ENERGY TRANSITION
At Sustainability LIVE: The US Summit, we spoke to Jodi Susman, Chief Marketing Officer at Budderfly, a powerhouse in the cleantech sector. Named one of Fast Company’ s Most Innovative Companies in 2025, Budderfly is redefining sustainability through a unique model that slashes energy costs and carbon footprints for businesses.
With more than 25 years’ experience scaling global brands and technology startups, Jodi brings a wealth of expertise in revenue growth and product market expansion. From building high-performing teams to mastering the full marketing funnel, she discusses how the company translates complex energy data into compelling stories and why transparency is the key to driving real environmental change in the mid-market.
Q. HOW DO YOU TRANSLATE BUDDERFLY’ S PROMISE TO MAKE ENERGY EFFICIENCY EASY AND ACCESSIBLE INTO A MARKET MESSAGE THAT RESONATES WITH BUSINESS LEADERS?
» Business leaders today are under intense pressure to reduce costs, manage risk and show progress on sustainability all at the same time. The challenge is that energy has historically been complex, fragmented, siloed and capital-intensive to address. When we talk about making energy efficiency“ easy and accessible”, we mean removing those barriers entirely, so businesses don’ t have to choose between operational performance and sustainability. It becomes something that can be implemented, scaled, and measured like any other core business initiative.
Q. YOUR MODEL REMOVES UPFRONT CAPITAL BARRIERS FOR CUSTOMERS. WHY IS THAT FINANCIAL FRAMING SO CRITICAL?
» It’ s absolutely critical. For most operators, sustainability only moves when the economics make sense, and upfront cost is often the biggest barrier, especially when there are competing priorities in the business.
What we do is remove that constraint. We take on 100 % of the upfront investment and execution risk, so customers don’ t have to pull capital or attention away from running and growing their business. And we’ re not asking them to choose between growth and sustainability. That shifts the conversation from“ Why should we do this?” to“ Why wouldn’ t we?” It reframes sustainability as a business decision, grounded in cost savings, performance and operational impact.
Q. IS THE LACK OF CAPITAL MORE OF A RESTRICTION FOR SMALLER COMPANIES, OR ARE YOU SEEING THIS ACROSS THE BOARD?
» We are seeing it across the board. We focus on the mid-market, small and mid-sized businesses, which represents 99 % of US companies that spend an estimated US $ 55bn annually on electricity.
80 June 2026