20/02/2025

Dr. Graham Oakes

Graham Oakes is a systems engineer with 30 years’ experience in data and digital tech.  He formed Upside Energy, a cloud platform that uses advanced algorithms and AI to manage the flexibility available from devices such as EVs, home batteries, heat pumps, etc, in 2013, and grew it to the point where it employed over 30 staff and had raised almost £10m of funding from parties such as Innovate UK, BEIS, Systemiq and Legal & General Capital.  He stood down from Upside at the end of 2018 to focus on community and local energy, where he now supports a portfolio of projects including the Local Energy Oxfordshire (LEO) demonstrator and the Greater Manchester Local Energy Market (LEM2) project.  He also supports a number of startups through the Energy System Catapult and BEIS incubation platforms, and is a member of Northern Powergrid’s Customer Engagement Group for RIIO-ED2.