Dr. William Burke of Virtual Peaker

July 19, 2024 thetechtribune

**An exclusive Tech Tribune Q&A with Dr. William Burke (founder and CEO) of Virtual Peaker, which was honored in our:**

Tell us the origin story of Virtual Peaker – what problem were you trying to solve and why?

In 2006, during my first year in graduate school, I began working on a project focused on thermostats. Many people were excited about this work because controlling energy demand using smart devices could address the renewable intermittency problem, accelerate the adoption of green energy, and combat climate change. As a skeptical engineer, I was drawn to the intellectual and technical challenge of coordinating millions of independent devices. It was akin to herding cats, but incredibly stimulating from an intellectual standpoint.

A couple of years into my studies, my oldest daughter was born nine weeks premature, spending six weeks in the hospital learning to breathe. This was both the most joyful and terrifying time of my life. Like many parents, my perspective on the future changed dramatically. During those six weeks, I witnessed science, engineering, and human compassion ensure my little girl could have a bright future. I was determined not to let climate change dim or take away that future. This experience infused my work with a new level of passion and urgency.

I became deeply committed to this idea. It became the subject of my dissertation, and I pursued it through various startups and Fortune 50 companies. Despite facing ups and downs, successful technology deployments, and failed market launches, these experiences provided invaluable lessons. These learnings culminated in the founding of Virtual Peaker, driven by a clear vision: to make electricity demand as controllable as a gas turbine generator.

Our mission at Virtual Peaker is to revolutionize how we manage demand on the electricity grid, making it more efficient and sustainable, and ensuring a prosperous and sustainable legacy for future generations.

What was the biggest hurdle you encountered in your journey?

When I refer to this work as being “intellectually stimulating”, that’s engineer speak for “HARD”. It takes time to turn hard ideas into real products. We are excited that, with a recent launch, our aspiration of establishing an authentic Virtual Peaker power plant has come to fruition. Virtual Peaker’s technology maximizes the potential of distributed energy resources (DERs) and ensures they can effectively provide grid stability with dependable and precise accuracy when required.

What does the future hold for Virtual Peaker?

I have an amazing team – the smartest, hardest working, and friendliest in the energy industry. They are working tirelessly to bring our shared vision to reality. We are helping to accelerate the clean energy transition to the carbon-free electricity grid, ultimately securing a brighter future for future generations.

What are your thoughts on the local tech startup scene in Kentucky?

Louisville has a vibrant and rapidly growing startup scene and is recognized as one of the fastest-growing smaller cities for entrepreneurs. The business community hosts various events and offers multiple venues for networking and community building, fostering a supportive entrepreneurial ecosystem. This, coupled with the increasing number of successful startups, makes Louisville an attractive location for new and aspiring entrepreneurs.

What’s your best advice for aspiring entrepreneurs?

Start Small and Iterate. Begin by creating a minimum viable product (MVP) rather than striving for perfection from the start, and iterate based on feedback to enhance it. Rapid incremental progress is the way to win.

An exclusive Tech Tribune Q&A with Dr. William Burke (founder and CEO) of Virtual Peaker, which was honored in our: