Danielle Fong (born October 30, 1987) is a Canadian scientist and entrepreneur. She was the co-founder and chief scientist of

LightSail Energy LightSail Energy (2008–2018) was an American compressed air energy storage technology startup. The company shut down in 2018, failing to produce a product. The unused tanks were sold away to natural gas companies in 2016. Projects A method ...

Education

Fong was born in

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and most populous municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the most populous municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of 2024, it is estimated that the population of the H ...

, and was raised in Dartmouth. At age 12, she enrolled in

Dalhousie University Dalhousie University (commonly known as Dal) is a large public research university in Nova Scotia, Canada, with three campuses in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Halifax, a fourth in Bible Hill, Nova Scotia, Bible Hill, and a second medical school campus ...

, where she got her Bachelor of Science in Physics and Computer Science in 2005 at age 17. She joined the plasma physics program at

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

as a Ph.D. candidate, but later dropped out at age 20.

LightSail Energy

In 2009 at

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Anglo-Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland, Cali ...

, Fong co-founded

with entrepreneur Stephen Crane and Edwin P. Berlin Jr. LightSail Energy developed a form of

compressed air energy storage Compressed-air-energy storage (CAES) is a way to store energy for later use using compressed air. At a utility scale, energy generated during periods of low demand can be released during peak load periods. The first utility-scale CAES project ...

, which was termed regenerative air energy storage (RAES). The company was initially backed by

Khosla Ventures Khosla Ventures is a private American venture capital firm based in Menlo Park, California. It was founded by entrepreneur Vinod Khosla in 2004. The firm works with early-stage companies in the Internet, computing, mobile technology, artifici ...

. 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. LightSail raised over $70 million, including $2 million from Nova Scotia's Innovacorp, a government owned enterprise. In 2016 it pivoted to producing transport modules for natural gas. It entered hibernation and shut down in 2018, with Khosla Ventures retaining the patents.

Recognition

In 2011, Fong was featured in ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...

'' " 30 Under 30" entrepreneurs under the Energy category and interviewed by ''Forbes''. She was named by the ''

MIT Technology Review ''MIT Technology Review'' is a bimonthly magazine wholly owned by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It was founded in 1899 as ''The Technology Review'', and was re-launched without "''The''" in its name on April 23, 1998, under then pu ...

'' in their 2012 " Innovators Under 35" list. In 2013, Fong was included in ''

Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

''s "30 Under 30" list. Fong was a speaker at the ''Women 2.0 PITCH Conference & Competition'' in 2012.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fong, Danielle 1987 births 21st-century Canadian women scientists Businesspeople from Berkeley, California Businesspeople from Halifax, Nova Scotia Canadian energy industry businesspeople Canadian expatriates in the United States Canadian women in business Dalhousie University alumni Living people Princeton University alumni