Drew Baglino

Activities

historical

Drew Baglino spent over 18 years at Tesla, rising to Senior Vice President of Powertrain and Energy Engineering. In that role he was responsible for Tesla’s battery technology, drivetrain systems, and energy products — including the development of the 4680 battery cell and key Megapack architecture decisions. He was part of the core team that scaled Tesla from a startup to a global automaker and energy company. He left Tesla in 2024.

present

After leaving Tesla, Baglino founded Heron Power, a startup focused on solid-state transformers and advanced power electronics for grid-scale energy conversion. Heron Power targets the modernization of the electrical grid infrastructure — particularly the transformer layer that powers data centers, solar installations, battery storage, and large industrial energy systems. He has been active in the a16z American Dynamism ecosystem, making the case for reindustrialization through software-driven manufacturing and grid modernization.

Connections to other people and companies

• Founder of Heron Power (current)
• Former SVP Powertrain and Energy Engineering at Tesla
• Backed by a16z (American Dynamism portfolio)
• Appears alongside Mariana Minerals founders in a16z panel discussions on U.S. reindustrialization and critical infrastructure

Interests

• Grid modernization and solid-state power electronics
• Domestic supply chain rebuilding for energy infrastructure
• AI-driven industrial automation
• Durable industrial policy and long-term infrastructure funding (advocates for a highway trust fund equivalent for the U.S. grid)
• U.S. competitiveness in manufacturing and energy

Sources

Source: a16z YouTube panel “The Founders Who Left Tesla to Rebuild America” (May 2026). Baglino discusses the grid’s infrastructure lag, the case for solid-state transformers, and proposals for a federal long-term grid funding framework.