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pvcase.comDavid Trainavicius founded PVcase in 2018 to power the change to renewable energy systems. The company is making solar project design faster, more efficient and precise in 75 countries. The company joined Highland’s portfolio last year and recently won BloombergNEF’s annual Pioneers competition for the most promising climate tech. Here David shares his perspective on the growth journey.
How has your perspective as a founder or CEO changed from early stage to growth stage?
We knew from the start that we were entering a huge field with renewable energy, but as we’ve grown, we’ve seen how quickly this space is evolving. When I first started in the industry, renewable energy was nice to have. Today, it’s a necessity for governments, corporations and individuals. This shift has validated our mission and broadened my perspective on what we can achieve.
What early investments paid off the most when scaling?
Early on, we decided to invest for the long term. It wasn’t enough to know what our clients needed now; we needed to invest in deeply understanding the market to anticipate future needs as well through building a one-stop solar design platform that prevents data risk and enables automation to improve deployment of solar projects. This long-term thinking influences every part of our operations, from our processes to hiring and helps us to keep ahead of our customers’ needs, as we’ve scaled.
What key strategies have you used to achieve sustainable growth in the past few years?
Our sustainable growth is built on two key pillars – ensuring it is as sustainable as our products and partnering with top investors. Our deep market knowledge has allowed us to precisely plan and optimise growth. This shows we’re a stable, attractive investment and means we can partner with investors who contribute to our growth in meaningful ways, beyond capital.
How did you maintain your company culture during rapid growth?
As the company has grown, so has the team and we now have 300 global members including in Vilnius, Kaunas, Madrid, Berlin, London, Boulder and Boston. It’s important to me and the culture of PVcase that we can be together in person. We attend conferences together, hold dinners and host events – from summer camps in the Lithuanian countryside to Christmas parties. Getting together allows the team to connect and foster a sense of belonging.
If you could go back in time, what advice would you give yourself at the start of the growth stage?
Trust my gut instinct more and make decisions faster. In the early days, there’s a tendency to seek input from multiple people and while this is important, it’s time-consuming. Deep down, you often know the best course of action. This isn’t about being reckless – it’s about recognising the value of agility in a fast-moving market and striking a balance between careful consideration and the dynamism needed to seize opportunities. A certain level of risk is both inevitable and necessary.