Grid Catalyst

Are you a startup that has worked, or attempted to work, with a utility to adopt a new technology? We want to hear from you! Grid Catalyst is partnering with researchers at the University of Minnesota to study utility innovation hurdles and best practices. What keeps utilities from adopting new technologies and what can the public and private sectors do to make it easier?  By sharing your insights, you will be helping improve future opportunities for utility collaboration and pilot development. Share your insights before April 15 👉 https://lnkd.in/gH9auSQB Individual results of the survey will be kept anonymous. The survey should take 6 minutes. Your time and feedback are greatly appreciated.

Mark your calendars! On April 22, we’re hosting the PowerNorth Incubator Showcase, featuring seven innovative energy and cleantech entrepreneurs from Minnesota. From grid resilience to precision agriculture, sustainable construction to biomass energy – each of these early-stage Minnesota startups brings unique solutions to tackle our most pressing energy and sustainability challenges. Stick around after the pitches for an energy and cleantech innovation networking reception from 4-5pm. 📅 April 22, 1:00–5:00 PM 📍Sunrise Banks Corporate Office in Saint Paul Open to industry partners, investors, and anyone who supports cleantech and energy innovation in Minnesota. A big thank you to Sunrise Banks for partnering with us to co-host the showcase. RSVP to secure your spot 👉 https://lnkd.in/gB_tsbst

🔒2025 Demonstration Cohort Spotlight: Minneapolis-based Enspi.io is revolutionizing utility operations with their innovative AI-powered platform that helps utilities operate more efficiently while enhancing cybersecurity.  Today's utilities face two critical challenges: optimizing increasingly complex grid operations while defending against sophisticated cyber threats. As renewable integration accelerates and energy demands evolve, utilities need better visibility and control to maintain reliability and efficiency. At the same time, systems are becoming more digital and interconnected, presenting unprecedented cybersecurity risks that traditional approaches struggle to address. This combination creates an urgent need for solutions that can both maximize operational performance and protect critical infrastructure. 💡 The Technology: Enspi has developed GridGuardAI, an innovative platform that creates “digital twins” of utility systems to monitor and optimize performance, reduce operational costs, and enhance cybersecurity. This AI-powered analytics platform provides utility operators with: → Comprehensive visibility across all utility assets and systems → Real-time operational insights to improve reliability and efficiency → Automated threat detection with rapid response capabilities → The ability to simulate multiple cyber threat and response scenarios in a risk-free environment 🛠️ The Project: Enspi is partnering with Grand Rapids Public Utility in Grand Rapids, MN to explore a demonstration of their technology in a real-world utility setting. The team is planning to design a digital twin of Grand Rapids' utility assets, providing both comprehensive operational visibility and enhanced security capabilities. The implementation will allow the utility to independently run simulation scenarios across multiple information systems. Congratulations to Dwayne Caldwell, Tichakunda Mangono, and the rest of the Enspi team on this milestone! 👉 Learn more about Enspi Technologies and their innovative GridGuardAI platform: https://lnkd.in/g2aecJfG Next up: We’ll be shifting gears to spotlight an industrial hardware startup that’s disrupting a product responsible for a full 50% of the world’s electricity demand.  ________________ Demonstration Cohort projects are made possible by funding through the Minnesota Energy Alley initiative, led by Clean Energy Economy MN (CEEM) in partnership with the Minnesota Department of Commerce and Grid Catalyst. This initiative leverages our region's deep technological expertise, industry leadership, and collaborative spirit to drive innovation and secure our state's energy and economic future. We're grateful for the strong public and private leadership across the state that makes this work possible.

Public-private partnerships and leadership are two key reasons Minnesota is becoming a global hub for energy innovation. We recently announced the five energy startups developing pilots with Minnesota partners through our Demonstration Cohort, which was made possible by the Minnesota Energy Alley initiative. We are grateful to Governor Walz and his administration for their leadership and vision, as he shared in our announcement. “Minnesota has been and will continue to be a leader in clean energy,” said Governor Walz. “I’m grateful‬ for the collaboration happening to support small businesses, attract millions in new investment, and promote‬ union job growth across the state. These innovative startups are critical to growing Minnesota’s economy‬ and keeping us on top of energy innovation.”‬ In just the first 15 months of the MN Energy Alley initiative, we have helped over 20 startups, launched 10 pilot projects, and leveraged the first $1 million invested in the program to secure over $11 million in follow-on funding for cohort members. This means significant returns and opportunities for Minnesota communities. The traction we have gained in this program is made possible through public-private partnerships, including Governor Walz and Lt. Governor Flanagan, the Minnesota legislature, the Minnesota Department of Commerce and the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, Clean Energy Economy MN (CEEM) Minnesota, and our Innovators Network. #AccelerateNorth #MNEnergyAlley #energy #innovation #Minnesota

NREL's Industry Growth Forum – one of the biggest energy and cleantech conferences of the year – just concluded, and one thing is crystal clear: Despite ongoing industry uncertainty, the transition to a more affordable, resilient, and sustainable energy future is alive and well. Organized by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, IGF brings together energy and cleantech startups, investors, industry leaders, and ecosystem partners from across the country and around the world. Some of the world's largest companies – from Wells Fargo and Siemens to Shell and Chevron – were in attendance, underscoring how much industry leadership sees energy and cleantech innovation as critical to business and economic growth. The forum showcased cutting-edge technologies pushing the boundaries of sustainable innovation. It was especially inspiring to see our cohort startups gaining traction: Jimmy Randolph and Spencer Ingaldson from Darcy Solutions (commercial geothermal heat pumps), Reamonn L. Soto from Sensatek Propulsion Technology, Inc (wind energy monitoring and analytics), Simon Julien from Latimer Controls, Inc. (Utility-Scale Solar Energy Management), Chance Cobb from Blip Energy (battery storage), David Roe from LiquidCool Solutions, Inc. (liquid cooling for data centers), and Diana Fisler and Joe Eriqat from EcoSnap, LLC(residential and small commercial heat pump systems). A big thank you to Catherine (Cat) D. and the whole IN2 team for organizing such an impactful channel partner meeting of cleantech incubators and accelerators from across the country ahead of the forum. It was an incredible opportunity to connect with and learn from our counterparts in other states. We’re heading home inspired to bring new innovative energy startups to Minnesota with our 2026 Demonstration Cohort. Application opening soon… Back to work. 💪

The 2025 PowerNorth Incubator wrapped up yesterday with a practice pitch session, building momentum for our upcoming Startup Showcase on April 22. Congratulations to the exceptional energy and cleantech founders who have completed the program! It's been inspiring to witness your ventures take shape and we are excited to see your continued success. Thank you to our incredible guest lecturers who generously shared their expertise, insights, and advice with our startups, helping to fuel their growth and potential: Bray M. Dohrwardt, Carlye Lauff, PhD, Seth Werner, Julie Kucinski, Jacquie O'Connor, Adam Choe. Thank you to Mark Sanders and Erik Halaas who were instrumental in helping us design this program. Bonus props to Mark for teaching our intro sessions on value proposition and lean business model canvas design. Shout out to our expert program mentors (and volunteers): Tom Fletcher, Paul Taylor, Kimberly Lowe, Michael J. Ostaffe, and Raquel Lourenço. A special thank you to our program manager, Kevion Ellis, for his leadership and hard work in making this a valuable learning experience for our founders. Our sincere gratitude to LaunchMN, the McKnight Foundation, the Wells Fargo Foundation, and the Minnesota Energy Alley initiative for their generous support, which made this programming possible. Thank you for investing in a stronger energy innovation ecosystem for Minnesota. Curious to meet the founders behind the PowerNorth startups? Join us at the PowerNorth Showcase and discover the future of energy and cleantech innovation in Minnesota. Event details and registration → https://lnkd.in/gB_tsbst #PowerNorth #energy #innovation #startups #partnership #event #incubator #CleantechInnovationPathways

Keep an eye out at IGF for Kevion Ellis and Becky Kane!

🧊 2025 Demonstration Cohort Spotlight: LiquidCool Solutions, Inc. (Rochester, MN) is revolutionizing data center cooling with a patented liquid immersion technology. As AI technologies advance at breathtaking speed, our digital infrastructure faces unprecedented energy challenges. Data centers already consume an estimated 2% of global electricity, a figure that is projected to double by 2030 with the exponential growth of AI computing. Traditional air cooling systems – which account for up to 40% of a data center's energy use – are increasingly inadequate as computing demands intensify. Without revolutionary cooling solutions, we risk spiraling energy consumption, strained power grids, and significant water usage that could limit AI's potential and exacerbate climate impacts. 💡 The Technology: LiquidCool has developed a groundbreaking total liquid immersion cooling system that submerges 100% of a device's electronics in electrically non-conductive fluid. Unlike traditional air cooling, their patented technology: → Eliminates internal fans and several complex HVAC system components → Handles much higher heat (up to 140°F) generated by AI processors and high-density computing → Captures that higher heat to be efficiently reused for hot water or building heating The result? LiquidCool’s technology can reduce data center energy consumption by 30% or more. 🛠️ The Project: LiquidCool is partnering with Vaultas, a Minnesota-based data center operator, to pilot the technology at their St. Cloud colocation data center facility. This demonstration project will showcase how immersion cooling can enable the next generation of AI computing while dramatically reducing energy use. Vaultas President John Unger estimates the technology could save the family-owned data center up to 40% on their bottom line. Congratulations to Ken Krei, Rick Tufty, Chad Cape and the whole LiquidCool team on this milestone! 👉 Learn more about this groundbreaking project: https://lnkd.in/g_MZ5cRX Next up: While AI presents large energy challenges, it can also provide solutions. Next week, we’ll introduce you to a Minneapolis-based startup that is using AI-enabled software to help utilities optimize their energy operations and protect critical energy infrastructure. ⚡️ ______________ Demonstration Cohort projects are made possible by funding through the Minnesota Energy Alley initiative, led by Clean Energy Economy MN (CEEM) in partnership with the Minnesota Department of Commerce and Grid Catalyst. This initiative leverages our region's deep technological expertise, industry leadership, and collaborative spirit to drive innovation and secure our state's energy and economic future. #AccelerateNorth #Energy #Innovation #EnergyTech #Startups

Appreciate St. Cloud LIVE's Trent Abrego for spotlighting the innovative partnership between LiquidCool Solutions, Inc. and homegrown data center company Vaultas in St. Cloud, part of the Grid Catalyst Demonstration Cohort made possible by the Minnesota Energy Alley initiative. This project is an excellent example of how startups and established infrastructure providers can collaborate to bring the next generation of energy technologies to life — precisely the goal of Minnesota Energy Alley. As demand for data centers grows across the U.S., exploring innovative solutions to make them more efficient is essential. It's exciting to see this kind of cleantech innovation and its potential for local economic and community impact happening right here in Minnesota. Read the full article: https://lnkd.in/g_MZ5cRX

More local coverage of our 2025 Demonstration Cohort! 🚀 St. Cloud LIVE reporter Trent Abrego highlighted the partnership between local data center company Vaultas and Rochester-based startup LiquidCool Solutions, Inc. in yesterday's business brief: https://lnkd.in/g_MZ5cRX Through our cohort program, Vaultas is working with LiquidCool to test the startup’s innovative cooling technology in their St. Cloud data center. In contrast to traditional air-cooling systems, LiquidCool’s patented immersion cooling solution fully immerses components in an electrically non-conductive fluid, eliminating the need for internal fans and reducing data center energy consumption by 30% or more. As Vaultas President John Unger shared with St. Cloud LIVE, "Until you build a data center, you don't realize the cost and the size and the impact on the budget that cooling requires." This technology could save the family-owned data center up to 40% on their bottom line! This is just one of five innovative partnerships in our 2025 cohort, with each project receiving seed funding from the Minnesota Energy Alley initiative to support clean energy demonstrations across the region. Thanks to our amazing partners, the startups in our cohort, and everyone working to position Minnesota as a leader in energy technology advancement.