Danielle Fong | |
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![]() Fong in 2011 | |
Born | Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada | October 30, 1987
Education |
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Occupation(s) | Co-founder and Chief Scientist of LightSail Energy |
Website | www |
Danielle Fong (born October 30, 1987)[1] is a Canadian scientist and entrepreneur. She was the co-founder and chief scientist of LightSail Energy.
Fong was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and was raised in Dartmouth.[2] At age 12, she enrolled in Dalhousie University, where she got her Bachelor of Science in Physics and Computer Science in 2005 at age 17.[3][4][5] She joined the plasma physics program at Princeton University as a Ph.D. candidate, but later dropped out at age 20.[6][7]
See also: LightSail Energy |
In 2009 at Berkeley, California, Fong co-founded LightSail Energy with entrepreneur Stephen Crane and Edwin P. Berlin Jr.[3][8] LightSail Energy developed a form of compressed air energy storage, which was termed regenerative air energy storage (RAES). The company was initially backed by Khosla Ventures.[3]
In 2013, Fong stated she wanted to solve an energy problem and help democratize the storage of energy, in order to change how the average person lives in their home.[9]
LightSail raised over $70 million, including $2 million from Nova Scotia's Innovacorp, a government owned enterprise.[10] In 2016 it pivoted to producing transport modules for natural gas.[11][8] It entered hibernation and shut down in 2018,[12] with Khosla Ventures retaining the patents.[13]
In 2011, Fong was featured in Forbes' "30 Under 30" entrepreneurs under the Energy category[14] and interviewed by Forbes.[15] She was named by the MIT Technology Review in their 2012 "Innovators Under 35" list.[16] In 2013, Fong was included in Time's "30 Under 30" list.[17]
Fong was a speaker at the Women 2.0 PITCH Conference & Competition in 2012.[18]