Gilytics: The Venture Leader Technology automating infrastructure design through spatial optimization science

22.03.2024 11:30, Rita Longobardi

Meet Stefano Grassi, CEO of Gilytics. The Cleantech startup provides a 3D interactive and automated cloud solution to design and identify the optimal layout of infrastructure with the usage of GIS data.

Name: Stefano Grassi
Location: Zurich
Nationality: Italian
Education: PhD in Geoinformatics
Job title: CEO
Number of employees: 15
Money raised: USD 1.2 Mio
First touchpoint with Venturelab: 2009 



 

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Can you tell us who your product or solution helps, and how?
Gilytics is a company that provides a cloud solution based on geographic information data and Technology to address complex special planning issues and challenges when it comes to planning energy infrastructure. Our cloud solution digitizes manual work and speeds up the planning and permitting process by identifying alternatives in a few minutes by taking into account environmental, technical, and economic constraints and regulations. The benefits are significant more than 60% time saving, more than 50%  planning costs saving, increased transparency and digitization of processes that make data and information exchange more efficient. We currently work with the multiple grid operators to support them in automating and digitizing manual activities and tasks to increase efficiency, reduce time and support their strategic decisions. Our team consists of professionals with long experience in collecting, managing, and processing spatial data to create complex algorithms.

What market are you addressing and what is the potential of your startup in that market?
Grid operators, utilities, engineering companies, environmental consultants, software companies.

How and where did you come up with the idea for your startup?
This is what I wanted to do since I was 21-22 years old. I didn’t know what a startup was but I wanted to build something from ideas to business and to go through the process. I have used the technology to provide a solution in the market I wanted since then.

What do you expect from the Venture Leaders roadshow and how do you think it will help you achieve your vision?
I am not familiar with American mentality both in terms of entrepreneurship and investors’ expectations and approach. As we are entering the American market, it would be great to have a better understanding in order to be ready and prepared to approach American VCs, clients, and in any case to understand how people do business. 

What are your team’s key achievements to date?
•    Won a couple of startup competitions
•    Were accepted into the final round of some global startup programs/accelerators
•    Reached breakeven in 2023, 
•    Become a quasi-standard in Germany
•    No additional round of investments needed since 2020 to reach market fit and validation

Is there a key principle or value that guides you as you build your company?
We must think of what we want to be or become in 3 to 5 years. Strategic decisions today will have an impact on the future. Therefore, we must be able to identify and embrace the challenges that also our clients are facing and provide a great solution. No fear of challenges and no fear of leaving our comfort zone. Not to sit on the achievements and compliments from clients.

What is the most important lesson you have learned as a founder?
Persistence, taking on board the “right people” with complementary skills, the ability to adapt, and move forward “smartly” rather than chasing perfection. As a former scientist, I realized how important is the creation of a good team with complementary and compatible team members.

What is your favorite productivity hack or tool and why? 
•    Google docs because it is an interactive, collaborative environment and you can easily share with other users
•    Teams for communication, data exchange
•    Gitlab

Tell us something people don't know about you.
This is my second startup experience and the first one failed due to the team structure and components. 

Do you recommend a podcast or a book you want to share with us?
I read many and frankly speaking out there, you can find a lot regarding:
•    Startup founders
•    Fundraising campaign 
•    Pick the right business partners
•    Sales and growth
•    Leadership
•    How to create a compatible group