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National Grid Partners

I am pleased to share an important moment for our investment team at National Grid Partners: We are welcoming a new colleague, Arun Chetty. I've had the privilege of working alongside Arun for many years, and his addition represents a meaningful step forward for what we hope to achieve. Arun's deep tech expertise, seasoned investing background, and thoughtful approach to working with founders align closely with our mission. 

A Meaningful Addition to the Investment Team

Since our launch in 2018 as National Grid's corporate venture and innovation arm, National Grid Partners has combined decades of utility operations with disciplined venture investment to accelerate the energy future. Our role is to support innovators who bring creativity, resilience, and technological insight to some of the most pressing challenges in energy.

With more than 50 portfolio companies and a global alliance of over 150 utilities, we are deploying capital, scaling transformative ideas, and bringing new solutions directly to the grid.

Our Mission at National Grid Partners

I first worked with Arun at Intel Capital, where he spent two decades investing across a wide range of technologies. We worked together there for 13 years, then continued our collaboration for another seven years in various industry roles. From the beginning, his depth of understanding and his commitment to founders stood out. 

Arun has spent much of his career in deep-tech fields such as robotics and data center technologies. These areas are becoming increasingly important for the energy transition, particularly as utilities pursue modern grid intelligence, automation, and resilience. He brings a thoughtful and mature investment style and a reputation for being trusted by founders. These strengths made him the right person to join our team.

Why Arun Enhances Our Vision

Arun’s background in one of the longest-running corporate venture programs in the industry gives him a unique perspective on the balance between strategic and financial returns. He understands how to build investment theses that complement the objectives of a parent company, which is essential for our work at National Grid Partners. 

As we invest in technologies that make networks more reliable, more efficient, and more sustainable, Arun’s experience will help us identify and scale the startups that can make a tangible difference. 

A Stronger Strategy for the Future

We are also pleased to welcome Mark Karlson as a Principal in our Boston investment team. Mark recently completed his MBA at Dartmouth, and he brings consulting experience that strengthens our diligence and sourcing capabilities. His work will include deal evaluation, portfolio support, and close collaboration with our business development team. Mark brings fresh insight and additional capacity to support our growing portfolio.

Welcoming Mark Karlson

Since our founding, we have deployed more than $520 million, and we recently announced our 55th investment at the NextGrid Alliance Summit. These milestones reflect a steady evolution in how we operate and how deeply we are integrated into National Grid’s broader strategy. 

Aina Climate AI Ventures, for example, builds artificial intelligence-based solutions for climate and energy challenges -- highlighting our continued commitment to scaling AI across the grid.

Another example of this strategic alignment is our investment in Urbint, which provides AI-driven tools that help utilities identify risk, protect infrastructure, and keep communities and workers safe. National Grid uses Urbint across multiple business units, which demonstrates the value we aim to create for our company and for the broader utility industry. Urbint's recent, $350 million acquisition by Itron further demonstrates that value.  

Recent Milestones and Continued Momentum

With Arun and Mark joining our team, National Grid Partners is entering an exciting new phase. Arun’s deep-tech and corporate venture background expand the scope of the potential investments we can evaluate and support. Mark’s expertise strengthens our execution capability. Together, they bring new energy and insight to our mission. 

The grid is evolving rapidly as AI, electrification, growing data center demand, and renewable integration reshape the landscape. Our mission is to help National Grid build networks that are smarter, stronger, cleaner, and more resilient. I am confident the team we have in place will help lead this transition and continue to advance innovation across the industry. 

Looking Forward

By Pradeep Tagare, National Grid Partners

New Investment Team Members Strengthen the Next Chapter at National Grid Partners