Building a startup straight out of university. Meet Consus Energy’s William Moore and Ethan McNeil

Building a company straight out of university comes with very real trade-offs.

In this episode of Basis Points, Harriet sits down with William Moore and Ethan McNeil, co-founders of Consus Energy, to talk candidly about what it’s actually like to start a company early – without accelerators, without a safety net and while learning everything in real time.

We cover:

• How they met at UCL and split roles as a two-person founding team

• Building a company without YC, EF or external structure

• Why energy startups are uniquely complex to build

• Hearing “no” repeatedly – and learning how persistence really works

• The unglamorous parts of early-stage building (cash, admin, outreach)

• Whether university is still worth it

• Why more graduates are choosing entrepreneurship as the job market tightens

• The role of self-belief, co-founders and proactive networking

This episode is especially relevant if you’re early in your career, considering founding, or already building and wondering if what you’re experiencing is normal.

Check out Consus Energy:

https://www.consusenergy.com/ 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/william-moore-232394250/ 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ethan-mcneil-9069b11b0/ 

More on Basis:

https://www.buildbasis.com/ 

https://www.youtube.com/@BasisCapital 

https://www.linkedin.com/company/basiscapitalltd/ 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/harrietsgreen

Follow for more conversations on rebuilding systems, incentives and public services.