# Paces Launches Autonomous AI for Power Infrastructure and Expands Brooklyn Team **Author:** Zero G Talent **Published:** 2026-10-24 **Category:** business-finance **Tags:** yc-hiring [Read on Zero G Talent](https://zerogtalent.com/blog/paces-launches-autonomous-ai-for-power-infrastructure-and-expands-brooklyn-team) --- Power development faces a widening backlog. Surging electricity demand from data centers, industrial reshoring, and electric vehicles has accelerated load growth, while the process of finding land, studying grid capacity, and securing permits remains slow. [Paces](https://zerogtalent.com/ai-companies/paces) builds software and AI agents to compress that pre-development cycle for renewable energy developers, data center operators, and utilities. The Brooklyn-based startup recently launched Paces Agent, an autonomous system designed to handle the research, diligence, and filings that consume time before construction begins, as reported by [Data Center Dynamics](https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/product-news/paces-agent-is-here-an-ai-teammate-for-power-development/). Supported by more than $13 million in venture funding, the 40-person company is hiring across engineering, product, and specialized power systems domain roles to expand the platform. ## What Paces Builds Paces operates a dual-layer platform: software paired with a Development-as-a-Service layer of human domain experts. The platform ingests, scrapes, and processes data from thousands of sources to evaluate parcels of land across the United States for energy projects, including solar, battery storage, and data center facilities. Its engineering stack relies on TypeScript on the frontend and Python on the backend. The core product automates early-stage development tasks: - **Siting and Ranking:** Screening land parcels against local zoning codes, environmental constraints, and proximity to transmission infrastructure, followed by landowner outreach campaigns. - **Grid Diligence:** Running N-1-1 Power Flow Studies to evaluate whether local transmission lines can support new generation or load. - **Environmental Permitting:** Compiling environmental and local permitting diligence reports reviewed by internal specialists before submission. - **Regulatory Filings:** Drafting and preparing interconnection applications and local permits, maintaining an auditable trail required for state and federal regulatory filings. By combining autonomous workflows with human review, the platform allows development teams to manage larger project pipelines without proportionally scaling their headcount. ## Leadership Paces was founded in 2022 by [Charles Bai](https://zerogtalent.com/people/charles-bai) and [James McWalter](https://zerogtalent.com/people/james-mcwalter), entering the Y Combinator S22 batch that summer. Bai serves as Chief Technology Officer. He previously worked at Meta AI, where he focused on large model inference and led AI efficiency initiatives. Before Meta, he built data-intensive software architectures across multiple early-stage startups. He holds a degree in Computer Science from Cornell University. McWalter serves as Chief Executive Officer. Originally from Ireland, he holds a master's degree in Philosophy from the University of St Andrews and an undergraduate degree in Psychology and Philosophy from the University of Galway. McWalter previously founded Hale, a personal training marketplace, and held senior roles at Hello Vera, a machine learning startup acquired by Google, as well as B2B research platform Respondent and financial software firm FactSet. ## Funding and Product Maturation Paces raised an $11 million Series A round led by Navitas Capital, bringing its total reported equity funding to $13.8 million, according to [AlleyWatch](https://www.alleywatch.com/2024/08/the-alleywatch-startup-daily-funding-report-8-2-2024/). Other investors in the company include Resolute Ventures, Collaborative Fund, Soma Capital, Suffolk Technologies, Climate Capital, and MCJ. The capital funded the development of Paces Agent. Co-founder Bai explained that the engineering team spent a year "mapping the full development workflow down to the individual click and decision" to ensure the agent understands both project steps and the points where human oversight is necessary. McWalter noted that combining automated agent workflows with human validation gives a small team the ability to run pipelines that previously demanded substantial manual coordination across analysts, GIS teams, and external permitting consultants. ## Brooklyn Hiring Focus Paces lists 13 open positions. The company operates primarily onsite from its office in Brooklyn, New York, with only two positions offering hybrid or remote options for US-based staff. The hiring plan falls into three main areas: 1. **Software and AI Engineering:** Technical hiring is led by a search for a [Head of Engineering](https://zerogtalent.com/ai-jobs/paces/head-of-engineering-96301) ($220,000 to $280,000). The company is also adding an [AI Engineer](https://zerogtalent.com/ai-jobs/paces/software-engineer-ai-automation-92968) ($150,000 to $190,000) to build automation agents, alongside a [Software Engineer, Geospatial Systems](https://zerogtalent.com/ai-jobs/paces/software-engineer-geospatial-systems-98461) ($150,000 to $220,000), a full-stack engineer, and an intern-level software engineer. 2. **Domain-Specific Energy Roles:** Because Paces outputs must meet utility and environmental standards, the company recruits industry specialists to work alongside its software. These positions include a [Transmission Planning Engineer](https://zerogtalent.com/ai-jobs/paces/transmission-planning-engineer-90647) ($130,000 to $150,000), an Environmental Engineer ($120,000 to $140,000), a Development Manager ($140,000 to $170,000), and a Regulatory Analyst ($85,000). 3. **Product and Go-to-Market:** The product organization is expanding under a [VP of Product](https://zerogtalent.com/ai-jobs/paces/vp-of-product-112544) ($240,000 to $300,000), supported by a Product Manager, a Product Marketer, and an Enterprise Account Executive ($220,000 to $240,000). The mix of open jobs shows a startup transitioning from early data aggregation tools into automated, auditable workflows that require deep power sector knowledge embedded directly into code. ## Open Roles at Paces | Role | Location | Work Mode | Salary | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | [VP of Product](https://zerogtalent.com/ai-jobs/paces/vp-of-product-112544) | Brooklyn, United States / Remote (US) | Hybrid | $240,000 – $300,000 | | [Head of Engineering](https://zerogtalent.com/ai-jobs/paces/head-of-engineering-96301) | Brooklyn, United States | Onsite | $220,000 – $280,000 | | [Enterprise Account Executive](https://zerogtalent.com/ai-jobs/paces/enterprise-account-executive-85557) | Brooklyn, United States | Onsite | $220,000 – $240,000 | | [Software Engineer, Geospatial Systems](https://zerogtalent.com/ai-jobs/paces/software-engineer-geospatial-systems-98461) | Brooklyn, United States | Onsite | $150,000 – $220,000 | | [Product Manager](https://zerogtalent.com/ai-jobs/paces/product-manager-96642) | Brooklyn, United States | Onsite | $160,000 – $200,000 | | [AI Engineer](https://zerogtalent.com/ai-jobs/paces/software-engineer-ai-automation-92968) | Brooklyn, United States | Onsite | $150,000 – $190,000 | | [Software Engineer, Full Stack](https://zerogtalent.com/ai-jobs/paces/software-engineer-full-stack-95062) | Brooklyn, United States | Onsite | $150,000 – $190,000 | | [Development Manager](https://zerogtalent.com/ai-jobs/paces/development-manager-90874) | Brooklyn, United States | Onsite | $140,000 – $170,000 | | [Product Marketer](https://zerogtalent.com/ai-jobs/paces/product-marketer-98460) | Brooklyn, United States | Onsite | $140,000 – $160,000 | | [Software Engineer (Junior)](https://zerogtalent.com/ai-jobs/paces/software-engineer-junior-95061) | Brooklyn, United States | Onsite | $110,000 – $160,000 | | [Transmission Planning Engineer](https://zerogtalent.com/ai-jobs/paces/transmission-planning-engineer-90647) | Brooklyn, United States | Onsite | $130,000 – $150,000 | | [Environmental Engineer](https://zerogtalent.com/ai-jobs/paces/environmental-engineer-91062) | Brooklyn, United States | Onsite | $120,000 – $140,000 | | [Regulatory Analyst](https://zerogtalent.com/ai-jobs/paces/regulatory-data-analyst-103723) | Brooklyn, United States / Remote (US) | Hybrid | $85,000 | [See all open roles at Paces](https://zerogtalent.com/ai-companies/paces) --- *Source: [Zero G Talent](https://zerogtalent.com), the job board for space, defense, AI, robotics and frontier-tech companies.*