Canadian smart energy start-up Voltra has raised $1.8m in a pre-seed round and has launched its first product, a unified API platform that simplifies control of EV chargers, batteries and microgrids.

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 modernise our grid,” said 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 such as Stripe, making the hard stuff simple and giving existing software players APIs that unlock revenue models.

“Previously, for a fleet software company, working with EV infrastructure directly would be unmanageable,” said Stratmoen. “The space is filled with complex middleware and unsustainable EV-specific business models.”

Called Charge, the first product is designed for software developers in the EV charging space, frustrated by outdated control systems, closed ecosystems and vendor lock-in. It makes it easier 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 more ambitious. “What we’ve started with EV chargers will expand to energy storage, industrial controls and eventually the wider distribution system,” said 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 says it 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 centralising the telemetry and control needed by utilities and grid operators.

“We’re really excited about this launch,” said Stratmoen. “It marks the first steps in not only fixing a broken software space but laying the groundwork for tomorrow’s energy grid.”

The funding round was led by Contrary, with Hanover Capital and Velocity Fund participating.

“The opportunity for consumers and businesses is immense; and for grid operators it’s existential,” said Joe Malchow, founding partner at Hanover. “The future grid requires internet-style coordination and routing. Voltra was created to solve this enormous need. Success means cheaper driving for consumers, new opportunities for business, and better nodal pricing and reliability for grid operators.”

Voltra (voltra.com) builds software systems for energy infrastructure. Its first product, Charge, helps developers integrate and control EV charging systems, unlocking the potential of EV chargers, batteries and microgrids to form the foundations of a decentralised grid.