# Gridware Scales Grid Monitoring Network Across US Utilities

**Author:** Zero G Talent
**Published:** 2026-11-10
**Category:** engineering
**Tags:** yc-hiring, iot, power grid, firmware engineering, software engineering, energy

[Read on Zero G Talent](https://zerogtalent.com/blog/gridware-scales-grid-monitoring-network-across-us-utilities)

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Power utilities across North America manage millions of miles of overhead distribution lines using inspection methods that have changed little in decades. Crews patrol circuits manually by truck or foot, often searching for intermittent faults or downed lines after a circuit breaker trips. In high-risk weather, undetected line damage can spark catastrophic wildfires before operators locate the failure.

San Francisco-based [Gridware](https://zerogtalent.com/frontier-companies/gridware) is replacing that guesswork with an automated sensing and analytics network. Founded in 2020 by former electrical lineman [Tim Barat](https://zerogtalent.com/people/tim-barat), [Hall Chen](https://zerogtalent.com/people/hall-chen), and [Omar B](https://zerogtalent.com/people/omar-b), the company mounts autonomous sensor units directly to utility poles to monitor mechanical, acoustic, and electrical anomalies in real time.

Following a $55 million Series B financing round led by Tiger Global and Generation Investment Management—bringing total equity funding to $97.2 million—the company is rapidly scaling its field operations and engineering teams. Gridware now works with nearly 30 utilities, covering networks that serve approximately 40 percent of United States electricity customers.

## Listening to the Physical Grid

Most legacy grid monitoring focuses purely on electrical current and voltage at substations. Gridware approaches the distribution grid as a physical, mechanical system. Co-founder and CEO Tim Barat has described the overhead network as operating like a giant guitar, where wires serve as strings and poles act as frets. When branches hit a line, conductors slap together, or poles begin to lean, those physical events transmit distinct vibration and acoustic frequencies through the structure.

The company’s core hardware device, the Gridscope, mounts to a utility pole with four screws in roughly ten minutes without requiring power outages or contact with energized conductors. Powered by an integrated solar panel and onboard battery, each unit samples physical motions and acoustic vibrations roughly 6,000 times per second. 

Instead of streaming massive quantities of raw sensor telemetry to the cloud over cellular networks, the Gridscope processes data locally. Onboard microprocessors evaluate signatures to distinguish routine environmental noise—such as passing garbage trucks—from true grid threats like high-impedance faults, vegetation contact, and structural degradation. When the device identifies an anomaly, it transmits small data packets over cellular, satellite, or peer-to-peer radio networks directly to grid operators.

To ensure field longevity in severe climates, contract manufacturing partner Keytronic expanded production in 2026, incorporating an optically clear, water-repellent glass surface coating from Diamon-Fusion International reported by [TD World](https://www.tdworld.com/overhead-distribution/news/55399322/grid-monitoring-devices-to-receive-protective-glass-coating) to protect the device's solar components from grime and environmental contamination.

## Utility Adoption and Field Proof

Gridware's early proof of concept relied on deliberate destruction. At a dedicated test site at UC Berkeley's Richmond Field Station, Barat constructed a full-scale test line with 50-foot poles and 12.5-kilovolt lines. The team systematically dropped trees on energized conductors, cut live wires, and blew up transformers to train its detection models on authentic physical failure data.

The resulting technology quickly won over field personnel. In a profile published by [Latitude Media](https://www.latitudemedia.com/news/how-gridwares-grid-monitoring-sensors-won-over-a-career-lineman/), former Pacific Gas & Electric operations manager Tim Bedford recounted how Gridscope sensors detected an un-tripped line contact that could have burned 45,000 acres in Northern California. Bedford subsequently joined Gridware as principal customer success manager. PG&E expanded its initial deployment to more than 10,000 devices across roughly 900 circuit miles.

Municipal and regional providers report similar operational gains. In Utah, Brigham City Public Power used Gridscope alerts to locate a conductor arc caused by a bird strike within minutes, containing a brushfire before it spread, according to a case study on [Gridware's YouTube channel](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFSBEQvhkc0). In Pennsylvania, Duquesne Light Company deployed more than 1,700 units across the Pittsburgh region to speed up outage restoration, winning an operational innovation award from Public Utilities Fortnightly as reported by [Pulse 2.0](https://pulse2.com/gridware-55-million-series-b-closed-to-accelerate-u-s-deployments-and-drive-global-expansion/).

## Engineering the Active Grid Response Platform

Deploying tens of thousands of edge computers onto critical infrastructure creates significant distributed software, systems, and communications challenges. The company is actively hiring senior engineering talent at its San Francisco headquarters to support fleet expansion across North America and upcoming deployments in the United Kingdom and Europe.

On the hardware and embedded side, Gridware is hiring a [Senior Firmware Engineer, Wireless Communications](https://zerogtalent.com/frontier-jobs/gridware/senior-firmware-engineer-wireless-communications-84043) ($180,000—$230,000) to design low-power wireless networking architectures. The role focuses on mesh networking, Matter, and non-terrestrial network (NTN) satellite links to allow pole devices to relay telemetry reliably without relying on expensive cellular gateways.

To support device orchestration, the company needs a [Senior Software Engineer, Fleet Management](https://zerogtalent.com/frontier-jobs/gridware/senior-software-engineer-fleet-management-82750) ($175,000—$195,000). This engineer leads the architecture for device health monitoring, configuration management, and over-the-air firmware deployments across expanding utility networks.

Gridware is also scaling its application layer. A [Senior Software Engineer, Active Grid Response](https://zerogtalent.com/frontier-jobs/gridware/senior-software-engineer-active-grid-response-82753) ($175,000—$195,000) will lead systems that detect and classify real-time grid faults, integrating machine learning inference pipelines with human analyst workflows. Supporting this infrastructure are openings for a [Senior Software Engineer, Backend](https://zerogtalent.com/frontier-jobs/gridware/senior-software-engineer-backend-82751) ($175,000—$195,000) to scale data ingestion pipelines from thousands of active field devices, and a [Senior Software Engineer, Frontend](https://zerogtalent.com/frontier-jobs/gridware/senior-software-engineer-frontend-82752) ($175,000—$195,000) to design the command-and-control interfaces used by utility dispatchers.

## Current Open Roles

All current engineering positions are full-time and based onsite at Gridware's San Francisco headquarters.

| Role | Location | Work Mode | Salary |
| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
| [Senior Firmware Engineer, Wireless Communications](https://zerogtalent.com/frontier-jobs/gridware/senior-firmware-engineer-wireless-communications-84043) | San Francisco, CA, US | Onsite | $180,000 – $230,000 |
| [Senior Software Engineer, Active Grid Response](https://zerogtalent.com/frontier-jobs/gridware/senior-software-engineer-active-grid-response-82753) | San Francisco, CA, US | Onsite | $175,000 – $195,000 |
| [Senior Software Engineer, Backend](https://zerogtalent.com/frontier-jobs/gridware/senior-software-engineer-backend-82751) | San Francisco, CA, US | Onsite | $175,000 – $195,000 |
| [Senior Software Engineer, Fleet Management](https://zerogtalent.com/frontier-jobs/gridware/senior-software-engineer-fleet-management-82750) | San Francisco, CA, US | Onsite | $175,000 – $195,000 |
| [Senior Software Engineer, Frontend](https://zerogtalent.com/frontier-jobs/gridware/senior-software-engineer-frontend-82752) | San Francisco, CA, US | Onsite | $175,000 – $195,000 |

[See all open roles at Gridware](https://zerogtalent.com/frontier-companies/gridware)

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*Source: [Zero G Talent](https://zerogtalent.com), the job board for space, defense, AI, robotics and frontier-tech companies.*