WATERLOO, ON and SAN FRANCISCO, May 14, 2025 - As EV adoption surges, traditional power infrastructure is falling short. Voltra is rebuilding the electrical grid from the edge knowing the solution doesn't lie in large scale utilities.
Voltra, a startup based out of Waterloo is announcing a $1.8 million USD pre-seed round led by Contrary, with Hanover Capital and Velocity Fund participating. They are also launching their first product, Charge, a unified API platform which simplifies control of EV chargers, batteries, and microgrids, marking a pivotal step in their plan to build the next-generation electrical grid.
While studying at the University of Waterloo, co-founders Alexander Stratmoen and Aryan Afrouzi saw a gap in how today's infrastructure is managed. "Most of the energy space is focused on top-down control and infrastructure buildout to modernize our grid," explains Stratmoen. "We believe the intelligence layer has to also be built from the bottom up."
While legacy systems continue to slow progress, Voltra is drawing inspiration from platforms like Stripe, making the hard stuff simple and giving existing software players APIs that unlock new revenue models.
"Previously, for a fleet software company, working with EV infrastructure directly would be unmanageable," notes Stratmoen. "The space is filled with complex middleware and unsustainable EV-specific business models." Charge is designed for software developers in the EV charging space, frustrated by outdated control systems, closed ecosystems, and vendor lock-in. It makes it easy for software companies to interface with energy assets, through modern Software Development Kits (SDKs) built across vendors, protocols, and devices, turning these systems into flexible and responsive software. Early adopters include commercial fleet operators, condo developments, and microgrid integrators.
The long game is much more ambitious. "What we've started with EV chargers will expand to energy storage, industrial controls, and eventually the wider distribution system," describes Afrouzi. "Control over these edge devices is critical to the security and stability of the North American grid, but right now, direct control is stuck under cascading layers of complex proprietary software."
Voltra's vision echoes broader trends: Tesla's quiet buildout of Autobidder and Powerhub, Base Power's recent $200M raise, and the growing demand for programmable energy infrastructure. But Voltra is the first to build this as a developer tool from day one.
Charge marks a shift in how the grid might evolve, not through massive central upgrades, but through modular tools that accelerate the buildout of large-scale Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) while centralizing the telemetry and control so desperately needed by utilities and grid operators.
"The opportunity for consumers and businesses is immense; and for grid operators it's existential. The future grid requires Internet-style coordination and routing. Voltra was created to solve this enormous need." explains Joe Malchow, founding partner at Hanover, and investor in Voltra amongst other energy companies like Enphase, Enovix, and Archaea. "Success," he adds, "means cheaper driving for consumers, new opportunities for business, and better nodal pricing and reliability for grid operators."
"We're really excited about this launch," states Alexander. "It marks the first steps in not only fixing a broken software space but laying the groundwork for tomorrow's energy grid."
About Voltra
Voltra builds software systems for energy infrastructure. Its first product, Charge, helps developers integrate and control EV charging systems with ease—unlocking the full potential of EV chargers, batteries, and microgrids to form the foundations of a decentralized grid. Learn more at voltra.com
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