Drew Baglino, a former top executive at Tesla, is shaking up the century-old electrical grid with his startup Heron Power. The company just raised a whopping $140 million to scale production of its revolutionary solid-state transformer technology, signaling a major shift in how we power our increasingly electrified world.
What this really means is that Baglino and his team are on a mission to drag the electrical grid - the invisible backbone that powers everything from our homes to data centers - into the 21st century. Their solid-state transformers ditch the bulky, passive iron cores of traditional models in favor of nimble, software-defined power electronics that can better handle the demands of renewable energy, electric vehicles, and the insatiable power needs of artificial intelligence.
Betting Big on the Grid of the Future
Heron Power's $140 million Series B round was co-led by Andreessen Horowitz and Breakthrough Energy Ventures, with participation from existing investors like Capricorn Investment Group and Energy Impact Partners. This influx of capital will allow the company to build a 40-gigawatt manufacturing facility for its flagship "Heron Link" solid-state transformer solution.
The bigger picture here is that Heron Power is betting big on a future where electrification, renewable energy, and AI-powered data centers radically transform how we generate, distribute, and consume electricity. As TechCrunch reports, Baglino and his team have already secured over 40 gigawatts worth of customer interest - an astounding figure that underscores the urgent need for grid modernization.
Bringing the Grid into the 21st Century
Heron Power's solid-state transformers are designed to be the connective tissue between these new energy technologies and the aging electrical infrastructure that was built for a different era. By using power electronics and software controls instead of traditional iron cores, Heron Link can be more compact, responsive, and reliable than legacy transformers.
This matters because the grid is struggling to keep up with the breakneck pace of electrification and the proliferation of renewable energy sources and data-hungry AI systems. As NPR recently reported, over half of the existing U.S. grid equipment is over 30 years old and in dire need of modernization.
Heron Power's technology promises to be a key piece of the puzzle, simplifying electrical setups, improving grid resilience, and unlocking new possibilities for clean energy and digital infrastructure. With this latest funding round, the company is poised to bring its vision of a 21st-century grid to life at a massive scale.
As we recent analysis has explored, the race is on to build the critical infrastructure that will power our increasingly electrified and digitized future. Heron Power's $140 million raise shows that investors are betting big on this former Tesla executive to lead the charge.