Monterey, CA – October 9, 2025 Grid Forward, a member-based non-profit organization promoting grid modernization, announced Pitch Aeronautics, a developer of advanced installation drones, power line sensors, and data analytics platforms, as the winner of the 2025 Innovation Pitch Competition held during GridFWD 2025 in Monterey, California. The two-day annual event featured eight carefully selected startups showcasing how artificial intelligence can address challenges across the grid ecosystem, including demand-side management, grid optimization, asset management, and data management. Each participating company reflected this year’s core theme: The Rising Tide of AI Applications and Demands.
Pitch Aeronautics is redefining how utilities deploy and manage critical grid infrastructure, enabling them to increase capacity, mitigate wildfire risk, and prevent outages, all while safeguarding wildlife. By leveraging drone-deployable line sensors, AI-driven weather analytics, and strategically placed bird diverters, Pitch empowers grid operators to push up to 40% more energy through existing transmission lines, preempt failures, and cut wildlife collisions. As the winner, Pitch Aeronautics is eligible for up to $50K of business advisory services and up to $250K equity investment from Accurant International, a technology consulting and capital investment firm working with energy, power, and climate-tech companies.
Grid Innovation Pitch Competition winner Ian Gibson, COO & Co-Founder of Pitch Aeronautics (center) with Bryce Yonker, executive director and CEO of Grid Forward, and Mark Hormann, Managing Partner at Accurant International.
“We’re thrilled to be selected as the winner of the Grid Innovation Pitch Competition at GridFWD 2025,” says Ian Gibson, COO & Co-Founder of Pitch Aeronautics. “This recognition underscores our mission to help utilities boost grid capacity, improve resilience, and reduce wildfire risk through our AI-driven weather insights and drone-deployed weather stations. We’re grateful to Grid Forward and Accurant International for championing innovation in grid modernizations.”
“Accurant is proud to support companies solving today’s most pressing utility challenges,” said Mark Hormann, Managing Partner at Accurant International. “Pitch Aeronautics stood out for its flexible platform with drone-deployable transmission and distribution sensors for localized fire-risk assessment and dynamic line rating. Their technology represents exactly the kind of practical innovation that will make tomorrow’s grid smarter, safer, and more resilient.”
Eight excellent AI start-ups competed at GridFWD 2025
The first round of the competition featured participants such as Nexbe, EcoPhi, and Toumetis. Advancing to the final five alongside Pitch Aeronautics were Magnefy, Firescape AI, Tierra Climate, and Mercury Computing.
Thanks to the impressive panel of judges: Gisela Glandt (Uplight), Carolin Funk, Ph.D. (Blue Bear Capital), Hany S. Soliman (Microsoft), Mark Gustafson (Avista), Mark Hormann (Accurant International), Ryan Pletka, PE (Pacific Gas and Electric Company), and Smriti Mishra (Pacific Gas and Electric Company). Additionally, alongside the judges’ selection, Grid Forward also recognized a People’s Choice winner and used AI to analyze each presentation and determine which one it would have chosen as the winner. Tierra Climate received top honors in both instances.
“Each year, the Innovation Pitch Competition showcases the creativity and technical excellence advancing the grid,” said Bryce Yonker, CEO and Executive Director of Grid Forward. “This year we were very impressed with the wide range of AI-based solutions for the grid from our start-up community. We’re proud to provide a platform that connects these emerging companies with industry leaders, investors, and partners who can help accelerate their growth and impact.”
Organized by Grid Forward, GridFWD 2025 gathered hundreds of community members, industry experts and partners within the electric energy and utilities industry around the topic of “AI and the Grid: The rising tide of new applications and demands.” Next year, GridFWD 2026 travels to Snowbird, UT with a focus on ‘Reprioritizing Affordability for modernizing the grid.’
