News

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event underscores the pressing need to reevaluate and upgrade utility inspection standards, which currently rely on outdated methods and technologies. Implementing modern inspection technologies can significantly enhance the resilience of utility infrastructure, preparing it better against future disasters.

The inadequacy of current utility inspection standards

The traditional siloed nature of utility systems and processes is a significant disadvantage in modern emergency response workflows. Current inspection standards often involve manual processes that are time-consuming, labor-intensive, and prone to human error. These inspections are typically isolated and lack integration with broader operational workflows, which can lead to inefficient and delayed responses during emergencies.

 » Read more about: Lessons From Hurricane Beryl and the Promise of Modern Utility Inspections  »

[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).

Otter Tail Corporation oversees Otter Tail Power, an investor-owned electric utility provides electric generation, transmission, and distribution to approximately 133,700 customers in 422 communities across 70,000 square miles in Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakotas. 

During his tenure at Otter Tail Corporation, Kevin demonstrated exceptional leadership and strategic planning skills. His functional experience covers Strategic Planning Mergers and Acquisitions, Treasury, Internal Audit, Financial Planning & Analysis, Investor Relations, External Reporting, Risk management, and Information Technology.

“We are thrilled to welcome Kevin to our Board of Directors,” said Joshua Riedy, CEO of Thread. “His extensive executive experience and leadership in the utilities and manufacturing sectors will be instrumental in guiding Thread’s strategic initiatives and driving our mission to provide innovative solutions that enhance asset management and financial performance.”

 » Read more about: Thread Adds Longtime Utility Executive Kevin Moug to Its Board of Directors  »

[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.
• Advanced Analytics: Utilizing powerful analytics tools to interpret complex data, aiding in the maintenance of utility infrastructure, and enhancing decision-making processes.

This partnership reflects Gresco Technology Solutions’ commitment to providing cutting-edge solutions to their customers geared towards enhancing the capabilities of their drone solutions with Thread’s robust software, ensuring our customers benefit from the latest advancements in utility asset management. We are excited about the possibilities this partnership holds and the positive impact it will have on the utility sector!

 » Read more about: Thread Announces Partnership with Gresco Technology Solutions  »

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.

 » Read more about: Potential for Data Centers to Overload Current Power Utilities  »

[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.

This partnership combines Thread’s innovative software solutions with Isight’s seasoned expertise in drone operations. Thread has rapidly expanded its presence in the energy sector, while Isight operates across 45 states with key facilities in Houston, Oklahoma City, Minneapolis-St. Paul, and Fargo, and is headquartered in Grand Forks, North Dakota. This strategic alliance is poised to deliver transformative impacts to the energy sector across the nation.

“Collaborating with Isight reflects our commitment to integrating the best field services with our advanced technological frameworks,” stated Josh Riedy, CEO and Founder of Thread. “This strategic alignment is geared towards setting new benchmarks in the energy sector through innovative solutions.”

 » Read more about: Thread and Isight Drone Services Forge Strategic Partnership to Revolutionize Drone Services in the Energy Sector  »

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. 

 » Read more about: Industrial Drones and Comprehensive Data Analysis Pave the Way for Safer Inspections in Utility Management  »

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.

 » Read more about: Josh Riedy Builds Thread To Modernize The Power Grid  »

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.

 » Read more about: Thread, which develops a platform to autonomously inspect utility assets, raises $15M  »

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.

 » Read more about: Thread is latest investment of Kevin O’Leary directed Wonder Fund North Dakota  »

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

 » Read more about: Falcker and Thread join forces to further automate drone inspections of energy assets  »

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.

 » Read more about: Autonomous-technology startup’s UND roots run deep  »

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.

 » Read more about: Thread receives $1.2 million to develop perimeter security software for 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). 

READ FULL ARTICLE HERE

 » Read more about: HOEVEN: Thread Awarded $1.2 million for UAS Research & Development to enhance Grand Forks AFB Security  »

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. Thread is poised for continued explosive growth and we look forward to contributing to their success.”

Thread is revolutionizing how companies manage asset lifecycle in the renewable energy, oil and gas, and utility sectors, among other industries. Thread is helping companies like Xcel Energy, a top 5 utility and arguably the industry leader in unmanned aerial systems innovation, enable more efficient, accurate and scalable delivery of asset inspections across their portfolio of renewable generation such as wind turbines, solar, and transmission.

North Dakota based startup leverages
initial funding to accelerate growth.  » Read more about: Thread to Receive More Than
$15 Million in Series A Funding  »

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.

 » Read more about: Microsoft launches Project AirSim, an end-to-end platform to accelerate autonomous flight  »

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.

 » Read more about: 2022 Best Tech Startups in North Dakota  »

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.

 » Read more about: Turning Out the Lights  »

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.

 » Read more about: TechSpark Fargo: Grand Farm project will create the farm of the future  »

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

 » Read more about: Here’s why Microsoft just invested $1.5M in a North Dakota high-tech farm project  »

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

 » Read more about: Microsoft TechSpark grants $100K to North Dakota’s Airtonomy drone startup  »

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.

 » Read more about: Local startup seeks Microsoft grant to make data more available  »

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

 » Read more about: Grand Forks start-up to receive $50,000 from city growth fund  »