Tom Buttgenbach

Dr. Tom Buttgenbach is the CEO of 1st Avenue Capital and CEO and Chief System Architect of 1st Avenue Power. He led the solar power revolution in the United States. As founder and CEO of Avantus (formerly 8minute Solar Energy), he built one of the largest and most profitable clean energy companies in the country, delivering over $1 billion in profit, securing over $10 billion in power purchase agreements, and assembling a pipeline of 30 GW of solar and 90 GWh of storage capable of powering 20 million American homes, before selling to KKR in 2024. He broke every record that mattered: largest projects, lowest costs, and being the first to make solar cheaper than fossil fuels. With more than 40 patents, he turned solar into the most reliable and inexpensive form of power generation on earth. What drives him goes beyond technology: a conviction that reliable, affordable energy is a human right, and that a livable planet is not negotiable. His training at Caltech, where he earned two Ph.D.s in Physics and Astronomy as a Fulbright Scholar, gave him the tools: a physicist’s habit of thinking in systems, redesigning from scratch rather than optimizing parts. Now at 1st Avenue Power, he’s applying both to a new challenge: delivering clean power to the billions who need it, and building a safer world for generations to come.