Billy Parish
Billy Parish | |
|---|---|
 Billy Parish | |
| Born | Billy Parish September 11, 1981 New York, New York, U.S. |
| Education | Yale University, The Mountain School |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2003 - present |
| Spouse | Married |
Billy Parish (born September 11, 1981) is an American environmental entrepreneur, author, and activist. He is the founder and CEO of Hyfin, a platform that builds funds to enable the mass adoption of clean energy technologies globally. He previously founded Mosaic Inc., one of the largest clean energy finance companies in the U.S. [1]
Early life
[edit]Parish grew up in Manhattan, New York City. His father, a lawyer, specialized in finance for electronic utilities. His mother, also a lawyer, met his father while working on a securitization deal.[2] He spent a semester of high school at The Mountain School in Vermont, where he was turned on to working for the environment.[3] In July 2005 he led a three-day fast in front of the White House to draw attention to the 150,000 deaths caused each year by climate change.[4] He designed his own major in sustainable economic development at Yale University.[2] However, in 2002, he left Yale University and went on to found the Energy Action Coalition, renamed the Power Shift Network.[5] The Coalition became the largest youth-led clean energy advocacy network in the world, bringing together 50 environmental and social justice groups and over 340,000 members.[6] The coalition raised nearly $10 million in four years and helped more than 600 colleges make commitments to climate neutrality.[6]
In March 2009, the Energy Action Coalition organized Power Shift '09, which brought over 12,000 young people to Washington, D.C., for the largest climate-focused training, lobby day and, non-violent civil disobedience action in U.S. history. 1Sky states Parish is on the Board of Directors.[5] He is also co-chair of SolarAPP+ and board member and former board chair at The Solutions Project.[7][8]
Career
[edit]Parish played a leading role in creating the Clean Energy Corps proposal to create 5 million new green jobs in the U.S.,[6] which was incorporated into the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in 2009. He also helped to expand the AmeriCorps public service program to include a new “Clean Energy Service Corps”.[9] With the idea that crowdfunding could affect a shift to green energy, Parish co-founded Mosaic. At that time, the company allowed individuals to micro invest in community-scale solar projects.[10] In 2014, Parish shifted the company’s focus from crowdfunding to financing for residential solar projects, and in 2018, expanded to sustainable home improvements.[11]
Under Parish’s leadership, Mosaic provided more than $15 billion in loans, enabling over 500,000 households to adopt solar, batteries, and energy-efficient upgrades, and financed roughly 10 percent of U.S. residential solar capacity.[12] Mosaic created the industry’s first 20-year solar loan and, in 2017, completed the first securitization of residential solar loans. Parish transitioned to Executive Chair in 2023 to focus on strategy, partnerships, and policy initiatives.[13]
In 2025, Parish founded Hyfin, where he is CEO, building a platform to accelerate investment in climate solutions. [14]
Personal life
[edit]Parish lives in Berkeley, California, with his wife and two daughters.
Awards and honors
[edit]- 2017 – Rolling Stone's 25 People Shaping The Future
- 2014 – Fast Company's "20th Most Creative People in Business"
- 2012 – Middlebury College CSE Vision Award[15]
- 2005 – Rolling Stone Magazine "Climate Hero"[16]
- 2004 – Brower Youth Award[17]
- 2007 – Elected as a Fellow by Ashoka[18], the global association of the world's leading social entrepreneurs [19]
Writing
[edit]Parish has written over 50 articles for publications including Inc., The Atlantic, HuffPost, and Grist.
- Making Good: Finding Meaning, Money & Community in a Changing World (ISBN 978-1605290782)
References
[edit]- ↑ Litvak, Nicole. "U.S. Residential Solar Financing 2016-2021". Greentech Media. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
- 1 2 Cardwell, Diane (September 2, 2013). "A Bet on the Environment". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 20, 2021. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
- ↑ "Sprig.com Interview". Archived from the original on January 5, 2009.
- ↑ Rolling Stone, November 3, 2005
- 1 2 "Board of directors". 1sky.org. Archived from the original on April 11, 2009.
- 1 2 3 Kamenetz, Anya. "Climate Change Power Shift". The Nation.
- ↑ "Billy Parish, President of Mosaic". The OGM. September 19, 2013. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
- ↑ "Watt It Takes: The Origin Story of Mosaic With Billy Parish". Green Tech Media. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
- ↑ Ross, Alice (November 9, 2020). "Green entrepreneurs look to make money and a difference". Financial Times. Archived from the original on February 12, 2021. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
- ↑ "The Fossil Fuel Resistance: Meet the New Green Heroes". Rolling Stone. April 11, 2013. Archived from the original on January 25, 2021. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
- ↑ "Mosaic, Freedom Forever Partner on Residential Solar Financing". Solar Industry magazine. February 18, 2021. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
- ↑ "Case Summary: Mosaic Chapter 11". Bondoro. June 11, 2025. Retrieved January 21, 2026.
- ↑ Mosaic. "Mosaic Names Patrick Moore CEO; Founder Billy Parish to Become Executive Chair of the Board". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved January 21, 2026.
- ↑ "Hyfin: Financing the Energy Transition". hyfin.earth. Retrieved January 21, 2026.
- ↑ Vision Award | Center for Social Entrepreneurship. Middlebury.edu (2015-08-13). Retrieved on 2015-08-13.
- ↑ Cohan, Ellen (March 3, 2015). "Billy Parish". Climate One. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
- ↑ "New Leaders Initiative 2004 Award Winners" Archived July 25, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, Earth Island Institute. Retrieved 29 December 2010.
- ↑ "William Parish | Ashoka". www.ashoka.org. Retrieved January 21, 2026.
- ↑ "William Parish | Ashoka". www.ashoka.org. Retrieved January 21, 2026.