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An interview with Lauren Flanagan is part of the series about “individuals and organizations making an important social impact." A lifelong entrepreneur, Lauren Flanagan is an early SaaS pioneer who worked with Steve Jobs at NeXT as a leading NeXT software developer. After witnessing the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, she was inspired to start her 5th company, Sesame Solar, the maker of the world’s first 100% renewable mobile Nanogrid. Using solar and green hydrogen, the mobile Nanogrids generate clean, off-grid power and can be quickly deployed to provide power to communities impacted by a disaster. The Nanogrids come pre-fabricated to meet essential services and emergency response needs across a variety of scenarios, and most importantly, they are 100% fossil fuel free.

Canary Media’s Charging Up column chronicles gender diversity in the climatetech sector. Part one is a short Q&A with industry role model, Lauren Flanagan, about her career path. Part two features updates on climatetech industry career transitions.

“I realized we had to get better at responding to disasters and do it in a way that’s not compounding the problems and increasing climate change,” says Flanagan. Fast-forward 17 years to the disaster recovery base camp set up after Hurricane Ian outside a Comcast building in Ft. Meyers, Fla. It looks like many others: two 60-foot tractor trailers full of toilets, showers, and laundry facilities, powered by two other trailers that housed offices, all in a parking lot surrounded by downed trees and power lines. But the usual hum of diesel generators didn’t accompany the 300 or so first responders and Comcast employees who used the facilities; instead, the base camp was powered by battery-stored solar energy.

Sesame Solar's Lauren Flanagan speaking on “Using Renewable Energy to Respond to Weather Disasters” at a virtual session of the San Francisco Summit 2022 organized by Lesbians Who Tech & Allies

Babcock Ranch, a solar-powered Florida community, survived Hurricane Ian with no power loss thanks to renewable energy and resilient infrastructure—proving smart design saves lives.

Sesame Solar has been announced as one of the five winners of the 2022 National Infrastructure Innovation Challenge. Sesame Solar won for its Mobile Disaster Response Office, powered by solar power, lithium ferro-phosphate batteries and green hydrogen.

Sesame Solar CEO and co-founder, Lauren Flanagan, has been selected for Business Insider's first annual Climate Action 30 list. ‍This list recognizes the top 30 global leaders for their efforts to solve the climate change crisis through innovative solutions, policies, research and more.‍ Lauren is being recognized for supercharging the shift away from diesel-fueled generators used during weather crises and bringing Sesame Solar’s Nanogrids to life which have helped communities around the world recover from and prepare for natural disasters using fast, reliable renewable energy.

Pallet demonstrates its innovative shelter villages, powered by Sesame Solar Nanogrids, on the National Mall during National Preparedness Month

Sesame Solar is recognized for creating the first-of-its-kind renewable energy solution for disaster response.