Squid
Winter 2026 NewAI agents for power grid planning 🦑
We believe the electricity grid is the most important machine on Earth. If we want electrification to move fast, the teams planning and operating networks need software that is as modern as the challenge. Our thesis is simple. Better decisions come from one unified, trusted network model. When everyone works from the same model, planning becomes consistent, assumptions are visible, and progress stops getting lost in spreadsheets and static reports. Squid is AI powered grid planning in your browser. We have spent years inside National Grid, Octopus Energy, and AWS, building and learning what breaks. Now we are building what we wished existed.
AI Investor Summary
Squid is building AI-powered software for electricity grid planning, addressing the critical need for modern tools as the world electrifies. With a strong founding team from Tesla and Apple, and early traction with National Grid, they are poised to tackle the massive and growing energy infrastructure market. Their platform aims to unify grid planning with a trusted AI model, enabling faster and more efficient decision-making.
Key Highlights
- ● Founders with direct experience at Tesla and Apple, bringing strong engineering and product development backgrounds.
- ● Clear and compelling thesis around unifying grid planning with AI, addressing a critical need.
- ● Positive early customer traction with National Grid and inclusion in YC Winter 2026 cohort.
Risk Factors
- ● The competitive landscape in energy software is likely to be crowded, requiring clear differentiation and execution.
- ● Scaling AI models for complex, real-world power grid scenarios can be technically challenging and require significant data.
- ● The long sales cycles typical in the utility sector could impact early revenue growth.
Founders
Conor Jones is a co-founder of Squid, a Y Combinator startup focused on energy storage solutions. His background includes experience in engineering and product development, with a focus on bringing innovative hardware to market. He holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania.
George Kolokotronis is a co-founder of Squid, a Y Combinator startup focused on energy storage solutions. His background includes extensive experience in engineering and technology, with a focus on developing innovative solutions for the energy sector. He has a proven track record of bringing complex technical projects to fruition.
Score Breakdown
Strong technical team with deep domain expertise from top companies like Tesla and Apple, and impressive educational backgrounds from UPenn and Stanford. Their prior experience in hardware and product development for complex systems is highly relevant. The combination of engineering and product leadership is a significant strength. [Boost +1: Founder from Apple; Founder from Apple]
Large addressable market in energy grid planning, driven by the massive global push for electrification and renewable energy integration. The timing is excellent, with utilities facing increasing complexity and regulatory tailwinds supporting modernization. The TAM is enormous and growing rapidly. [Boost +0.5: Hot sector: ai]
The product shows promise with its thesis of a unified, trusted network model powered by AI. The technical differentiation lies in its AI capabilities for planning and decision-making. The platform potential is high, aiming to be the central nervous system for grid planning. However, the defensibility and UX quality need further validation as the product matures.
Early stage with positive press coverage indicating initial customer adoption (National Grid). Being part of YC Winter 2026 is a strong signal. The mention of being live on a blockchain for payments is interesting but its direct relevance to the core grid planning product needs clarification. Revenue and user growth metrics are not yet detailed.
News
National Grid has introduced a new interactive flexibility portal, utilizing Squid's technology, to facilitate better interaction with flexibility providers.
National Grid DSO has launched a new interactive FlexPortal, which is powered by Squid, to improve engagement with flexibility providers.
Squid Energy, an Energy Software Services company, has joined Y Combinator's Winter 2026 cohort, receiving $500k in seed funding from Y Combinator.
Squid is now live on Tempo, a payments-first Layer 1 blockchain, enabling cross-chain access to pathUSD from over 100 chains.
Squid raised a total of $500K in a Seed round on January 1, 2026, from Y Combinator.
Squid, founded in 2020, develops AI-powered software for electricity grid planning and operation, and has raised $500K in seed funding from Y Combinator.
Squid has launched its new Cross-Chain Order Routing and Auction Layer (CORAL), which introduces request-for-quote (RFQ) auctions to add offchain liquidity sources and improve cross-chain financial activities.
National Grid has introduced a new interactive flexibility portal, utilizing Squid's technology, to move flexibility data away from spreadsheets and into a more manageable system.
National Grid DSO has launched a new interactive flexibility portal, FlexPortal, which is powered by Squid, to manage flexibility data more effectively.
Squid provides AI-powered grid planning in the browser, offering a unified and trusted network model to improve decision-making for electricity grid operators.
Squid offers a purpose-built platform for energy companies to model networks, test stresses, and unlock progress in grid planning with AI-powered tools.
Squid aims to fix the chaotic file-based decision-making in electricity grid planning by providing a single, trusted, versioned model accessible via a browser.
National Grid Electricity Distribution (NGED) has partnered with energy data technology company Squid to make its electricity network model data more accessible and usable for stakeholders through Squid's CIM Explorer platform.
Squid is developing a browser-based, AI-powered workspace for electricity grid planners, aiming to replace outdated tools like spreadsheets with a unified, modern platform for modeling and analysis.
Quick Info
- Batch
- Winter 2026
- Team Size
- 2
- Location
- Unspecified
- Founders
- 2
- Scraped
- 4/10/2026