Brighte founder Katherine McConnell says her $18.5 million Series B funding followed a waiting game

Brighte has closed its $18.5 million Series B funding round, and founder and chief executive Katherine McConnell says the energy financing startup’s string of successes have come from a lot of networking, and a little patience.

This latest funding round comes just weeks after the startup secured a $20 million funding facility from National Australia Bank, and it follows $4 million in Series A funding, raised in September 2017.

The Series B round is led by AirTree Ventures, with AirTree co-founder and partner Craig Blair set to join Brighte’s board, and also includes Grok Ventures — the investment fund of Atlassian co-founder Mike Cannon-Brookes, who led Brighte’s Series A round.

Skip Capital, the private investment fund owned by banker Kim Jackson and her husband, Atlassian co-founder Scott Farquhar, has also contributed to the round, as has prominent retail entrepreneur Naomi Milgrom.

McConnell told StartupSmart the funding is pegged for product development, with a focus on artificial intelligence and machine learning.

Brighte provides a digital payment platform for installation of products like solar panels and insulation, connecting vendors with homeowners, and providing zero-interest loans. Read more

Stephanie Palmer-Derrien - Smart Company - 31 May 2018