in the City and promoting an inclusive green economy.
This story is part of the EWDD UPDATES from the week of November 7, 2022. Read this issue and more.
