Insider Brief
- Clear Current raised over $4M in an oversubscribed seed round led by Rho Ignition to expand its AI-powered virtual energy manager, which automates energy procurement, optimization, and reporting for enterprise clients.
- The platform uses machine learning to analyze complex energy data, identify cost-saving opportunities, and continuously improve operations, with pilots already underway at major organizations like AB InBev.
- Based in Albuquerque, the company aims to scale across the U.S. while supporting New Mexico’s tech ecosystem and addressing the rising complexity and cost of enterprise energy management.
PRESS RELEASE — Clear Current, the first AI platform to deliver a comprehensive virtual energy manager for enterprise businesses, has secured over $4 million in an oversubscribed Seed Round. Rho Ignition led the round, with participation from Coreline Ventures and Avesta Fund. This investment will accelerate Clear Current’s market expansion across the U.S. and fuel development of its groundbreaking AI-driven energy management solutions at a pivotal moment in enterprise energy transformation. Based in Albuquerque, Clear Current intends to tap into New Mexico’s growing AI talent pool and help catalyze the region’s tech ecosystem by creating high-quality technology jobs in the state.
As businesses navigate escalating energy costs and increasingly complex market dynamics, Clear Current’s innovative energy enterprise resource planning (EERP) solutions are creating a new category of intelligent energy management. The company’s proprietary AI system functions as a 24/7 virtual energy manager, automating tasks that traditionally required months of manual analysis and specialized expertise.
Clear Current’s leadership combines exceptional energy sector experience with cutting-edge AI development. CEO John Reuter, who guided Bloom Energy from pre-revenue to IPO after serving as a nuclear submarine officer, leads the company alongside CTO Jake Masters, a serial entrepreneur and former Redaptive CTO, and COO Eric Hines, an Army veteran with crucial energy infrastructure experience, including rebuilding Puerto Rico’s grid. This team has created an intelligent system that fundamentally reimagines how enterprises manage their energy assets.
“Today’s energy landscape demands more than static dashboards and basic reporting,” said John Reuter, CEO. “Clear Current’s virtual energy manager provides cognitive capabilities that allow energy teams to act in minutes instead of months. This funding accelerates our mission to deploy intelligent agents that continuously optimize energy expenditures while providing unprecedented visibility across operations.”
Clear Current’s platform employs advanced machine learning to extract insights from thousands of complex energy documents, automatically identifying cost-saving opportunities that remain hidden in conventional systems. The AI manager orchestrates comprehensive energy intelligence across procurement, forecasting, consumption, and reporting — creating an adaptive system that continuously improves through operational experience.
The platform is already being piloted for major organizations, including Anheuser-Busch InBev (“AB InBev”), where it could serve as a virtual extension of their energy management team.
“Managing global energy operations requires processing immense amounts of data across disparate systems,” said Adam Spunberg at 100+ Accelerator, a corporate sustainability program sponsored by AB InBev, The Coca-Cola Company, Colgate-Palmolive, Danone, and Unilever. “Clear Current’s virtual energy manager could transform our approach, enabling our team to better monitor, manage, and streamline operations while staying ahead of market shifts and internal targets.”
Beyond traditional energy management tools, Clear Current’s system features autonomous procurement capabilities that continuously evaluate supplier options, intelligent rate analysis that identifies optimal tariff structures, and an interactive mapping system that organizes energy assets for strategic planning — all unified through an intuitive command center.
Dan Ruch, General Partner at Rho Ignition, said, “The Clear Current team is exceptionally well prepared to execute on the opportunity in front of them. They bring together rare and highly relevant experience — from scaling energy infrastructure and AI platforms to building enterprise-grade software systems. That combination gives them a unique advantage in addressing the complexity of today’s energy challenges. We’re confident in their ability to lead this market shift and build a category-defining company.”
Montauk Climate Co-Founder and COO Sharo Atmeh emphasizes the growing urgency: “With commercial and Industrial (C&I) power rates projected to double over the next decade, businesses need intelligent systems that can adapt to rapidly changing conditions. Clear Current’s virtual energy manager provides this critical capability, transforming how enterprises understand and optimize their energy expenditures.”
As one of Clear Current’s founding partners, Montauk Climate demonstrates its commitment to building and investing in companies focused on energy intelligence and optimization. This investment aligns with Montauk’s vision of advancing practical technology solutions for the evolving energy landscape. Clear Current represents the latest addition to Montauk’s strategic investment ecosystem, which includes innovative companies like Raad and Adaptive Insurance.
About Clear Current
Clear Current AI is developing the first truly intelligent virtual energy manager for enterprise operations. In today’s complex energy landscape, characterized by overwhelming data fragmentation, the platform’s AI capabilities bring unprecedented clarity and optimization to energy-intensive organizations. By deploying intelligent agents across the energy value chain, Clear Current enables enterprises to predict, audit, and procure energy with the precision and adaptability previously requiring extensive human analysis.
About Montauk Climate
Montauk Climate is a venture studio and fund that builds and invests in companies of consequence that will thrive in an emerging Electron Economy. The electron is now the fundamental building block of a future of energy abundance — powering AI, electrifying homes and buildings, and reshaping mobility and supply chains. Montauk leverages its expertise in emerging technologies, capital markets, infrastructure, and sustainability to drive exceptional outcomes. For more information, visit https://montaukclimate.com/.
About Rho Ignition
Rho Ignition, a division of Rho Capital Partners (“Rho”), focuses on early-stage investments in disruptive and innovative technology markets, with a current focus on SaaS, AI, Healthtech, FinTech and Robotics. Rho, founded in 1981, has invested over $2 billion in more than 300 companies across multiple waves of technology innovation. Visit www.rho.com for more information.
About Coreline Ventures
Coreline Ventures is an early-stage VC firm investing in exceptional companies across the U.S., Japan, and Korea. Combining the resources of a global platform with the personal touch of a boutique investor, its founding team has over a decade of collaboration and has backed breakout companies such as Brigit (acq. By UPBD), EvenUp, Playground, Weekend Health (acquired by WW), Sansan, CADDi, Enechain, Linc’well, Craftbank, 10X, MagicMoment, M2X, and Kakao.
About Avesta Fund
Avesta Fund is a seed-stage fund that invests in North American startups that drive innovation in advanced energy, resource efficiency, and economic opportunity for a more enduring and prosperous future. Avesta’s portfolio of 43 companies develop a wide range of scalable solutions across the energy, resource, education, workforce and finance sectors. By leveraging sector expertise and a network of 70+ corporate partners and 60+ institutional investors, Avesta helps its portfolio achieve both commercial success and measurable positive impact.
Contacts
Prosek Partners for Montauk Climate
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