Adara Ventures Energy: 3rd Industrial Advisory Committee Meeting Recap
We were thrilled to host the third Adara Energy Industrial Advisory Committee meeting last month in Bilbao at the iconic La Alhóndiga.
As our first 2025 gathering, we brought together leading voices from across the energy ecosystem to discuss critical topics such as AI, energy grid flexibility, and our growing investment momentum.
Global trends and AI’s growing energy demands
The meeting opened with a presentation from Magín Yáñez, Senior Partner & Managing Director at Boston Consulting Group (BCG), who outlined some of the major geopolitical and technological shifts shaping the energy industry.
A key theme was the resurgence of “national sovereignty” as a driver of energy independence, security, and defense. He also discussed the implications of emerging high-performance and open-source AI models such as DeepSeek, which are raising the stakes for energy infrastructure to meet growing computational demands.
The AI-powered grid of the future
We were pleased to welcome back Guy Gueritz, Head of Energy for EMEA at NVIDIA, who delivered a compelling presentation on the role of accelerated computing and AI in grid modernization. He highlighted how “software-defined” smart grids and AI-enabled optimization tools are rapidly reshaping the future of electricity networks.
Spotlight on energy grid flexibility and innovation
Our startup spotlight featured three pioneering companies working to solve some of the most pressing challenges related to energy grid performance:
Corinex – Our latest investment of the Adara Ventures Energy Fund, Corinex is redefining the future of the electrical grid. Jan Sobotka discussed how their technology addresses grid constraints and provides much-needed flexibility for modern, dynamic power systems.
Piclo – CEO and co-founder James Johnston introduced us to Piclo, the world’s leading independent grid flexibility marketplace. He shared how the platform is transforming fragmented grid flexibility procurement by uniting buyers and sellers into a single, scalable marketplace.
Sees.ai – We were also joined by John McKenna, CEO at Sees.ai, creators of a next-generation drone operations platform. Their AI-compatible system is enabling safer, more efficient UAV inspections of critical infrastructure. Sees.ai’s work with National Grid Electricity Transmission (NGET), including the UK’s first autonomous corrosion-detection trial, demonstrates the real-world potential of autonomous drone inspections at scale.
Energy Fund update and continued momentum
We also took the opportunity to share progress on the Adara Ventures Energy Fund, including the exciting milestone of completing our first three investments: SatVu (UK), Wirescan (Norway), and Corinex (Canada).
These companies represent the high-impact, deep-tech innovation essential to advancing energy resilience and sustainability.
Thank you
The day ended with an engaging group discussion followed by dinner. It was the perfect setting for exchanging ideas and strengthening connections among our partners, founders, and committee members.
Thank you to everyone who participated in the event and contributed to the thoughtful conversations. We look forward to continuing this journey together and sharing more updates from our portfolio and partners in the months ahead.
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