Derek Modzelewski

Yo, have you heard of Derek Modzelewski? The dude’s a straight-up tech and energy wizard. So, he’s one of the founders and the CTO of Rewbi, this sick AI-powered startup outta SF that just jumped into YC’s S24 batch. Rewbi’s all about making battery storage smarter and more profitable by using AI-doubling how much revenue these grid-connected batteries can bring in. No cap, they’re changing the game in energy storage.

But here’s the real kicker-Derek’s process is pure fire. He’s been into this energy and AI combo for like over ten years. Started out in energy trading when he was just a kid, like 18, writing his first algorithms to manage risk and trade commodities. That’s early as hell, right? He’s always been obsessed with cracking complex problems, figuring out how to improve stuff. And his background? He’s got a Master’s and a B.S.E. in Computer Science Applied Math from Johns Hopkins-graduated super early, no surprise.

He’s also no stranger to big tech. He worked at Meta as a machine learning engineer, helping build some of the early foundation models. Basically, he’s been at the core of AI’s evolution. Then, he moved into energy again-this time, more seriously-joining Adept as their first tech hire. His models there helped raise over $400 million in capital, which is nuts. That shows he’s not just dreaming but actually moving the ball forward in both AI and energy.

What makes Derek special? It’s his relentless drive to connect these worlds-AI and energy-to solve real problems. He’s been doing it since he was a kid, and now he’s leading Rewbi to totally transform how batteries are used in the grid. The dude’s been working on this stuff for ages, and it’s about more than just tech for him. It’s about pushing the boundaries, making energy more fast, more profitable, and finally, more sustainable.

His story is basically a blueprint for what it means to be a true startup founder-deep expertise, relentless passion, and a clear vision to change the game. Derek’s the kind of guy who’s been coding and trading since he was a teen, jumped into big tech, then back into energy, and now he’s building something that could shake up the entire energy industry. That’s why he’s so important-he’s not just riding the wave; he’s creating the next one.