Green Tech: Tenni Theurer of Spring Free EV On How Their Technology Will Make An Important Positive Impact On The Environment
An Interview With Jilea Hemmings
Our goal is to reduce CO2 emissions by one gigaton by 2030 by helping all people make the switch to electric. For context, to limit global warming from 2 to 1.5° C, we need to reduce global emissions by 14 to 30 gigatons per year by 2030. In an effort to contribute to protecting the planet, Spring Free EV aims to reduce emissions by achieving these reductions. Because the transportation sector is the largest contributor to carbon emissions in the United States, we can significantly impact the sustainability of mobility at large.
In recent years, Big Tech has gotten a bad rep. But of course many tech companies are doing important work making monumental positive changes to society, health, and the environment. To highlight these, we started a new interview series about “Technology Making An Important Positive Social Impact”. We are interviewing leaders of tech companies who are creating or have created a tech product that is helping to make a positive change in people’s lives or the environment. As a part of this series, I had the pleasure of interviewing Tenni Theurer, Spring Free EV.
Tenni Theurer leads product expansion efforts as Chief Product Officer of Spring Free EV, a financial technology company built to accelerate the adoption of EVs opening the doors to hassle-free financing for all. Theurer has 20+ years of leadership experience in tech, media, telecom and fintech, and previously served as GM and VP of Product at Yahoo, where she managed 130+ person teams and $1.6B/year businesses with over 300+ MAUs. Tenni also served as Sr Business Leader at Visa and launched their first digital wallet solution from conception to market with 50+ participating issuers and 35+ merchant partners.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series. Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit more about you. Can you tell us a bit about your childhood backstory and how you grew up?
My family moved from the east coast to Silicon Valley when I was a baby. I grew up surrounded by the cycle of technology, disruption, and innovation. My father worked in the semiconductor industry and eventually became a small business owner in the 1980s. As a child, I spent most of my weekends and holidays at the shop surrounded by the latest technologies and digital services. I learned how to build computers, use Corel DRAW and Photoshop, and make custom iron-on t-shirts. I also learned early on that businesses need to be aware of their customers and constantly adapt to remain competitive. These experiences formed the foundation of my interest in technology, design, and business.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
I was fortunate to learn the value of failure very early in my career. When I graduated from college at the tail end of the dot-com bubble, I was choosing among a few job offers. One of them was at an internet consulting firm, which was still a relatively new concept at the time and not the safest choice to make. That said, I was very curious about web technologies and eager to learn, so I chose what seemed to be the riskier job opportunity. One day, just a few months after starting work there, I was pulled into a room with many others and they announced that everyone was laid off. I was in total shock. ‘How am I going to pay rent? How will I get another job?’ Those were just a couple of the questions racing in my mind. As I processed what had just happened, I realized that sometimes things don’t always work out as you hoped or expected when you take a risk. Even still, you have to get back up to find something new. I am grateful to have learned early in my career that getting knocked down does not mean you stay down. If you press on, you can find remarkable strength inside yourself and others who may be able to help you to keep going. Getting laid off early in my career taught me an early lesson in failure, taking risks, and building resilience.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
My grandma is my most influential role model. She grew up during a time of war and poverty, lost her mother as a young child, and immigrated to the United States in search of a better life for her family. She was smart, capable, loving, and incredibly nurturing. She created a foundation and new life, sometimes through tough, painful decisions or personal sacrifices. She is a perfect example of what strength and determination can achieve. I learned that perseverance and grit are crucial things to look for in people.
One piece of advice I share often is to surround yourself with intelligent, talented, and motivated people. Go to local meetups and seek out people excelling in a role or industry you’re interested in. Reach out directly to people you admire and ask for help. Everyone has started a new career at one point, and most people are happy to provide guidance or mentorship. When you leave a job or internship, make sure there are at least two people you can follow up with. Practice this throughout your career because you never know when you might need a reference or a networking contact.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“Stay humble, hustle hard,” — Unknown.
When I worked at Yahoo, I gave coffee tumblers to my team with the above quote on each of them as a holiday gift. I love the reminder it provides because in a world full of flashy successes, it is important to remain humble. As a Chinese-American, I was taught the value of humility and strong work ethics at an early age. I have carried those beliefs with me and value them highly.
You are a successful business leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?
The first trait I would highlight is soliciting frequent feedback. Do not wait for a quarterly or yearly review to talk about expectations for your role. Asking for continuous feedback helps you quickly improve and empowers you to set new goals. I have had over a dozen managers, mentors and coaches throughout my career, and I learned invaluable lessons from each of them. One boss taught me the value of playing to your strengths to be more effective and successful. Another boss taught me how to slow down to avoid mistakes. One taught me how to lead and manage high performers. Another taught me the pitfalls of being too collaborative. Over the years, I have found ways to keep in touch with many of them and am supported by the knowledge that they are only a few keystrokes away when I need them. Take the time to cultivate and develop the relationship, and it will pay dividends down the road.
Second, avoid being swept up in the daily grind. Remember to remain present and focused on how each day impacts your overall career. I have spent over 20 years in Silicon Valley working on technology products, and every day I still jot down notes, ideas, and learnings in my notebook. On a day-to-day basis, my notebook helps me stay organized and focused in the present moment. Longer-term, my notebooks help me reflect, learn and draw upon my experiences. At the end of each day, write out a few things you accomplished that you were proud of, or things you need to work on, to connect your experiences.
Finally, when managing teams, take a step back and assess each team member’s passions. Our passions do not always have to do with what we do at work every day, but they reflect what motivates and drives each of us. Understanding what each team member is passionate about will help you learn your team’s strengths and identify growth opportunities.
Let’s now shift to the main part of our discussion about the tech tools that you are helping to create that can make a positive impact on the planet and the environment. To begin, which particular problems are you aiming to solve?
Spring Free EV has the bold mission to reduce CO2 emissions by one gigaton by 2030 through a new vehicle financing approach that makes EVs more accessible to everyone. According to the EPA, road transportation is one of the largest contributors to global CO2 emissions. Despite widespread interest in EVs to curb climate change, cost remains a critical barrier to sales — particularly the higher upfront cost of driving an EV, which is a deterrent for most people. Spring Free EV aims to break down those barriers and make EVs widely accessible.
How do you think your technology can address this?
Spring Free EV’s technology solutions are built to make sustainable transportation options more economically viable for drivers. Instead of charging $20K+ for an EV, which is unattainable for many Americans, Spring Free EV is bringing the cost down to zero with technology. We offer a pay-per-mile plan with zero monthly loan or lease payments where drivers only pay for what they need. With this fintech model, we are on track to put more than 2,000 EVs on the road. Our solutions have caught on, too, striking partnerships such as Cox Automotive and EV automakers to make it all happen.
Can you tell us the backstory about what inspired you to originally feel passionate about this cause?
When the pandemic hit, my family and I hit the roads and visited eight states and nine national parks with a travel trailer. Witnessing the breathtaking views of nature and wildlife encounters made for unforgettable family trips. However, we also witnessed firsthand the effects of climate change. We rerouted our itinerary to escape the wildfires and smoke, felt Death Valley’s scorching hot temperatures, saw the frighteningly low water levels in our lakes and rivers, waited for the very late arrival of snow in the Sierra Mountains, and viewed the shrinking glaciers in Alaska. To protect and restore nature for all the inhabitants within it, Spring Free EV engineered a solution designed to reduce transportation emissions while enabling growth and progress towards a more sustainable future.
How do you think this might change the world?
Our goal is to reduce CO2 emissions by one gigaton by 2030 by helping all people make the switch to electric. For context, to limit global warming from 2 to 1.5° C, we need to reduce global emissions by 14 to 30 gigatons per year by 2030. In an effort to contribute to protecting the planet, Spring Free EV aims to reduce emissions by achieving these reductions. Because the transportation sector is the largest contributor to carbon emissions in the United States, we can significantly impact the sustainability of mobility at large.
Here is the main question for our discussion. Based on your experience and success, can you please share “Five things you need to know to successfully create technology that can make a positive social impact”? (Please share a story or an example, for each.)
1. Build relationships. Find people who care about the impact you are trying to make and can help you along the way. Developing any new technology that has a positive impact requires a network of people who care about a common goal and are dedicated to the work being done. Once you have those people around you, do everything you can to value, honor, and respect their work and contributions.
2. Learn to pattern match. As you look at great successes in different industries like real estate, health, financing, and automotive, you will notice similar models and solutions. When working across sectors and functions, you start to develop a more holistic view of the problems you are trying to solve. Once you recognize a pattern that matches across industries or verticals, you can apply that solution or insight to the new technology you are working to build.
3. Utilize storytelling. In my experience in product management, one of the biggest successes I have seen has come from the ability to tell a great story. You need to influence and inspire others when you are developing or transitioning to new technology, and to do that, you must take people on the journey with you and make them feel something that inspires action. First, understand the problem you are trying to solve, then build a clear narrative around it for people to rally behind.
4. Work to understand your customer. Ultimately, you are building a new technology to help solve problems for your customers. It is important to actively work to keep your customer top of mind throughout the building process. For example, if you are developing a technology to help assist food delivery drivers, but have never delivered food yourself, take time to get behind the wheel or talk with your customers about their challenges. Make an effort to understand and empathize with your customer to learn how to serve them best.
5. Embrace emerging technologies. Since technology is expanding and improving so quickly, stay tuned in to new innovations that may inform and help you build something new that has a positive social or growth impact. Technologies such as augmented and virtual reality, artificial intelligence and machine learning, internet of things, 5G, blockchain and NFTs, green hydrogen and solar energy all present exciting new opportunities.
If you could tell other young people one thing about why they should consider making a positive impact on our environment or society, like you, what would you tell them?
Why not make a positive impact with your career? It is incredibly rewarding to see your work have real-world effects. I chose to work with a team making a positive impact on the environment because I want to do everything in my power to protect our planet. The greenhouse gas emissions from transportation in the United States are the largest drivers of climate change. Currently, emissions levels are at historic highs, and the Earth’s average surface temperature is projected to rise over this century and is likely to surpass 3 degrees Celsius. When it comes to the environment, we need all the brilliant minds we can get to solve the problems, and I would encourage any young person to use his or her unique skillset to help.
Is there a person in the world, or in the U.S. with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. :-)
It would be great to get lunch with RJ Scaringe from Rivian. My family and I love to adventure outdoors, and I think Rivian’s trucks are a fantastic electric option for families like mine who want to explore outside while still protecting our planet with no carbon emissions. I also admire the work RJ has done to advance the availability of EVs, so we could talk about both the electrification of transportation and our favorite national park spots.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
You can follow me on LinkedIn @Tenni Theurer and Twitter @Tenni08. To learn more about Spring Free EV, its mission and current job opportunities, please visit https://www.springfreeev.com/careers. To sign-up for an EV, go to https://springfreeev.com/.
Thank you so much for joining us. This was very inspirational, and we wish you continued success in your important work.
