A Founder’s Reflection of 2025
A founder’s reflection on leaving Orange, the collapse and rebirth of energy markets, and why AI and infrastructure are entering a new phase in 2026.
My writings on technology, strategy, and innovation, with a focus on the intersection of technology and business and the human condition.
By: Nicholas Johnson
A founder’s reflection on leaving Orange, the collapse and rebirth of energy markets, and why AI and infrastructure are entering a new phase in 2026.
By: Nicholas Johnson
Over the last several months, I've been helping several other founders who are early or have had to pivot from their original idea. Each time I encounter the same friction or resistance from founders, I have been there myself, facing the pushback of talking with customers and asking
By: Nicholas Johnson
Context: A deep dive into Orange’s last three quarters—covering GTM execution, revenue growth, hardware challenges, and the unique dynamics of selling into multifamily properties. Focuses on business model design, utilization, connectivity, and why Orange’s approach is fundamentally different from traditional EVSE providers. Post Body: When we started
By: Nicholas Johnson
⚖️ Navigating the Complex Standards Landscape of EVSE The biggest challenge facing EVSE innovation today is not a lack of technology, but rather the overwhelming number of agencies simultaneously attempting to regulate it. The adjacent Venn diagram illustrates this crowded space. Each organization serves a purpose, but when its standards conflict,
By: Nicholas Johnson
When installing EV charging, several critical factors must be considered to ensure the infrastructure's lifespan. The first is how to provide power to a parking space, which can be achieved by using an outlet or a hardwired charger. Outlets are the most affordable and easy way to switch
By: Nicholas Johnson
I fell into starting an EV charging company, not because I wanted to start a new company, but because I wanted to solve problems that would be monumental to humanity's sustainable future. The story that most people know about Orange is a cheeky anecdote from a podcast and
By: Nicholas Johnson
Orange was born in 2020 to solve a simple problem: EV charging doesn’t work for renters. We built plug-and-play chargers and a scalable network for multi-family housing—because the future was here, and it had nowhere to plug in.