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National Grid Partners

Daniel White, Business Development Director at National Grid Partners, hosted a fireside chat at the DistribuTECH conference with Ian Black, chief operating officer of Sensat. The UK startup, part of the National Grid Partners portfolio, helps speed major construction projects by recreating physical infrastructure in an interactive, “digital twin” platform. The conversation was packed with the kind of candid, practical detail that’s usually left out of glossy case studies. Together they discussed how a single pilot can become a multi-region rollout of new technology.

National Grid is pursuing a multibillion-dollar transmission network upgrade in the UK and US to support data centers and other large loads; connect renewable generation projects like wind and solar; and maintain grid reliability. Dan framed the urgency plainly: “It’s a very large undertaking, and we’re under real pressure to do it fast.”

Enter Sensat, a company roughly 0.01% the size of National Grid, with a solution that can help. Their platform quickly ingests site scans, satellite imagery, CAD designs, and other input data, then turns it into a single visual design environment. Design processes that could take months can now be done in weeks. Lower-cost design alternatives can be identified quickly and easily, and costly “design clashes” can be identified earlier in the process before they impact schedules or budgets.

However, at a regulated utility, knowing “the answer” is less than half the battle. Getting a new technology from pilot to adopted solution can be a long and challenging process, since any technology that touches our networks must be proven reliable.

A Multi-Billion Dollar Challenge Meets a 0.01% Start-up

If you’re a startup, getting your first utility pilot can feel like a victory. The discussion reminded listeners why that’s both true and misleading. Pilots can be relatively easy for utilities: smaller budgets, less regulatory scrutiny, good PR, and a chance to learn without committing to a solution. But pilots can also become endless experimentation without a clear path to scale.

Dan said pilots that work are ones designed with scale in mind from day one. That means:

Clear performance indicators (what does “success” actually look like?)

A real assessment of the startup as a potential future vendor

A defined path toward a larger implementation

An identified in-house “champion” willing to take the solution down the path to broader deployment.

Ian shared these tips for startups wooing enterprise clients:

Stop dazzling with shiny tech; companies want business value

Pilots Are “Easy” - and Why That’s Dangerous

Beyond finding an internal champion, startups shouldn’t be afraid to engage corporate procurement and IT teams early. They can be gatekeepers or helpers, and it’s best to get everyone working together early in the process. Ian and Dan offered four suggestions for startups:

Have a realistic internal map of the process, and manage expectations within your organization.

Find corporate innovation teams with real influence, not just fancy titles

Be transparent about what you can (and can’t) do. A large utility can easily overwhelm the capabilities of a small startup

Be prepared to follow standard utility procurement policies, and let experts at the utility help guide you through that process. Everyone wants to drive the best outcome possible — especially for the utility’s customers

Navigating the Maze (Without Getting Lost)

How National Grid is Accelerating Grid Buildout with Sensat

Positioning Pilots to Scale