Within The Berkshires, A Founder's Ecosystem
For Ross Bloom, being a founder of a climate-tech startup is not just business: It's personal.
I met Ross during the Berkshire Innovation Center Stage 2 Accelerator in 2024. As an entrepreneur in the climate space myself, I was intrigued to learn more about what made his EV company stand out from the others.
Additionally, I was also curious about how an entrepreneur from the Boston area found their way to the Berkshire Innovation Center in Pittsfield. What was his connection to the area? What opportunities did he see? In short, what was he doing here?
Ross was sincere about all of this. That quality felt fitting for doing business in the Berkshires: a genuine, grounded approach with a community-based mindset.
Throughout the year of being in the same accelerator cohort, I came to not only understand Revvit as a business but also who Ross Bloom is as a person and founder.
Revvit disrupts the electric vehicle-charging market by focusing on Level 1 charging, prioritizing scalability, convenience, and grid compatibility over speed. While many EV companies focus their efforts on fast-charging, that speed is limited by the capacity of the electrical infrastructure at a specific building or in a neighborhood or region.
One of Revvit's main focus areas is multifamily buildings which often encounter high capital costs and complexity when putting in faster chargers. In addition, grid-level constraints can add even greater barriers for sites and communities, particularly in rural areas like the Berkshires.
What I appreciate about Revvit's model is that Ross has created a realistic product that meets communities where they are. Its lower cost and easy installation create accessibility for residents that would otherwise be priced out of the clean transportation transition. To me, this is what building for a just-transition truly looks like.
However, what stayed with me most was not the product. It was the moment in our conversation where he reminded me how central human connection and support is to being a well-balanced founder.
Although he is a "solopreneur," Ross spoke candidly about how he does not do this work alone. He named the Massachusetts LGBT Chamber of Commerce, the BIC, Lever, the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission, and 1Berkshire as critical resources that helped him understand his customers, find mentors, and learn how to move through systems like procurement and partnerships.
"At the BIC we talk a lot about the power of 'collective wisdom' and the benefits of collaboration," Executive Director Ben Sosne said. "Ross benefitted from our program because of his eagerness to engage, not just with the BIC team, but with any partners or stakeholders he could learn from. This openness and his comfort in navigating complex systems are critical to success in any entrepreneurial endeavor."
Ross and I spoke about what it means to be underrepresented founders in the climate-tech space, and how critical it is to have a community believing in you and your product, especially when major landscape and funding shifts occur. In addition, I asked Ross about how he navigates the path of being a solo founder.
I admittedly expected a business answer. Instead, he told me that what keeps him moving forward is the balance of strong support and advice he gets from his life partner. We rarely talk about this part of entrepreneurship. While the founder narrative often centers independence, grit, and self-reliance, it leaves out the truth: no one succeeds alone.
Behind every founder or business owner is a partner, friend, or relative carrying emotional labor and quiet encouragement. Behind every resilient entrepreneur is an entire ecosystem of mentors, community organizations, and peers who make it possible to keep going.
Ross's story reflects something larger. No one builds in isolation. If you are a solo founder, your community becomes your safety net. Your accelerator cohort, your local organizations, your mentors, your peers, all become part of your infrastructure. Success will depend in part on your ability to maintain these relationships in an authentic, reciprocal way.
Entrepreneurs in the Berkshires aren't just building businesses, they are co-creating futures in a broader, collective ecosystem. When we support one another and name the care that sustains us, we honor the truths that make this work possible.
Lani Willmar is an Economic Recovery Corps Fellow at 1Berkshire and a small-business owner working at the intersection of rural economic development, workforce development, and equitable entrepreneurship. As someone who grew up in an underrepresented community, New Leaf is a monthly column that serves to spotlight the stories of underrepresented founders who are building, adapting, and thriving with the support of a powerful ecosystem in the Berkshires. Each piece highlights not just the entrepreneurs themselves, but the community of mentors, resources, and partners that help make their success possible.
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