60Hertz Raises Seed Funding from Impact Investor Factor[e] Ventures

ANCHORAGE and FORT COLLINS, CO—Impact investor Factor[e] Ventures closed a deal with 60Hertz, the first maintenance management software designed specifically for people managing remote energy assets such as microgrids. 60Hertz, which launched in 2017, has developed a cloud-based application to train and assist operators who maintain expensive, critical assets in isolated locations. An intuitive interface deftly suits the needs of remote field workers who range from skilled technicians to low or no literacy community members. The 60Hertz platform connects remote operators to a peer network, provides in-app trainings for “upskilling” on the job, and assists with change management. On the backend, the platform allows remote asset owners or operators to keep track of maintenance through an administrative web portal.

The platform first piloted in fifteen rural villages in Alaska last year and now is commercially deployed in twenty-eight locations across the state. Prospects globally are accelerating, with strong interest from the Canadian Arctic, the Philippines, and a first customer in Colombia through USAID.

“Better maintenance is one of the most critical — but overlooked — ways to address energy poverty,” commented 60Hertz CEO, Piper Wilder. “And 60Hertz and Factor[e] are perfectly aligned in our interest to serve the global microgrid market and improve the lives of the rural and indigenous people who are important stakeholders in this industry.”

Dr. Morgan DeFoort, Managing Principal at Factor[e] Ventures, commented, “60Hertz complements our portfolio of technology companies focused on reducing the cost of not only building microgrids but operating and maintaining them as well. We believe the lessons learned from deploying the platform on remote sites in Alaska, can inform the approach to bring the technology to the emerging markets.”