In this episode of Founders’ Tales, we speak with Luke Winston-Almanzar, CEO and Co-Founder of Reservoir, a climate technology company developing intelligent electric water heaters designed to improve energy efficiency, reduce costs, and make sustainable living the obvious choice for homeowners.
Reservoir is rethinking one of the most energy-intensive yet overlooked systems in the home: water heating. By combining predictive intelligence with advanced industrial controls, the company is transforming traditional water heaters into smart infrastructure that delivers instant hot water, prevents issues like frozen pipes, and significantly reduces household energy costs.
Building in Boston has provided Reservoir with access to world-class engineering talent and a strong climate technology ecosystem. Luke explains how prior networks, including connections formed through Formlabs, helped shape Reservoir’s early momentum and provided valuable mentorship along the way.
The conversation explores how Luke and his co-founders built a complementary founding team despite not knowing each other previously, emphasizing the importance of aligning on mission, principles, and execution mindset. Drawing from his experience helping scale Formlabs from early-stage startup to global hardware company, Luke highlights key lessons about staying lean, iterating quickly, and prioritizing simplicity to maintain speed and focus.
