Josh Mackanic spent a decade as an engineer at Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E), but he couldn't shake a nagging thought: the utility giant—and the industry at large—knows remarkably little about what lies beneath our streets. That realization eventually led him to leave his career and start a company that aims to map the subterranean world with the precision of Google Maps.
A $60,000 Lesson in the Dark
Mackanic's frustration peaked during a project that ground to a halt when an unknown pipe was discovered in the excavation zone. 'We were lucky to spot it before causing damage,' he told TechCrunch. 'But then followed three days of chaos—tracking down who owned the pipe, whether it could be tapped, and what it carried.' The delay didn't just test his patience; it cost $60,000.
This experience highlighted a widespread problem. PG&E, despite being one of the largest utility companies in the U.S., only has accurate maps of its own electric and gas lines. Water and sewage pipes belong to other entities, and their locations often remain murky. The result? Approximately 200,000 'utility strikes'—accidental hits on underground lines—occur every year across the country.
Enter CivilGrid: A Data Platform for the Underground
In 2020, Mackanic founded CivilGrid, a startup that aggregates disparate data on utility assets, property ownership, and environmental regulations into a single, searchable platform—what he playfully calls 'Google Maps for what's underground.' The service is sold to governments, civil engineering firms, and utilities, including his former employer.
CivilGrid has already shown real-world impact. A PG&E case study found that using the platform across 1,600 planned gas distribution projects could save $60 million in avoidable paving costs. 'We're giving engineers the data they need to make informed decisions about where to place infrastructure,' Mackanic explained. 'But once they have the constraints, it's a natural next step to recommend optimal pipe placement and even automate the permitting process.'
Scaling Up with $26 Million in Series A Funding
CivilGrid's promise has attracted significant investment. The company recently closed a $26 million Series A round led by Spark Capital, with participation from Afore, A*, Ford Street Ventures, and SNR. Notably, Energy Impact Partners—a fund backed by numerous utility companies—also invested, which Mackanic sees as a strong vote of confidence from the industry itself.
'California's energy needs are growing rapidly, and our customers expect infrastructure delivered safely, reliably, and affordably,' said Christine Cowsert, PG&E's Senior Vice President of Enterprise Business and Technology Modernization. 'Tools like CivilGrid help our teams identify risks earlier, build more efficiently, and avoid unnecessary costs—all while keeping safety front and center.'
Beyond Mapping: Automating Permits and More
Looking ahead, Mackanic sees CivilGrid evolving beyond data aggregation. 'We've built this dataset and captured the core user at the earliest stages of decision-making,' he said. 'Now, there's a lot more we can automate—from recommending pipe routes to filing permits automatically.'
The concept of underground mapping isn't new, but Mackanic believes CivilGrid has cracked the code on collecting, securing, and making sense of the data. 'Nobody had found a way to solve these challenges at scale,' he noted. As the U.S. pushes for massive infrastructure upgrades, tools like CivilGrid could be critical to speeding up projects and reducing costly—and dangerous—mishaps.
With fresh funding and a growing customer base, CivilGrid is poised to become an essential layer in the country's construction and utility planning toolkit—bringing much-needed clarity to the world below our feet.
via TechCrunch