We’re closing on a year that changed the grid game. In 2024, infrastructure stopped being an afterthought – and started to be recognised as the energy transition’s nervous system. More than that, it became clear that grid tech will make or break our goals for AI, data centres, and industrial electrification. Now the greater ecosystem too sees what IONATE's thesis is all about: we need 21st century energy systems to keep powering our progress.
As such, demand for fundamental innovation, rather than quick fixes took over globally – and this is exactly what we've been preparing for. The past 12 months saw our teams growing in the UK and Europe, hitting major tech milestones, and sharing our vision of future grids at headlining events of the energy sector worldwide.
Looking back on IONATE’s most productive year to date, we share a few highlights as we close out 2024!
Q1 – NATO DIANA, DTech and CERAWeek
We kicked off the year with a bang, joining NATO DIANA’s inaugural Bootcamp in Boston, as one of the top 44 innovators, shaping most critical sectors, selected from over 1,300 applicants. Monthly trips to the East Coast became our new norm, as we connected into the ecosystem gathered at MassChallenge HQ - seasoned with visits to Amsterdam, Washington DC, and Silicon Valley, meeting with the alliance's movers and shakers.
In February, we unveiled Aurora, our cutting-edge grid management software, at DistribuTech in Orlando, the leading convention for power technologies. We showed that IONATE's complete hardware-software stack is ready to provide a technology pathway for energy transition, AI, and more.
Recognition soon followed:
★ Darcy Partners named IONATE among the Top 10 Innovators of Grid Technologies of 2024, designed to show "the innovators that your peers are most interested in, and that [Darcy’s] Researchers view as novel and impactful”.
★ Bloomberg spotlighted us as a NATO DIANA energy resilience innovator.
★ Sifted dubbed us a key power player in its special report on the ascent of smart grids.
By March, we were turning heads at CERAWeek as one of six Energy Innovation Pioneers. This annual event is a gathering of the foremost thought leaders in the energy sector to exchange ideas, gain insight, and explore solutions for the biggest challenges facing the industry. Bill Gates was a speaker, but we think a certain IONATE CEO gave a standout presentation. (Are we biased? Don't think so...)
Q2 – Q3: Grow London, CIGRE, NATO DIANA, The Drop
Late spring, we were invited to join the Mayor of London’s prestigious global expansion programme, Grow London, taking us to meet with international leaders. From Founder & CEO Matthew sitting down with New York City’s CTO at London Tech Week, to Co-founder Luca meeting with Finnish Ambassador, or the Mayor of Chicago, we brought grids to the front of influential cleantech discussions.
August took us to CIGRE Paris – the global conference by the International Council on Large Electric Systems. Matthew opened the Start-up Forum with a presentation on our ground-breaking results from our microgrid testing, while Luca and Head of Product Rishabh discussed our technology on the show floor.
One of the most exciting months in 2024 was September: IONATE was selected for Phase II of the NATO DIANA - Grow! This secured us tailored support and resources as one of the program’s top 10 innovators. You can read our announcement here → IONATE selected to Grow Phase of NATO DIANA.
Late September, we joined the European cleantech ecosystem of founders and investors at The Drop in Malmo. There, it became official: grid is now top of mind for anyone thinking about the energy transition.
Q4 –SWITCH, ENA Summit, Enlit Europe, and Cleantech Forum
The final stretch of the year was a whirlwind.
In October alone, Matthew presented at Manchester’s EuroDoble Colloquium before heading to SWITCH Singapore, where talked about our smart grid collaboration with EDP.
Back in the UK, Luca and Rishabh joined the island's energy experts at the ENA Energy Innovation Summit in Liverpool, teasing our new partnership with National Grid (announcement here) and contributing to two key sessions: a Strategic Session on Emerging innovation from supply chain and Dissemination Session with Network Operators on grid innovation towards Net Zero.
Luca also hopped over to Enlit Europe in Milan, the top gathering of the European energy ecosystem. As part of the Enlit Impact Circle, we helped set the tone for the event, and this year, she discussed the importance of diversity in energy – a key initiative for the IONATE People Team in 2025.
November brought more milestones. At the Cleantech Forum Europe in Chantilly, we talked about the energy system's long-term adaptability and landed on the high-profile Cleantech Top 50 to Watch list.
To close out 2024, Matthew talked about our impact at Grow London’s Sustainability Demo Day & Annual Sustainability Networking Reception and took home double silver at Brown Rudnick's annual Cleantech event for Best Presentation and Most Investible Company.
What a year!
From groundbreaking tech milestones to global recognition, 2024 was a year of transformation – not just for IONATE, but for the entire energy industry. And we’re not slowing down. As we head into 2025, we’re more committed than ever to our mission: Transforming power.
Stay tuned for more exciting updates – we’re just getting started.
Bring on 2025!
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