Scott Hempy: The Innovation Interview

Prior to Filld, Scott spent time as an associate at Cote Capital and as project manager for Omega Ophthalmics, an innovative medical device startup. With experience in operations, private equity, venture capital, and project management, Scott learned how to drive a company forward and achieve key deliverables.

Scott leads the Filld team as they bring change to the refueling industry. He is based out of Palo Alto, CA, where he lives with his wife, Kylie.

How do you define innovation and what does it mean to you?

Innovation is disruption, used to bring about change. Innovation adds value to a current problem or situation. Entrepreneurs who seek to improve, building on those who came before them, while seeking to create what has never been created before, will bring about innovation.

What industry needs to embrace innovation and take more risks?

Regulatory bodies need to further embrace innovation. If modern regulatory and lawmaking agencies could embrace an innovative spirit, they would be capable of finding unique solutions to problems with only a fraction of the time and resources they currently spend.

What is the best piece of advice that you have been given and received?

Lead by example.

What is your greatest achievement and why?

Surrounding myself with people who push me to never stop thinking creatively about the things around me. First and foremost, my wife, family, and friends.

Newspapers and Books: Digital or Physical?

Digital. I always have my phone with me, which allows me to use spare moments to stay connected and informed.

What was the inspiration for Filld?

One day my fuel warning light came on and I started talking to my wife about how Air Force One can refuel in-flight. Obviously, that’s not practical or necessary solution for cars on the road. So my wife suggested that we take advantage of the time your car isn’t in motion; while you’re at work and overnight. I began hunting for a way to have someone else to fill my tank and realized there wasn’t a good option out there. I asked a few close friends to help me solve the problem. After months and months of work, Filld has launched and is refilling gas tanks at the press of a button.

As you scale Filld do you plan to introduce diesel gasoline and eventually scale into recharging electric cars?

Yes. We plan to expand our gasoline and diesel fueling offerings as we grow. We intentionally call ourselves on-demand fuel delivery; we are excited for the day when we can also provide alternative fuel delivery.

What was your greatest takeaway from working at Omega Ophthalmics? Was it the experience that you gained dealing with Government agencies that allowed you to successfully launch Filld?

At Omega Ophthalmics I had the opportunity to work with two co-founders who are incredibly talented, passionate, and wise. They identified one of the biggest problems in ophthalmology and set out to find a way to solve it. It was that passion and drive to solve big problems that taught me to persevere through a tough regulatory climate.

When Filld launches in more cities across the United States how do you plan to manage the fleet of refueling vehicles while keeping response times to a minimum?

We will only expand to a new city once the demand in that geographic area has exceeded a necessary quantity. This will allow us to enter new cities but still have response times be fast. Marketing and advertising campaigns will launch before the service actually launches in new markets. With our “waitlist” model, we able to identify where the next best market for Filld to enter will be. So sign up and get your friends to Sign Up Filld!

What is the future of energy in America and how will you position Filld to benefit from future consumer habits and trends?

There are many promising options for the future of energy in both American and globally. No matter which alternative energy our society moves towards, an infrastructure will need to be built. Whether it’s a problem of recharging your electric vehicle in a public parking lot not yet equipped with a charging station, or hydrogen-powered vehicles like the new Toyota Mirai; Filld hopes to be a part of that infrastructure.