AutoGrid, based in Palo Alto, develops software that crunches data collected by the smart meters at each home or business and by sensors placed throughout the electric grid.
Software companies such as AutoGrid are selling their software and services in ways that minimize the need for a utility to buy and install new equipment and hire more workers.
But many of them are finding it more difficult and costly to have the right equipment and software to manage and analyze the increasing amount of data, said Amit Narayan, founder and CEO of AutoGrid.