CivilGrid has raised a $26 million Series A to expand its platform for mapping underground infrastructure, property boundaries, and environmental constraints. The startup sells that data to utilities, engineering firms, and governments so they can plan projects with better visibility into pipes, cables, and other assets buried below ground.
The round was led by Spark Capital, with participation from Afore, A*, Ford Street Ventures, SNR, and Energy Impact Partners. CivilGrid was founded in 2020 by former Pacific Gas and Electric engineer Josh Mackanic.
CivilGrid Combines Disconnected Infrastructure Data
Mackanic started the company after seeing how difficult it could be to identify underground assets that were not owned by the utility managing a project. In one case, an unidentified pipe halted excavation for three days and created about $60,000 in delays.
Utilities generally have detailed records for the infrastructure they own, but information about sewage, water, telecommunications, and other systems may sit with different organizations. CivilGrid collects and organizes those datasets into what Mackanic describes as a “Google Maps for what’s underground.”
The problem can have significant safety and financial consequences. Around 200,000 utility strikes occur each year in the United States, according to figures cited by the company.
PG&E Says Platform Has Identified $60 Million in Avoidable Costs
PG&E is one of CivilGrid’s customers. A case study conducted by the utility identified $60 million in potentially avoidable paving costs across 1,600 planned gas distribution projects using CivilGrid’s data.
Christine Cowsert, PG&E’s senior vice president of enterprise business and technology modernization, said CivilGrid helps teams identify project risks earlier and plan infrastructure more efficiently.
The investment from Energy Impact Partners also connects CivilGrid with a fund whose limited partners include several utility companies.
CivilGrid Plans to Automate More Project Planning
Mackanic said CivilGrid currently helps engineers understand constraints before deciding where new infrastructure should be placed. The company now wants to extend that work into recommendations about where to build and which permits are required.
CivilGrid could eventually automate parts of the permitting process as well. Mackanic said the company has already captured data and users involved at the earliest stages of infrastructure planning, giving it a base for expanding into other administrative tasks.
He said underground infrastructure mapping is not a new problem, but CivilGrid has focused on bringing together fragmented datasets, securing access to them, and building relationships with organizations willing to pay for the information.
The company plans to use the Series A funding to add customers and expand the range of planning and permitting tasks its platform can support.
Featured image credits: LinkedIn
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