# Vela Energy

> Vela Energy builds AI execution agents for large-load energy projects, automating the procurement, permitting, and engineering-study work that stalls data center and utility interconnections. Founded by Tarun Batchu and Tony Li and backed by a16z Speedrun and Z Fellows, the company aims to be the intelligence layer that helps developers, utilities, and data centers move projects through the interconnection queue faster while keeping licensed engineers in control of every decision.

- **Founded:** 2025
- **Headquarters:** San Francisco, California, United States
- **Founders:** Tarun Batchu (Co-Founder & CEO), Tony Li (Co-Founder & COO)
- **Team size:** ~16
- **Products:** Agent Workspace, Procurement Agent, Permitting Agent, Studies Agent
- **Notable:** Selected for Y Combinator's Winter 2026 (W26) batch., Raised a $1.3M pre-seed round led by a16z Speedrun and Z Fellows., Built integrations across 25+ systems including major grid operators (ERCOT, PJM, MISO, CAISO).

## Products & services

- **Agent Workspace** — The central hub where teams, roles, and approval gates live, with least-privilege access and full audit trails so every agent action is traceable.
- **Procurement Agent** — Monitors brokers, auctions, decommissionings, and OEM channels against structured project requirements, flagging gaps in nameplate matching and test records for long-lead equipment like transformers.
- **Permitting Agent** — Maps air, water, NEPA, zoning, and local requirements into deterministic, code-based checklists with citations and dates.
- **Studies Agent** — Runs load-flow, short-circuit, and reliability models in tools like ETAP, PSS(R)E, and PSCAD, requiring licensed engineer sign-off before results are finalized.

## Achievements

- Selected for Y Combinator's Winter 2026 (W26) batch.
- Raised a $1.3M pre-seed round led by a16z Speedrun and Z Fellows.
- Built integrations across 25+ systems including major grid operators (ERCOT, PJM, MISO, CAISO).
- Founding team with backgrounds at Tesla, the U.S. Department of Energy, Vanderbilt, and UC Berkeley.

## Latest updates

- **2026-01** — Vela Energy joins Y Combinator's W26 batch and closes a $1.3M pre-seed led by a16z Speedrun and Z Fellows.
- **2026-01** — Launched its agent suite - Agent Workspace, Procurement, Permitting, and Studies agents - for large-load energy projects.

## Links

- Website: https://www.velaenergy.ai
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/velaenergy
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/velaenergy

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/vela-yc-w26
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-07-30