money moves

Houston energy analytics company garners $41M in growth capital

Houston-based Welligence Energy Analytics specializes in data and intelligence for the oil and gas markets, greenhouse gas emissions sector, and CCUS projects. Photo via Getty Images

A group of investors has chipped in $41 million to purchase a minority stake in Houston-based Welligence Energy Analytics, a provider of energy data and intelligence.

Boston-based venture capital firm Elephant Partners led the series B round, with participation from Veriten, a Houston-based, energy-focused research, investing, and strategy firm, and EDG, a Metairie, Louisiana-based energy consulting firm. Several executives from the energy, information services, and software sectors also contributed to the round.

Founded in 2016, Welligence specializes in data and intelligence for the oil and gas markets, greenhouse gas emissions sector, and carbon capture, storage, and utilization (CCUS) projects. Clients include major oil and gas companies, as well as large investment banks.

“Our team is proud of the growth we’ve achieved over the last six years. The foundation of Welligence has now been built. We have a world-class team, a robust database and platform, and a brand recognized globally in our industry,” Welligence co-founder and CEO Ross Lubetkin says in a news release. “Raising significant capital from some of the market’s most sophisticated investors with a proven track record is a pivotal step towards realizing the Welligence vision — to solidify our presence as a leading global energy research house.”

Welligence says it will use the funding to beef up its product offerings, expand its geographic data capabilities, and enter new energy research verticals. The company has employees and clients in North America, Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East, and it plans to open more global offices.

“We have been extremely impressed by the Welligence team and product and are excited by the scalability of the platform. Through the company’s use of new technology, ideas, and methodologies, Welligence continues to take market share in a space traditionally monopolized by a few legacy players,” says Christopher De Souza, a partner at Elephant. “Welligence’s global energy database positions it well for expansion into new frontiers.”

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A View From HETI

Engie will supply up to 300 megawatts of wind power to New York-based Cipher Mining, which develops and operates large data centers for cryptocurrency mining. Photo via Getty Images.

Houston-based Engie North America, which specializes in generating low-carbon power, has sealed a preliminary deal to supply wind power to a Cipher Mining data center in Texas.

Under the tentative agreement, Cipher could buy as much as 300 megawatts of clean energy from one of Engie’s wind projects. The financial terms of the deal weren’t disclosed.

Cipher Mining develops and operates large data centers for cryptocurrency mining and high-performance computing.

In November, New York City-based Cipher said it bought a 250-acre site in West Texas for a data center with up to 100 megawatts of capacity. Cipher paid $4.1 million for the property.

“By pairing the data center with renewable energy, this strategic collaboration supports the use of surplus energy during periods of excess generation, while enhancing grid stability and reliability,” Engie said in a news release about the Cipher agreement.

The Engie-Cipher deal comes amid the need for more power in Texas due to several factors. The U.S. Energy Information Administration reported in October that data centers and cryptocurrency mining are driving up demand for power in the Lone Star State. Population growth is also putting pressure on the state’s energy supply.

Last year, Engie added 4.2 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity worldwide, bringing the total capacity to 46 gigawatts as of December 31. Also last year, Engie signed a new contract with Meta (Facebook's owner) and expanded its partnership with Google in the U.S. and Belgium.

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