#StartupsEverywhere: Piper Foster Wilder, Co-Founder, 60Hertz
This profile is part of #StartupsEverywhere, an ongoing series highlighting startup leaders in ecosystems across the country. This interview has been edited for length, content, and clarity.
Innovating Energy Maintenance
Founded in 2017, 60Hertz set out to tackle critical challenges in maintaining microgrids and renewable energy systems, particularly in remote regions like Alaska. Now active in eight countries, the company provides advanced maintenance technology through its SaaS platform. In this blog post, we dive into 60Hertz’s journey, from early capital-raising hurdles to success with government grants, and explore the future goals of this innovative company.
Tell us about your background. What led you to 60Hertz?
I started 60Hertz in 2017 to tackle a critical issue in renewable energy, particularly in Alaska, which has the most extensive operating experience with microgrids worldwide. I’ve been involved in the renewables sector throughout my career, but when I arrived in Alaska in 2015, it was the first time I encountered the term "microgrid." This exposure sparked my interest in solving the challenges of delivering energy to rural areas.
60Hertz emerged to address problems related to maintenance technology and software. Initially focusing on microgrids, we quickly expanded to distributed energy resources more broadly. Today, we operate in eight countries, including West Africa and North America, providing our technology to both microgrid and utility-scale solar operators.
The energy storage space is exploding. Our mobile app and the corresponding Maintenance Manager help plan and document preventative maintenance, predictive maintenance, and corrective action. Our tool ensures that assets in the renewable sector remain functional for the next 20 to 30 years.
What is the work you all are doing at 60Hertz?
We are a subscription-based SaaS company that offers users access to our portal, Maintenance Manager, where they can manage their sites and assets. Through the portal, users can schedule everything from preventive maintenance—typically several times a year—to responding to issues flagged by their field technicians, such as identifying what’s broken or in need of repair.
Our product allows customers to see data and monitoring showing them where they have downtime, a system underperforming, a system that has fallen offline, or communications not working. The next step is to determine how that is fixed. Software like ours is essential for managing multiple teams working in remote or decentralized locations. We’re classified as a Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS), which is a competitive space in tech. However, most of our competitors focus on facilities maintenance, such as managing buildings. We differentiate ourselves by being one of the few companies specifically focused on energy assets.
Can you tell us more about your experience raising capital for your company?
We all know that people who look like us are not typically investors, which makes it a lot more challenging for people like me to be successful with it. We have struggled to get a significant series or investment, it's all been little sips of money.
It's been challenging for us, as each stage of growth has been relatively small. Part of that comes from being a first-time founder, and part of it stems from our product’s focus on the later stages of the clean energy life cycle. Operational software like ours isn’t required until a project has been up and running for several years. Despite these challenges, we are proud of the platform we’ve built—its customer reach, multilingual capabilities, and overall functionality.
What has been your experience with government funding and grants?
I've applied for several Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grants, but we were most successful with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). We are now a Phase Two NOAA SBIR recipient and were part of Phase One in 2022. However, there is no further funding from NOAA, which already has less funding than the Department of Energy, National Institute of Health, and many other agencies administering SBIR awards. The state of Alaska also encourages innovation by awarding startups with innovation funding if they have an active SBIR. Since we are the only entity with an SBIR active in Alaska, we have received substantial state funding.
Regarding SBIR applications, it would be helpful to know more about what the agency is interested in, such as topic areas or keywords, which is what NOAA did. Unfortunately, the Department of Energy's SBIR is a laundry list of pet projects from individually funded scientists and labs that make no commercial sense. We've applied to those twice and were rejected both times. I think the guidance from the SBIR program for each federal agency needs to be more accessible and open so that more startups are able to participate.
Are there any local, state, or federal startup issues that should receive more attention from policymakers?
The first thing that comes to mind is limiting the hurdles to being an accredited investor and expanding the tax deductibility of investment in certain types of startups. There should be an opportunity for an impact investment that provides for tax deductions for investing in certain types of startups dedicated to making positive change. We can get a lot done as a community if we open up the pathways to investing in startups because that would enable individuals who have plenty of money but are not necessarily accredited investors to do something meaningful with it.
What are your goals for 60Hertz moving forward?
My co-founder and I are deeply moved and inspired by the team we’ve built and the product we've created, and we're excited about guiding it into its next phase. I hope to serve as a positive example or a source of encouragement for others because, given our makeup, demographic, and being based in Alaska, it feels like a miracle that 60Hertz is still thriving.
All of the information in this profile was accurate at the date and time of publication.
Engine works to ensure that policymakers look for insight from the startup ecosystem when they are considering programs and legislation that affect entrepreneurs. Together, our voice is louder and more effective. Many of our lawmakers do not have first-hand experience with the country's thriving startup ecosystem, so it’s our job to amplify that perspective. To nominate a person, company, or organization to be featured in our #StartupsEverywhere series, email advocacy@engine.is.
