Dennis Costello
Partner @ Braemar Energy Ventures
Boston, United States
Dennis Costello is a Series B investor at Braemar Energy Ventures in Boston focused on Lighting and Energy. Dennis Costello is the Partner of Braemar Energy Ventures. He is a former project Manager at MRIGlobal.Dennis Costello has more than 30 years of experience in the energy and venture capital industries. Dennis Costello was previously a partner with Advent International, an international private equity firm where he rose to be Chief InvestmentOfficer for North America. He was personally responsible for 23 investments, 10 of which were in the energy area. Dennis Costello was also a managing director in Rock Maple Ventures an early-stage technology venture fund in Boston and started in the venture capital industry as a general partner of Zero Stage Capital of Pennsylvania. Before embarking on a career in venture capital, Dennis Costello was the first Executive Director of the Colorado Advanced Technology Institute ("CATI") in Denver, Colorado. Dennis Costello began his career in alternative energy, with positions as a project manager at Midwest Research Institute and a member of the original staff of the National Solar Energy Research Institute ("SERI"), which is now the National Renewable energy Laboratory (NREL). During that period, Dennis Costello published numerous papers and articles on the economic and market issues of solar energy commercialization. He is also the author of the Dow-Jones Irwin book, New Venture Analysis: Research, Planning and Finance and served on the Board of Directors of the New England Venture Capital Association from 1997-1999. He was a founder and Chairman of the MIT Enterprise Forum of Colorado and he remains active with the national MIT Enterprise Forum. Dennis Costello holds a Master of Science degree in business from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he was an Alfred P. Sloan Fellow. He also holds a M.A. in economics from Ohio State University and a B.A. in economics from the State University of New York (SUNY), College at Fredonia.
- Total investments:
- 15
- Last investment:
- Lead investor:
- 40%
Last updated:
For AI agents: llms.txt
Industries Dennis Costello invests in
Stages Dennis Costello invests in
Countries Dennis Costello invests in
Investment Focus
Industry
- Lighting 5 (33%)
- Energy 4 (27%)
- Electronics 2 (13%)
- Clean Energy 2 (13%)
- Manufacturing 2 (13%)
Stage
- Series B 3 (20%)
- Series C 3 (20%)
- Funding Round 3 (20%)
- Series A 2 (13%)
- Series D 2 (13%)
Investments
| Company | Description | Round | Links |
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Utilidata is a grid technology startup that integrates AI capabilities to enhance data utilization and operational efficiency. | $26.8M / Series D / Feb 08, 2022 | |
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Utilidata is a grid technology startup that integrates AI capabilities to enhance data utilization and operational efficiency. | $26.8M / Series B / Feb 08, 2022 | |
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Utilidata is a grid technology startup that integrates AI capabilities to enhance data utilization and operational efficiency. | $26.8M / Venture - Series Unknown / Feb 08, 2022 | |
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Utilidata is a grid technology startup that integrates AI capabilities to enhance data utilization and operational efficiency. | $8.3M / Series C / Aug 10, 2020 | |
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Utilidata is a grid technology startup that integrates AI capabilities to enhance data utilization and operational efficiency. | $8.3M / Series A / Aug 10, 2020 | |
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Next Step Living provides home energy evaluations and solutions for individuals and organizations. It offers energy assessment and diagnostics, air sealing and insulation, and multi-family retrofit services. The company also provides customized solutions, such as HVAC repair and replacement, window replacement and installation, solar or geothermalsystems installation, building automation, interior and exterior lighting design, and custom retrofit services.Its sustainability solutions include water efficiency and purification, landscape design and management, and indoor air quality services. The company provides assessment and diagnostic processes to heating and cooling, domestic hot water, and electricity and lighting needs.Next Step Living partners with more than 400 municipalities, civic organizations, contractors, and corporations to deliver energy-efficient and environmental-friendly solutions to its customers. Those solutions include home energy assessments, weatherization work, energy-efficient windows, efficient heating, and cooling solutions, and access to solar solutions.Next Step Living was founded in 2008 by Geoff Chapin and is based in Boston, Massachusetts. | $25M / Series D / Jun 25, 2014 | |
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Nuventix is an active thermal management solutions company located in Austin, Texas. The Nuventix-developed SynJet® module is a newly patented synthetic jet cooling technology that utilizes turbulent pulses of air generated from an electromagnetic actuator. Based on early success with computer cooling, Nuventix's innovative approach to LEDcooling is propelling that market forward two years ahead of analyst estimates - truly affecting the industry and allowing general illumination designs to harvest the efficiencies of the LED. | $4.9M / Debt Financing / Jun 03, 2014 | |
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Albeo Technologies is the first company to bring the advantages of energy efficient LED Lighting to the industrial and commercial marketplace with LED Lighting solutions created specifically for industrial and commercial buildings. As a leader in Commercial and Industrial LED lighting research and development, Albeo is the first choice fordiscerning companies that recognize the difference that quality LED lighting makes in a variety of professional environments. | $8M / Series C / Mar 21, 2012 | |
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Utilidata is a grid technology startup that integrates AI capabilities to enhance data utilization and operational efficiency. | Feb 13, 2012 | |
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NexSteppe is dedicated to pioneering the next generation of scalable, reliable, cost-effective feedstock solutions for the biofuels, biopower and biobased products industries.Using advanced breeding techniques and cutting-edge analytical technologies, NexSteppe is developing sweet sorghum, high biomass sorghum and switchgrass to producefeedstocks tailored for these biobased industries. NexSteppe is also refining crop management practices and supply chain operations to provide optimized, fully-integrated feedstock solutions.Through the development and commercialization of these tailored crops and fully-integrated feedstock solutions, NexSteppe is laying a foundation for a more secure and sustainable future for our economy, our environment, and our energy supply. | $14M / Series B / Dec 21, 2011 | |
| See all 15 investments → | |||
Co-Investors
About Braemar Energy Ventures
While energy has been a key to global development since the dawn of the electronic age, the beginning of the new century has seen a tremendous surge in the technology advancements, market activity and the strategic importance of energy around the world. While many companies and investors have sought to take advantage of the tremendous opportunitytoday's energy industry presents, the unique market issues, scientific contributions and complex web of interrelationships require a specialized expertise.Braemar Energy Ventures was formed in 2002 to create a venture capital firm with that expertise. Focused exclusively on technology and communications opportunities in the energy sector, Braemar Energy Ventures has both the industry and operating knowledge to select promising young companies, bring them into the larger energy world and guide them to reach their full potential.The firm's four principals have a long history of successful investments, as well as experience financing and operating companies in the energy sector. Together, they have been responsible for investing in almost 40 energy technology companies, including early stage companies which have grown to become some of the most successful in the sector.Braemar Energy Ventures works with management teams who are skilled in their industry but who can benefit from Braemar's assistance with strategic direction and financing issues. Having worked with many early stage companies, the Braemar Energy Ventures principals understand the challenges that many young companies face and provide invaluable counsel to their portfolio companies on longer-term issues, allowing management to focus on daily operations.
Braemar Energy Ventures Contacts
| Name | Phone | Socials | |
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Dennis Costello
Partner
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Diane Bao
Associate
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Don Tappan
Partner
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Eric A. Schultz
Chief Financial Officer
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Eugene R. McGrath
Strategic Advisory Board member
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FAQ
What does Dennis Costello invest in?
Dennis Costello invests primarily in Lighting, Energy and Electronics startups, most often at Series B and Series C stage. Most of the 15 investments tracked by Shizune back companies in United States. The Investment Focus section breaks down every industry, stage and country in the portfolio.
When did Dennis Costello last invest?
The most recent investment recorded for Dennis Costello closed in Feb 2022. Shizune tracks 15 investments in total for this profile, including round sizes, stages and portfolio companies, all sourced from confirmed public funding rounds and refreshed monthly.
Is Shizune's investor data accurate?
Yes — every stat on this profile is calculated from confirmed public funding rounds monitored across hundreds of sources since 2020. This profile was last refreshed in Aug 2026 and is updated monthly. Spotted something off? Use the “Suggest an edit” link near the top of the page.
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