Squid
AI agents for power grid planning 🦑
Winter 2026ActiveIndustrialsEnergy
Company
https://squid.energyWe 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.
Verdict
High Signal
Market Opportunity
Power grid planning software targets utilities, DNOs, TSOs, and energy companies globally — a B2B enterprise market with multi-billion dollar TAM as electrification accelerates (EVs, data centers, renewables). The ICP is clear: grid planners and operators who currently rely on spreadsheets and legacy tools. Enterprise SaaS pricing to large utilities means high ACV potential.
High Signal
Founder Signal
Conor Jones spent 9 years at National Grid as a power systems engineer rising to Digital Product Line Director, then Head of Product at Octopus Energy — deep domain expertise directly relevant to the product. George Kolokotronis is a repeat founder (co-founded VOLTQUANT, built and sold Gen AI/Geospatial products to National Grid, Octopus, SSE, Shell), has an MPhil from Cambridge, and was Head of Technology at Octopus Energy's grid tech business. Together they have ~15 years of combined power grid experience and prior co-founding history.
Medium Signal
Competition
Incumbent tools include ETAP, DIgSILENT PowerFactory, and PSS/E for power systems modeling, none of which are AI-native or browser-based. The combination of a unified network model, AI agents, and modern browser-based UX is a meaningful differentiation from legacy desktop tools. However, well-funded climate tech startups and incumbents investing in digital transformation could close the gap over time.
High Signal
Product
Named enterprise customers National Grid and Octopus Energy displayed on homepage with 'Trusted By' branding. A named testimonial from Doerte Schneemann, Head of Flexibility Markets, describes active production use. George's LinkedIn states the company is 'already working with one of the largest grids globally' less than 50 days after founding. SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 certifications suggest real enterprise deployments, not vaporware.
OverallA Tier
Squid is one of the stronger W26 companies on fundamentals: two domain-expert founders with deep insider knowledge of National Grid and Octopus Energy, a repeat founding history with prior customer traction at VOLTQUANT, and named enterprise customers live within 50 days of founding. The testimonial from Octopus Energy's Head of Flexibility Markets and the SOC 2/ISO 27001 certs signal real production use, not demo-ware. The main risk is sales cycle length and procurement friction with large regulated utilities. If they can convert National Grid and Octopus into meaningful ARR and land a few more tier-1 utilities in 2026, this is an S-tier company.
