money moves

Power grid tech co. with Houston HQ raises $25M series B

Heimdall supplies software and sensors for monitoring overhead power lines. Photo via heimdallpower.com

A Norway-based provider of technology for power grids whose U.S. headquarters is in Houston has raised a $25 million series B round of funding.

The venture capital arm of Polish energy giant Orlen, Norwegian cleantech fund NRP Zero, and the Norway-based Steinsvik Family Office co-led Heimdall Energy's round. Existing investors, including Investinor, Ebony, Hafslund, Lyse, and Sarsia Seed, chipped in $8.5 million of the $25 million round.

“This funding gives us fuel to grow internationally, as we continue to build our organization with the best people and industry experts in the world,” Jørgen Festervoll, CEO of Heimdall, says in a news release.

Founded in 2016, Heimdall supplies software and sensors for monitoring overhead power lines. The company says its technology can generate up to 40 percent in additional transmission capacity from existing power lines.

Heimdall entered the U.S. market in 2023 with the opening of its Houston office after operating for several years in the European market.

“Heimdall Power has built itself a unique position as an enabler for the ongoing energy transition, with fast-increasing electricity demand and queues of renewables waiting to get connected,” says Marek Garniewski, president of Orlen’s VC fund.

Heimdall says it will put the fresh funding toward scaling up production and installation of its “magic ball” sphere-shaped sensors. In the U.S., these sensors help operators of power grids maximize the capacity of the aging power infrastructure.

“In the United States alone, there are over 500,000 miles of power lines — most of which have a far higher transmission capacity than grid operators have historically been able to realize. To increase capacity, many have launched large-scale and expensive infrastructure projects,” Heimdall says.

Now, the U.S. government has stepped in to ensure that utilities are gaining more capacity from the existing infrastructure, aiming to upgrade 100,000 miles of transmission lines over the next five years.

Heimdall's technology enables grid operators and utilities to boost transmission capacity without undertaking lengthy, costly infrastructure projects. Earlier this year, the company kicked off the largest grid optimization project in the U.S. with Minnesota-based Great River Energy.

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This article originally ran on InnovationMap.

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A View From HETI

Square Robot has landed funding and a new partnership with Marathon Petroleum. Photo courtesy of Square Robot

Houston- and Boston-based Square Robot Inc. has announced a partnership with downstream and midstream energy giant Marathon Petroleum Corp. (NYSE: MPC).

The partnership comes with an undisclosed amount of funding from Marathon, which Square Robot says will help "shape the design and development" of its submersible robotics platform and scale its fleet for nationwide tank inspections.

“Marathon’s partnership marks a major milestone in our mission to transform industrial tank inspection,” David Lamont, CEO of Square Robot, said in a news release. “They recognize the proven value of our robotic inspections—eliminating confined space entry, reducing the environmental impact, and delivering major cost efficiencies all while keeping tanks on-line and working. We’re excited to work together with such a great company to expand inspection capabilities and accelerate innovation across the industry.”

The company closed a $13 million series B last year. At the time of closing, Square Robot said it would put the funding toward international expansion in Europe and the Middle East.

Square Robot develops autonomous, submersible robots that are used for storage tank inspections and eliminate the need for humans to enter dangerous and toxic environments. Its newest tank inspection robot, known as the SR-3HT, became commercially available and certified to operate at a broader temperature range than previous models in the company's portfolio this fall.

The company was first founded in the Boston area in 2016 and launched its Houston office in 2019.

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