WNY Impact Investment Fund makes $1M investment in Viridi

Buffalo, NY - The WNY Impact Investment Fund is thrilled to announce a $1 million investment in Viridi to accelerate the company's exciting traction.

Based in a formerly vacant auto factory on Buffalo's East Side, Viridi develops battery-powered energy storage systems. The company has received crucial certifications for its fail-safe technology, opening new markets that include commercial real estate, data centers and public safety buildings.

Along the way, the company has become one of Buffalo's explosive growth stories. Viridi realized $35 million in revenue in 2025 and is on track to double that number this year. It is also approaching 150 total employees.

In the meantime, Viridi has become a model for place-based social impact. The company has transformed its 42-acre headquarters in Buffalo, NY, into a thriving clean energy campus, with more than half of its industrial space back online.

The company's nonprofit subsidiary, GreenForce, delivers holistic wraparound support in providing great jobs with equity upside to people living near the factory. GreenForce is led by Jeff Conrad, Greenforce executive director.

The WNY Impact Investment Fund first invested in Viridi in 2018 and has now made a total of five different investments in the company, totaling $3.3 million. The latest investment is part of a larger round mostly made available to previous investors.

"Viridi embodies our belief that strong financial performance and measurable community impact can go hand in hand," said Tom Quinn, CEO of the WNY Impact Investment Fund. "By backing companies like Viridi, we are helping to build a more resilient, inclusive economy in Western New York."

"Viridi is demonstrating that advanced energy technology can be designed, built, and deployed right here in Western New York," said Jon M. Williams, founder and CEO of Viridi. "This investment reflects a shared belief in the role that innovation can play in strengthening both our economy and our energy future."

The WNY Impact Fund has now made 27 investments in 16 companies, totaling $14.65 million. Viridi is one of numerous portfolio companies that are achieving exciting milestones and meaningful growth, along with Top Seedz, LenderLogix, Buffalo FilmWorks, Arbol, The Rookery, 3AM Innovations, CaHILL Tech, Circuit Clinical, CleanFiber and others.

Founded by Williams in 2017, Viridi achieved its first meaningful revenue several years ago with its energy storage systems, which have attracted significant customers and distribution partners such as SunBelt Rentals, which continues to have strong demand for Viridi's onsite battery energy storage units this year. The company's leadership team now includes successful executives who are experienced in preparing high-growth companies for liquidity events, including Eric Stein, the company's President, who was formerly head of investment banking at JPMorgan Chase; Hal Corin, Chief Development Officer, JPMorgan's former vice president of sustainability for global real estate; and D. Evan van Hook, Chief Sustainability Officer, who last held the same role at Honeywell; Rev. James Giles, head of personnel, who is president and CEO of Back to Basics Outreach Ministries and a longtime peacemaker and community leader in Buffalo

By developing a battery-powered system that is meaningfully safer than other solutions on the market, Viridi's long-term market potential is nearly unlimited. The company recently acquired certain assets of U.S. BESS Corp., positioning Viridi as a competitive solution for the rapidly growing data center market.

"This investment supports Viridi's ongoing efforts to scale production, enhance product development, and expand deployment of its battery energy storage systems across commercial and industrial applications," Williams said. "The potential market is significant and touches nearly every user of electricity in the nation."

About the WNY Impact Investment Fund: The Western New York Impact Investment Fund is a for-profit, place-based impact investment fund. Its innovative model has been featured recently in publications ranging from Forbes to The Foundation Review. Since 2018, the Fund has invested $14.65 million in 16 regional organizations. Each of its deals is considered through an impact investing framework, meaning the commercial upside is weighed equally alongside the potential social impact in Western New York. The Fund has raised more than $20 million since its inception to deploy in support of companies in the community, including the recent closure of $12.45 million from new and existing investors. For more information, visit https://www.wnyimpact.com.

Ab... Viridi: Viridi is transforming energy storage with its proprietary fail-safe lithium-ion battery technology. Viridi's battery energy storage systems (BESS) feature breakthrough anti-propagation technology, preventing propagation and significantly reducing the risk of lithium-ion battery fires. Viridi's commercial-scale BESS is among the first and only to be installed in an existing, occupied building, setting a new benchmark for safety and reliability. Engineered for seamless integration into virtually any environment, the BESS combines advanced AI and connectivity to deliver unparalleled remote monitoring and energy optimization. Viridi enables clean, scalable energy solutions across industries, paving the way for a safer, more sustainable future.