NEWS

Grand Forks, ND, and Lafayette, LA – March 17, 2025 – Thread, a leading software-as-a-service provider specializing in asset data management for electric utilities, and FlyGuys, a nationwide market leader in reality data capture technology, are excited to announce a strategic partnership aimed at transforming utility asset management through cutting-edge technology and comprehensive data solutions.…

The recent devastation caused by Hurricane Beryl has highlighted the vulnerability of utility infrastructure to natural disasters. In Houston, the collapse of ten transmission lines disrupted power for 2.8 million customers, with nearly 150,000 left without power for an extended period. 

This event underscores the pressing need to reevaluate and upgrade utility inspection standards, which currently rely on outdated methods and technologies.…

[Grand Forks, North Dakota] Thread, the leader in digital-first asset inspection catering to the energy and utility sectors, is excited to announce the appointment of Kevin Moug to its Board of Directors. Kevin brings an impressive 42 years of experience in public accounting, utilities, and manufacturing, and recently retired as the Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President of Otter Tail Corporation (Nasdaq: OTTR).…

[Grand Forks, North Dakota] Thread is excited to announce our new partnership with Gresco Technology Solutions (GTS). This partnership combines Thread’s innovative software with Gresco’s expertise in unmanned solutions, providing customers with:

• Rapid Flight Planning: Simplifying mission planning and execution, reducing manual errors, and improving efficiency. 
• Automated Data Management: Imagery is automatically uploaded into UNITI Workspace without the need to manage SD cards, hard drives, or local device storage.

…

Energy Management

The rapid expansion of data centers presents a significant challenge to existing power utilities. Data centers, with their insatiable and consistent demand for power, require robust and reliable electricity supply 24/7.…

[Grand Forks, North Dakota] — [April 18, 2024] — In a landmark move for the energy industry, Thread, a pioneer in energy sector software solutions, and Isight, a nationally recognized drone services provider, are proud to announce a strategic partnership that is set to enhance operational efficiencies across multiple energy verticals including solar, power lines, cell towers, and oil.…

MarketScale

In the rapidly evolving world of industrial drones, collaborations between industry leaders likeExertis Almo and DJI are setting new standards in efficiency, safety, and innovation. While Exertis Almo is recognized for its strategic move to cater to sophisticated surveillance and security solutions through expanding its product offerings, DJI has been pushing the envelope with its Mavic 3 Enterprise Series. …

Bruce Rogers | Forbes

Few people understand the challenges America faces in modernizing an outdated power grid like Josh Riedy, the co-founder and CEO of Thread, an asset management platform for the power and utility industries.

Riedy’s grandfather founded an electric utility cooperative in the sparsely populated, unforgiving terrain and weather of North Dakota where an ice storm could take out 95% of the utility polls in a service region, leaving people without power for weeks and sometimes longer.…

Kyle Wiggers | TechCrunch

Thread (not to be confused with Threads), a startup developing a robotics platform to collect inspection data for utilities, today announced that it raised $15 million in a Series A funding round led by Badlands Capital with participation from Minnkota Power Cooperative, Generational Partners, Rosecliff Ventures, Excell Partners, Homegrown Capital and Kevin O’Leary’s Wonder Fund North Dakota.…

Thread, the leading technology company in enterprise-scale asset maintenance solutions for the energy and utilities sector, today announced the appointment of Arnaud Thiercelin to the newly created role of Chief Technology and Product Officer.

North Dakota Commerce

Wonder Fund North Dakota, a North Dakota Development Fund investment program directed by O’Leary Ventures (OLV) has selected Thread as its latest investment. Thread is the leader in enterprise-scale asset maintenance technology for energy and utilities.…

Thread, enterprise-scale asset maintenance technology for energy and utilities, showcases its latest artificial intelligence (AI) driven predictive data collection technology, built using Microsoft Project AirSim.

Wiebe de Jager | Drone Watch EU

Software developer Falcker has partnered with Thread, the leader of enterprise-scale autonomous data collection for delivering precise inspection insights, with the aim of taking automated inspections of industrial assets to the next level…

Thread, the leader of enterprise-scale autonomous data collection for delivering precise inspection insights, today announced that they are expanding to Canada to support the growing renewable energy industry.

Mackinney Supola | UND Today

Executives at Thread, formerly Airtonomy, bring their UND experience to bear as they innovate inspections of critical infrastructure. …

Ingrid Harbo | Herald Reporter

GRAND FORKS – Grand Forks technology company Thread, formerly known as Airtonomy, has received a $1.2 million award under the Air Force Small Business Innovation Research Program to develop unmanned aerial system software to enhance perimeter security at Grand Forks Air Force Base.…

Senator Worked to Fund SBIR Program, Bring AFWERX Projects to North Dakota

GRAND FORKS, N.D. – Senator John Hoeven today announced that Thread, formerly known as Airtonomy, a North Dakota technology startup, has received a $1.2 million award under the Air Force Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program to develop an unmanned aerial system (UAS) solution that will enhance perimeter security at the Grand Forks Air Force Base (GFAFB). …

GRAND FORKS, North Dakota — Thread, formerly Airtonomy, announced the first installment of what will be more than $15 million in Series A funding. Thread’s software enables customers to inspect critical infrastructure and deliver accurate analytics rapidly through a robust data and asset management platform.

The Series A funding round is led by Badlands Capital and Partner Blaine Crissman, who commented, “We are tremendously excited to lead one of the largest Series A funding rounds in North Dakota history.…

Jake Siegel | Microsoft

The CEO of Airtonomy was inside a digital replica of a real wind farm at the time, trailing a simulated drone through virtual reality glasses as it inspected towering turbines. His North Dakota-based company has been using these hyper-realistic simulations to train autonomous aerial vehicles that are now inspecting wind farms, surveying wildlife and detecting leaks in oil tanks across the Midwest.…

The Tech Tribune

The Tech Tribune staff has compiled the very best tech startups in North Dakota. In doing our research, we considered several factors including but not limited to: Revenue potential, leadership team, brand/product traction, and competitive landscape. Additionally, all companies must be independent (unacquired), privately owned, at most 10 years old, and have received at least one round of funding in order to qualify.…

Grand Forks, ND – February 20, 2020 – The University of North Dakota (UND), partnering with local startup, Airtonomy, has been awarded a Research ND grant from the North Dakota Department of Commerce to develop monitoring protocols of bird and bat mortalities using small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) on Xcel...

Grand Forks, ND – February 20, 2020 – Local startup, Airtonomy, in partnership with the University of North Dakota (UND), has been awarded the state’s first Microsoft “AI for Earth” grant to develop monitoring protocols of bird and bat mortalities using small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS).

Capt. Edward Lundquist | Wind Systems

Xcel Energy’s Foxtail Wind Farm in Dickey County, North Dakota, will soon be operational, bringing with it a convergence of technologies that will have far-reaching implications beyond Foxtail’s 75 turbines.…

Kate Behncken | Microsoft

For generations, farmers throughout North Dakota have traditionally hired seasonal farmhands to help with planting, harvesting and other jobs. Digital technologies and big data are transforming agriculture. Today, those same farmers need to hire technologists, programmers and data scientists to improve productivity to meet food demands, boost yields to increase profitability, environmentally sustain the land and improve safety.…

Taylor Soper | GeekWire

Microsoft is headed to the farm.

The Redmond, Wash. tech giant today announced a $1.5 million investment in Grand Farm, a project in North Dakota designed to spur innovation around farming and agriculture. Microsoft will provide its technology such as FarmBeats, as well as its own employees that will help with Grand Farm initiatives…

Alan Boyle | GeekWire

Microsoft has awarded a $100,000 TechSpark grant to support Airtonomy, a startup that’s partnering with the University of North Dakota Aerospace Foundation to blaze a trail for drone applications in North Dakota’s “Silidrone Valley.”

The seed money unlocks nearly $570,000 in additional funding for Airtonomy from local investors, Microsoft said today in a news release…

Bonnie Meibers | Grand Forks Herald

Evolve Analytics and the UND Aerospace Foundation have applied for a $100,000 grant from Microsoft’s TechSpark program, the philanthropic arm of Microsoft. Microsoft TechSpark sponsored Regional Aerial Imagery Grant Competition, which Evolve and the UND Aerospace Foundation have applied to jointly.…

Emily Allen | Grand Forks Herald

Local drone startup Evolve Analytics touted its partnerships with the Grand Forks Region Economic Development Corp. and the UND Aerospace Foundation Monday night, as they sought yet another relationship with the city of Grand Forks…