Drew Baglino

Drew Baglino joined Tesla in 2006 as an electrical engineer and later became powertrain architect for the Model S. In 2016 he formed Tesla’s energy engineering organization, which launched and ramped the Powerwall, Powerpack and Megapack.⁠[1]

From 2019 to 2024 he was Tesla’s senior vice president of powertrain and energy, leading development of the 4680 cell and the dry electrode process, overseeing a battery factory and materials refineries in Texas, and running Tesla’s global charging and energy businesses, including opening the Supercharger network to all electric vehicles. He left Tesla in early 2024 after 18 years with the company.⁠[1][2]

Shortly after leaving Tesla in early 2024, Baglino founded the power electronics manufacturer Heron Power, where he is chief executive officer. The company develops solid-state transformers; its first product, Heron Link, converts medium-voltage electricity to the 800-volt power required by NVIDIANVIDIANVIDIA is an American semiconductor and computing technology company that provides graphics processing units, artificial intelligence infrastructure, networking interconnects, and computing software, and is listed on Nasdaq under the ticker NVDA.Open the full entry’s reference rack designs, handles 5 megawatts per unit and includes batteries providing 30 seconds of backup power. The company is headquartered in Scotts Valley, California.⁠[2][1][3]

Speaking about his motivation, Baglino said: “That's why I started the company.”⁠[2]

On May 29, 2025, Heron Power announced a $38 million Series A round led by Capricorn Investment Group, with participation from Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Energy Impact Partners, Gigascale Capital, Powerhouse Ventures, Valor Equity Partners, Tesla co-founder JB Straubel and former Tesla CFO Zach Kirkhorn.⁠[4]

On February 18, 2026, Heron Power announced a $140 million Series B round co-led by the American Dynamism Fund of Andreessen HorowitzAndreessen HorowitzAndreessen Horowitz (a16z) is a venture capital firm founded in 2009 by Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz. It invests from the seed stage through the growth stage and provides operational support to its portfolio companies.Open the full entry (a16z) and Breakthrough Energy Ventures, with participation from Capricorn Investment Group, Energy Impact Partners, Gigascale Capital and the Valor Atreides AI Fund. Baglino said: “If our customers are leaning in, we need to lean in as well.”⁠[3]

On May 13, 2026, Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) published the episode “The Founders Who Left Tesla to Rebuild America | a16z” on its YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is Google’s video-sharing and creator platform, founded in 2005 by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim and acquired by Google in 2006. Built around video uploading, viewing, and creator earnings, the platform has developed Shorts, YouTube Music, Premium, YouTube TV, and products for children, and is headquartered in San Bruno, California, United States.Open the full entry channel, in which a16z’s Erin Price-Wright spoke with Baglino and Turner Caldwell, founder of Mariana Minerals.⁠[5]

The conversation covered critical mineral supply and the U.S. gap with China, the role of grid infrastructure in the AI economy, replacing mechanical grid equipment with solid-state transformers, onshoring and co-locating supply chains, lessons from Tesla on risk appetite and mission-driven talent, and industrial policy, permitting and federal grid investment.⁠[5]

On August 13, 2026, Heron Power announced the selection of its first U.S. factory location. The company states that Heron Factory One, a 286,000-square-foot facility in Morgan Hill, California, is under renovation and is planned to produce 40 gigawatts of Heron Link units annually starting in late 2027. On September 10, 2026, the company announced a $60 million credit facility and the addition of former Tesla CFO Zach Kirkhorn to its board.⁠[6][1]

Heron Power: Official website: https://heronpower.com/ (opens in a new window).⁠[1]