Dutch scaleup provides flexible grid. 'Growth throughout Europe'
Each month we interview a start-up that has recently received investment. This month: Withthegrid
Published on April 3, 2025
Our DATA+ expert, Elcke Vels, explores AI, cyber security, and Dutch innovation. Her "What if..." column imagines bold scenarios beyond the norm.
The electricity grid is overloaded, but not always. Sometimes there is too much demand, at other times the grid is not fully utilized. The problem is that we cannot predict these fluctuations well. Paul Mignot and Rob Everhardt of Withthegrid, founded in 2016, offer a solution. Their controller makes it possible to remotely monitor and control energy assets in real time. For example, solar panels and wind turbines are automatically switched off when there is a surplus. The scaleup recently raised €3.5 million. We spoke to Paul Mignot about the state of his company.
Congratulations again on the €3.5 million! How are you planning to spend this amount?
“Thank you! We are working on several developments. First of all, we will continue to add new brands to the Teleport Gateway library. This is a physical controller that is used to control energy assets such as solar panels, wind turbines, batteries, charging stations and generators. We currently have fifty different battery brands integrated, but more and more are being added. So we are continuing to expand.
“We have two products. The first is a monitoring platform developed specifically for grid operators. This platform provides insight into the condition of various assets, such as transformer stations, power cables, gas pipelines and high-voltage substations. The system is linked to various sensors that collect and send data on a regular basis. These sensors provide insight into the performance of the assets, such as whether everything is functioning properly or if there are any disruptions. This enables grid managers to deploy their technical personnel more efficiently, which is very useful given the large shortage of technicians. The platform visualizes all alarms and enables faster and more effective intervention.
Our second product is the Teleport Gateway: the physical controller for managing energy assets. This is crucial due to fluctuating electricity prices and grid congestion, which means that certain assets sometimes need to be turned on or off. The Teleport Gateway makes this process easy, safe and scalable. Energy traders use this product, for example, to respond to changes in electricity prices by switching off a solar park.”
How did you come up with the idea of founding Withthegrid?
“I studied Energy Science in Utrecht. After that, I worked for a while at the grid operator Stedin. During that time, I saw the challenges we faced in terms of the energy transition. Take grid congestion, for example. That was what prompted me to start Withthegrid."
Looking back over the past few years, what has been a major milestone?
“We've been at it for eight years now, and I'm very proud that we still have the same team as we did on day one. It's quite special to build something up step by step with the same people.”
Do you have a final message for the reader?
“We are in the middle of an energy transition and we must work together to make a difference. So. let's make the electricity network more flexible where possible. People can always call us.”
How a virtual grid can tackle grid congestion problems
In the second episode of Road to 2050, we highlight another solution to tackle grid congestion. one of the main challenges to be overcome on the way to climate neutrality.