Courtesy Rahul Advani, Sara Graziano, Chris Smith

When Rahul Advani (MBA 2004) began his investment career in 1996, focused on the energy sector, he thought a future of accessible and affordable clean energy was a ways off. But as he watched innovations like battery storage and solar drive sharp increases in demand, that clean-energy future didn’t seem so far away any longer. “We are moving off fossil fuels at a clip faster than anybody, even industry experts, would have predicted,” says Advani.

The shift to clean energy wasn’t coming, Advani realized; it was already here. So in 2018, he founded SER Capital Partners, which focuses on sustainable investments, and brought in partners Sara Graziano (MBA 2011) and Chris Smith (MBA 2001), who contributed complementary skills from the energy sector, to establish the firm’s leadership team.

Advani believes the company’s middle-market private equity investment strategy is better executed and better aligns the firm with its investors and executive teams—a luxury afforded by its independence from other firms evaluating the opportunity. SER focuses on being an opportunistic and early mover in investments tied to clean energy, industrial sustainability, and the environment. “We fundamentally believe that we don’t have to make a trade-off between having good investment returns and doing something that is good for the environment,” says Graziano, SER partner and chair of the investment committee.

For Smith, SER partner and CFO, it’s about betting on the future and recognizing a shift in the industry. “We’re looking ahead and thinking very deeply about where the industry is going as a result of innovation, as opposed to looking in the past,” he says. One sector where the partners see great potential for growth: battery storage. “It’ the Holy Grail of renewables,” explains Graziano, “because when people talk about getting to 100 percent renewables, that’s not happening without the storage.”

As SER looks ahead, the company knows smart energy is a smart investment, yet its overall mission also is bigger than just the bottom line; it’s a chance to make real and lasting environmental change. “Obviously, we think we can make money for our investors,” says Graziano, “but it’s also about really being able to change the electrical grid. It’s a legacy that will last generations.”

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