Partnerships | Sunfolding | Macquarie Group

Simply smarter solar trackers securing a future fueled by sunlight

Founded in: 2012
Headquarters: San Francisco, California

Solar is rapidly becoming a leading global energy source and the solar plants built today form tomorrow’s energy infrastructure. Sunfolding makes solar infrastructure robust, reliable and ready to meet the energy needs of the future.

Sunfolding, a participating company in the Macquarie Capital Venture Studio (MCVS), started with a simple idea: to make it easier to harness the sun’s energy. This led Sunfolding to develop a solar tracker that’s simpler by design. Powered by air, it uses just three components while other trackers use over twenty. This streamlines installation and reduces the need for maintenance, while a flexible, modular layout makes the most out of any piece of land.

Visit the company website

"Solar has reached an inflection point and requires an infrastructure that can scale with it. Sunfolding’s easy to build, highly reliable solar trackers provide the profit incentives to ensure global adoption. MCVS serves as a powerful conduit to Macquarie’s resources and partners, and R/GA’s strategic brand-builders, launching our technology to the global stage and propelling our mission to make solar unstoppable."

Jurgen Krehnke, CEO of Sunfolding

"Solar has reached an inflection point and requires an infrastructure that can scale with it. Sunfolding’s easy to build, highly reliable solar trackers provide the profit incentives to ensure global adoption. MCVS serves as a powerful conduit to Macquarie’s resources and partners, and R/GA’s strategic brand-builders, launching our technology to the global stage and propelling our mission to make solar unstoppable."

Jurgen Krehnke, CEO of Sunfolding

Sunfolding T29™

Motor-free and easy

Sunfolding T29™ has just three structural components and two bolt sizes - fewer components result in a simple installation with less mistakes.

Powerfully modular

The modular design provides greater flexibility to power plant layouts increasing capacity by up to 20 per cent and generating higher yield.

Rugged and reliable

Components are made from durable materials that have been time-tested in conditions far harsher required standards and significantly higher safety requirements.

Simply smoother

SunfoldingT29™’s motor-free design eliminates 95 per cent of maintenance check points reducing, labor, replacement parts and overall cost of ownership.

01 / 04

Motor-free and easy
Powerfully modular
Rugged and reliable
Simply smoother

Expertise

Electrician walking through a field of solar panels

Energy

Follow the sun

Energy

Spotlight on Sunfolding

Leadership

Jurgen Krehnke
Chief Executive Officer

Jurgen is leading Sunfolding’s rapid business growth. Previously, he was CEO of KACO New Energy, Americas and President and General Manager of SMA America, the world's largest manufacturer and technology leader of power inverters. Jurgen holds a MEng from Germany’s Technische Universität Carolo-Wilhelmina zu Braunschweig and has completed Executive Education Programs at Stanford.

Leila Madrone
Chief Technology Officer and Founder

Leila founded Sunfolding and served as CEO until 2017. As CTO, she develops new innovations and drives overall company technical excellence. Her early career included automation for the genomics industry and the commercialization of NASA robotics hardware. Leila has a Bachelor’s and Master’s from MIT in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science with a focus on robotics and mechatronics.

Matthew Schneider
Chief Product Officer

As CPO, Matt brings deep expertise in developing solar hardware with impact. He creates valuable solutions by determining strategic routes through complex stakeholder requirements. He co-founded RayTracker in 2008, which was acquired by First Solar in 2011. At First Solar, Matt served as the Director of Global Product Development for PV Mounting Systems.