Statkraft Ventures’ portfolio company SkySpecs raises 17m$ Series C

SkySpecs, leading provider of Operations & Maintenance solutions for the wind energy industry, today announced that it’s closed a $17 million series C round. The Ann Arbor-based company experienced a heavy-growth year, tripling its staff, significantly building out its solutions offerings for the wind energy industry, and reaching a landmark 30,000 fully autonomous inspections. SkySpecs set its sights on using technology like AI, machine learning, robotics, and software, to optimize operations & maintenance for the wind energy industry in order to enable better decision making about repairs and proactive planning. Their mission is to continue driving change in the renewable energy sector such that technology and automation enable higher levels of global accessibility.

The round was  led by McRock iNFund LP, an Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) venture capital fund managed by McRock Capital.  Other new investors in the round included Equinor Energy Ventures, the corporate venture arm of Equinor, formed by the merger of Statoil with the oil and gas division of Norsk Hydro; and Evergy Ventures, the non-regulated investment affiliate of Evergy, the parent company of Kansas City Power & Light Company (KCP&L) and Westar Energy, alongside participation by existing investors including Statkraft Ventures, UL Ventures, and Venture Investors. The investment follows on the heels of an $8 million series B in January of 2018, and brings SkySpecs total raised to $29 million.

“As a leader in the wind energy technology space, the SkySpecs team presented a unique mix of skills across software analytics and robotic technology, combined with deep focus in a vertical market that is undergoing change,” said Scott MacDonald, co-founder and managing partner at McRock. “SkySpecs is pushing the frontier of data-driven decision making to add technological advancements to the way turbines are kept healthy and technology is employed.”

SkySpecs views the raise as pivotal, coming at a time when both renewable energy and the key players involved in its rapid growth, are ready to invest in adopting a more streamlined, data-driven approach to maintaining their fleet of wind turbines, which now require closer attention and more predictive maintenance as they age.

CEO Danny Ellis says that the capital infusion will support several important initiatives including doubling  the team in both the United States and Europe, continuing to develop the functionality of Horizon, their asset management solution that enables smart repair planning, and to offer autonomous wind turbine inspections across the world. 

“This investment is a reflection of our commitment to both our customers and the renewables sector. We are thrilled to welcome McRock and all of our investors to our team and are grateful for their confidence in what we believe will be a tidechange for renewable energy. ”

“This round and our continued momentum highlights how massive the need is to streamline operations & maintenance for renewable energy” said Tom Brady, co-founder and CTO of SkySpecs. “Our newest investors bring a depth of experience and share our vision of robotically-run wind farms. Our new funding will fuel continued product innovations that will make our vision a reality.”