In this episode our partner Tomer Strikovsky sits down with Thorsten Heller, a pioneer in digital infrastructure for the energy transition. As the founder of Greenbird, an ETF Partners–backed company that became a global leader in data integration for utilities before being acquired by GE Vernova, Thorsten shares his journey from startup founder to corporate innovator — and what it takes to power the grids of the future.

They discuss how data integration, AI, and real-time analytics are transforming the way utilities operate — shifting from a one-way to a bidirectional energy flow. Thorsten explains why the invisible layer of data is critical to enabling renewable energy, flexibility, and resilience in the modern grid, and why utilities can no longer operate without AI.

In this episode you’ll learn about: 

Why the energy transition is no longer theoretical — it’s here and accelerating fast.
Why Data infrastructure is as vital as physical infrastructure in building a resilient, sustainable grid.
Why utilities need to evolve from management to orchestration, powered by AI.
How startups can make a global impact — but sometimes joining a bigger platform scales that impact faster.
How the next wave of innovation will come from AI-enabled, decentralised grid intelligence.

Chapters

00:00 The Shift to Bidirectional Energy Flow

02:45 The Birth of Greenbird and Its Mission

05:15 Understanding the Data Challenge in Utilities

08:46 The Spaghetti Architecture of Data Integration

11:07 Data's Role in Sustainability and Energy Transition

13:10 AI's Impact on Utilities and Data Foundations

15:31 The Evolution of Energy Data

17:46 Greenbird's Journey to Acquisition

22:40 Integration into GE Vernova and GridOS

26:57 The Current State of the Energy Transition

30:38 AI as a Necessity for Future Grid Management

36:23 Advice for Future Energy Tech Founders

About Thorsten Heller

Thorsten Heller is Chief Innovation Officer at GE Vernova, where he leads efforts to build the next-generation software portfolio GridOS. He was the founder and CEO of Greenbird, a Norwegian startup that became a global leader in data integration for utilities (Utilihive) and was acquired by GE Vernova in 2023. Thorsten has worked with over 200 utilities worldwide and is a recognised thought leader on digital transformation in the energy sector.

Follow Thorsten Heller here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thorstenheller/ 

Follow Tomer Strikovsky here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomerstrik/

Find out more about GE Vernova here: https://www.gevernova.com/
Find out more about ETF Partners here: etfpartners.capital