Gradyent

What Gradyent does

Gradyent B.V. is a Netherlands-based climate technology company founded in 2019 that provides a real-time Digital Twin Platform for optimizing district heating, cooling, industrial steam, and CO2 grid infrastructure. The cloud-based SaaS platform combines proprietary physics-based thermohydraulic and thermodynamic models with AI/machine learning, running up to 10,000 setpoint scenarios per minute on multi-core cloud systems. It ingests live SCADA, sensor, smart meter, geospatial, and weather data to create a continuously calibrated digital replica of an entire grid, from production sources through distribution to end users, enabling real-time production scheduling, temperature and pressure control, predictive maintenance, leak detection, and what-if scenario simulation.

The company serves district heating utilities (municipal to capital-city scale), industrial operators with steam grids (chemicals, refining, pulp & paper, food & beverage), and district cooling operators. Named customers include Veolia (Warsaw, Łódź, Poznań), Helen (Helsinki), Eneco, Ennatuurlijk, Utilitas (Tallinn), Wien Energie, Uniper, Shell Energy and Chemicals Park Rotterdam, EBN, and TU Delft. Gradyent employs 150+ staff, operates from its Rotterdam headquarters with offices in Berlin and Emsbüren (Germany) and New York, and maintains wholly-owned subsidiaries Gradyent GmbH and Gradyent Inc.

Gradyent's business model is enterprise SaaS subscription with bundled implementation and professional services, sold on a no-CapEx basis with a stated sub-two-year payback. Go-to-market is direct enterprise field sales organized regionally across DACH, Nordics & Baltics, Central Europe, North America, and an Industry vertical. The company has raised over €39M in venture funding across a 2020 seed, a €10M Series A (August 2022), and a €28M Series B (April 2025), with backers including Blue Earth Capital, Capricorn Partners, Eneco Ventures, ENERGIIQ, Helen Ventures, and SEB Greentech VC. Several customers (Eneco, Helen) are also financial investors, creating an anchor-client + investor model.

Name

Gradyent

Legal name

Gradyent B.V.

Website

https://gradyent.ai

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Gradyent provides a real-time, AI-driven Digital Twin SaaS platform that optimizes district heating, cooling, industrial steam, and CO2 grids for European utilities, cities, and industrial operators.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

District Heating Optimization Software

NAICS

Steam and Air-Conditioning Supply (221330)

SIC

Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro primary industry

Predictive Maintenance Analytics & APM Software (AI/ML, Digital Twins) (EUAEAKAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

GIS, Network Modeling & Digital Twin for Gas Systems (EUAJAEAF), Environmental Digital Twins & Predictive Analytics (Sensor Fusion, Forecasting, Optimization) (EUAHAKAJ)

Keywords

• District heating optimization
• Digital twin platform
• Industrial steam grids
• Heating grid decarbonization
• Thermal energy optimization

Headquarters

HQ city

Utrecht

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. SaaS Subscription: Software-as-a-service solution with subscription pricing model. Tailor-made for each network with implementation services included. No CapEx required from customers - operates on outcome-based model.
2. Professional Services: Implementation and engineering services for building and calibrating digital twins. World-class team of experts builds and implements solutions in close cooperation with customer teams.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Gradyent offers a real-time Digital Twin Platform delivered as a cloud-based SaaS solution that creates a digital replica of complete district heating, cooling, steam, and CO2 grid infrastructure. The platform combines physics-based thermohydraulic models with AI/machine learning and live sensor, weather, and geospatial data to optimize production scheduling, temperature, pressure, and end-user performance in real time. It serves district heating utilities and industrial operators seeking to reduce heat losses, lower CO2 emissions, cut operating costs, and integrate renewable and low-temperature heat sources.

Product overview

Gradyent's product offering is organized as a single integrated real-time Digital Twin Platform — a cloud-based SaaS solution that creates a digital replica of an entire heating, cooling, steam, or CO2 grid — supported by six specific optimization modules (Production Scheduling and Control, Temperature Control, Pressure Control, User Control, Issue Detection and Predictive Maintenance, and Design and Simulation) that together cover the full value chain from production through distribution to end users. Additionally, a dedicated Industrial Heating module extends the platform for steam grid use cases in chemical, refining, and manufacturing sectors. The platform combines physics-based hydraulic and thermodynamic models with AI/machine learning, leveraging live SCADA, sensor, and weather data to deliver real-time optimization, automated setpoint control, and what-if scenario simulation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Gradyent Real-Time Digital Twin Platform A cloud-based SaaS platform that creates a real-time digital replica of complete heating, cooling, steam, or CO2 grid infrastructure — from production sources through distribution networks to end users — combining sensor, geospatial, and weather data with physics-based models and AI to optimize grid performance, reduce emissions, and enable autonomous operation. Sold to district heating utilities, municipalities, and industrial operators.
• Solutions for Industrial Heating A specialized version of the Digital Twin Platform tailored for industrial steam grids covering temperature, pressure, and mass balance optimization, heat source scheduling and control, steam usage control, issue detection, and design and simulation. Targets chemical plants, refineries, and manufacturing facilities seeking to reduce CO2 emissions and energy costs with under 2 years payback.

Quantifiable outcome

• Forward temperature reduction up to 10°C
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers22 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability7 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Veolia WarsawflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 April 2026Veolia Warsaw partnered with Gradyent to implement real-time Digital Twin across Warsaw's district heating system (11 TWh annual heat demand, largest in EU, serving 1.4 million residents). Builds on successful deployments in Poznań and Łódź. Focuses on optimization, decarbonization, and modernization of Europe's largest district heating system.
• UtilitasflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 March 2026Multi-year partnership with Estonia's leading renewable energy company to implement real-time Digital Twin of Tallinn's 2 TWh heating system (536 km network, 194,000 households). Supports Utilitas' goal to raise renewable heat share to 90%+ by 2027.
• EnnatuurlijkcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 November 2025Multi-year agreement for Midden West Brabant district heating system (1 TWh annually to Breda and Tilburg). Extended partnership building on successful collaborations in Hengelo, Enschede, and Helmond.
• EBN (Energie Beheer Nederland)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 June 2025Implementing unique CCS software model (Calysto Porthos) for Porthos CO2 transport and storage project in Port of Rotterdam. Will store 2.5 Mton CO2 per year for 15 years.
• TU DelftcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 November 2024Agreement for TU Delft campus heating system to run on autopilot with real-time Digital Twin.
• ShellflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 October 2024Pilot partnership to create Digital Twin of steam grid at Shell Energy and Chemicals Park Rotterdam. Site processes ~700 tonnes of steam per hour. Identified steam venting reduction and validated electrification plans.
• ShellflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 October 2024Partnership to reduce emissions via steam grid optimization at Shell Energy and Chemicals Park Rotterdam.
• Veolia PolandflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 February 2024Building Digital Twins for Łódź and Poznań district heating systems with goal of optimizing and decarbonizing. Łódź has 10,000+ substations. Part of Veolia's transformation toward 4G systems.
• GasuniecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term collaboration to decarbonise heating via WarmtelinQ project. Gasunie is partner in Porthos CCS project as well.
• Port of Rotterdam AuthorityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Porthos CCS project. Gradyent implementing CCS software model for the project.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Danfoss: Danfoss (Leanheat) is the most direct peer in district heating optimization, offering AI-based optimization of DH networks and heating for buildings. Both companies target DH utilities with software-driven efficiency and decarbonization, making them head-to-head competitors for the same European municipal and utility customers.

Broad incumbents

• Siemens Smart Infrastructure: Siemens offers comprehensive energy management and digital twin solutions (Xcelerator, MindSphere) for utilities and industrial customers. While not exclusively focused on district heating, it competes with Gradyent in DH optimization, asset performance, and grid management for the same enterprise buyer.
• AVEVA: AVEVA provides industrial digital twin and asset performance software (PI System, AVEVA CONNECT) widely used in energy and process industries. Competes with Gradyent for industrial steam grid customers (Shell, chemical, refining) and offers adjacent digital twin capabilities for energy infrastructure operators.
• Schneider Electric: Schneider Electric's EcoStruxure platform serves energy and industrial customers with grid management, asset performance, and digital twin capabilities. Competes broadly with Gradyent for utility and industrial energy optimization spend across similar European accounts.
• Honeywell: Honeywell Forge and Connected Plant compete in industrial digital twin and asset performance management for process industries. Targets the same industrial steam grid customers (refineries, chemical plants) as Gradyent's industrial heating solutions.
• Bentley Systems: Bentley Systems provides iTwin platform for infrastructure digital twins, used by utilities and municipalities to model and manage physical infrastructure. Competes with Gradyent in digital twin applications for district heating/cooling networks, particularly in municipal and utility contexts.
• Aspen Technology: Aspen Technology (now part of Emerson) provides industrial process optimization software (AspenTech) widely used in chemicals, energy, and manufacturing. Competes with Gradyent for industrial customers seeking process optimization and digital twin capabilities, especially in steam and heat-intensive operations.
• Yokogawa Electric: Yokogawa (including KBC Advanced Technologies) provides industrial automation and process optimization software. Competes with Gradyent in industrial energy/steam optimization for process plants and serves similar customers in the chemical, refining, and energy sectors.

Emerging players

• Cosmo Tech: Cosmo Tech provides hybrid digital twin technology for infrastructure and energy use cases. Both companies combine physics-based modeling with AI for complex system optimization, though Cosmo Tech's focus is broader (transport, energy, urban systems) including some energy grid applications.

Regional players

• Uponor (Unilin / Uponor): Uponor is a major provider of district heating and cooling pipe systems and pre-insulated pipe networks in Europe. While primarily a pipe/infrastructure provider, it increasingly partners with or competes against software players in offering complete DH solutions to utilities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gradyent

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors6 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Gradyent