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Department: Studio

Location: New York City

Description

AI Nexus NYC | C10 Labs
 New York, NY | Flexible, Part-Time Mentor Engagement

About C10 Labs

C10 Labs is an AI-native venture fund and venture platform that partners with exceptional founders to build and scale category-defining AI companies.

Through AI Nexus NYC, C10 Labs connects early-stage companies with experienced investors, operators, researchers, corporate leaders, and industry experts who can help accelerate product development, customer adoption, strategic partnerships, and fundraising.

We are expanding our mentor network and seeking experienced energy leaders who want to help founders build commercially viable AI solutions for one of the world’s most important and complex industries.

The Opportunity

C10 Labs is seeking experienced founders, executives, investors, operators, engineers, and subject-matter experts to serve as Energy Mentors for AI Nexus NYC.

Mentors will support founders building AI-enabled products across utilities, power generation, grid infrastructure, renewable energy, energy storage, industrial operations, energy markets, and related sectors.

Energy startups must navigate complex customer environments, long sales cycles, regulatory requirements, operational risks, integration challenges, and significant capital needs. The most effective mentors will help founders understand these realities while identifying practical paths to pilots, customer adoption, strategic partnerships, and investment.

This is an opportunity to apply your industry experience and network to help entrepreneurs build solutions that are technically credible, commercially relevant, and capable of operating within critical energy environments.

What You’ll Do

Founder Mentorship and Company Building
  • Advise founders on product strategy, commercialization, business models, and market positioning.
  • Help startups identify high-value use cases and prioritize customer problems worth solving.
  • Provide practical feedback on product-market fit, pricing, implementation, and go-to-market strategy.
  • Help founders understand the operational, financial, and technical requirements of energy-sector customers.
  • Share lessons learned from building, operating, purchasing, financing, or scaling energy technologies and companies.
Customer and Commercial Development
  • Help founders identify and engage utilities, power producers, energy developers, industrial customers, technology providers, and infrastructure operators.
  • Introduce companies to potential customers, pilot partners, investors, corporate partners, and technical experts when appropriate.
  • Advise founders on navigating enterprise procurement, security reviews, technical validation, and long sales cycles.
  • Help companies design pilots with clear objectives, measurable outcomes, and credible pathways to commercial deployment.
  • Support founders in translating technical capabilities into business and operational value for energy customers.
Energy Industry Guidance
  • Provide insight into the structure, economics, and decision-making processes of energy markets.
  • Help startups understand industry regulations, standards, safety requirements, and operational constraints.
  • Advise founders on interoperability with existing energy systems, infrastructure, data environments, and operational technologies.
  • Help companies evaluate the risks and opportunities associated with deploying AI in mission-critical environments.
  • Provide guidance on reliability, cybersecurity, data quality, implementation, and customer trust.
  • Help founders distinguish between an interesting technology and a commercially scalable energy solution.
Fundraising and Strategic Growth
  • Advise founders on fundraising strategy, investor positioning, and financing requirements.
  • Review pitch materials and help companies communicate their market opportunity, technical differentiation, customer value, and traction.
  • Introduce startups to relevant venture investors, infrastructure investors, corporate venture groups, strategic partners, project-finance resources, or non-dilutive funding opportunities when appropriate.
  • Help founders understand the milestones required to attract institutional or strategic capital.
  • Support companies preparing for investor meetings, technical diligence, partnership discussions, and follow-on financing.
AI Nexus NYC Community
  • Participate in mentor office hours, workshops, panels, founder meetings, and ecosystem events.
  • Collaborate with C10 Labs team members, investors, operators, and other mentors.
  • Contribute industry insight that strengthens AI Nexus NYC programming.
  • Participate in Demo Day, pitch preparation, or investor-readiness activities when appropriate.

Areas of Expertise

We welcome mentors with experience across areas such as:
  • Electric Utilities
  • Power Generation
  • Grid Modernization
  • Transmission and Distribution
  • Renewable Energy
  • Solar, Wind, and Distributed Energy
  • Energy Storage and Battery Technologies
  • Energy Management
  • Demand Response
  • Virtual Power Plants
  • Energy Markets and Trading
  • Oil and Gas
  • Industrial Energy Systems
  • Electrification
  • Electric Vehicles and Charging Infrastructure
  • Nuclear Energy
  • Hydrogen and Alternative Fuels
  • Critical Infrastructure
  • Asset Performance and Predictive Maintenance
  • Energy Data, Analytics, and Software
  • Project Finance
  • Energy Regulation and Policy
  • Cybersecurity for Energy Infrastructure
What We’re Looking For
  • Significant experience within energy, utilities, infrastructure, industrial technology, investing, or a related market.
  • Experience building, operating, financing, advising, purchasing, or deploying energy technology.
  • Strong understanding of energy customers, commercial models, market structures, and implementation requirements.
  • Familiarity with early-stage companies, venture-backed startups, innovation programs, or emerging technologies.
  • Interest in artificial intelligence and its application across energy systems and infrastructure.
  • Ability to give founders practical, direct, and constructive advice.
  • A strong professional network and willingness to facilitate relevant introductions when appropriate.
  • Excellent communication, judgment, and relationship-building skills.
  • A genuine interest in helping founders create commercially successful and operationally credible companies.
Ideal Backgrounds

Potential mentor backgrounds include:
  • Energy or ClimateTech Founder
  • Utility Executive
  • Power Generation Leader
  • Engineering or Operations Executive
  • Product or Technology Leader
  • Energy Investor
  • Corporate Venture or Innovation Leader
  • Project Finance Professional
  • Energy Markets or Trading Executive
  • Regulatory or Policy Expert
  • Infrastructure Investor
  • Business Development or Strategic Partnerships Leader
  • Industrial Technology Executive
  • Researcher, Scientist, or Academic Leader
  • Corporate Customer or Procurement Executive
Who You Are
  • You understand the complexity and responsibility involved in operating within energy markets.
  • You enjoy helping founders translate technical innovation into customer and commercial value.
  • You are comfortable challenging assumptions and identifying operational or market risks.
  • You provide practical advice grounded in real industry experience.
  • You are curious about how AI can improve reliability, efficiency, decision-making, and asset performance.
  • You want to help startups build solutions that energy companies can trust, adopt, and scale.
Commitment

This is a flexible, part-time mentor engagement. Participation may include:
  • Founder mentoring sessions
  • Office hours
  • Workshops or panel discussions
  • Customer, partner, or investor introductions
  • Product and commercialization feedback
  • Pitch and fundraising preparation
  • Demo Day participation
  • Periodic program and portfolio-company support
Mentor involvement will be coordinated based on availability, expertise, and the needs of participating companies.

Why Join C10 Labs

As an Energy Mentor, you will work with ambitious founders applying AI to critical energy, infrastructure, and industrial challenges.

You will have the opportunity to share your experience, expand your network, and help startups develop stronger products, reach the right customers, establish strategic partnerships, and become better positioned for institutional investment.

You will also join a growing community helping shape the future of AI entrepreneurship in New York.

To Apply

Please submit your résumé or professional profile and a short description of the areas within energy where you can provide the greatest value to founders.

C10 Labs welcomes mentors from diverse professional, academic, and industry backgrounds.