Shatterdome Energy, an AI-driven energy trading and virtual power plant startup, has raised $3.5 million in pre-seed funding to develop an energy trading platform for renewable energy operators, utilities, and large power consumers.

The round was led by Crucible Capital, with participation from Transpose Platform and Entrepreneurs First.

The company said its platform is designed to help customers respond to volatility in electricity markets by coordinating renewable generation, battery storage, and flexible industrial demand through a virtual power plant network.

Shatterdome plans to use the new funding to deploy its core AI forecasting and dispatch platform, scale VPP asset integrations, and expand its presence in North American and European markets.

The company said it is working with early partners across energy trading and infrastructure markets, and has moved 200 mWh of power in three months after inception, with 1.5 GW of assets in the pipeline.

“Every great industrial buildout in American history – the oil industry, railroads, the internet – was unlocked by incredible feats in technical engineering coupled with novel innovations in financial engineering,” said Meltem Demirors, General Partner at Crucible Capital. “At Crucible, we are capital markets maximalists.”

He said Amann Shariff, founder, has the rare combination of systematic trading DNA and deep ISO market expertise to build the risk management tools to reshape power grids by leveraging America’s greatest strength: its robust capital markets.

In October 2025, a renewable energy intelligence company, Smart Grid Analytics, raised $3.3 million (~₹289.75 million) in funding from strategic investors and clean energy veterans worldwide. The funding will be used to develop technology to make renewable power projects more intelligent, efficient, and autonomous, enabling grids to meet and exceed renewable energy targets.

VC funding for Smart Grid companies increased 8% year-over-year, with $373 million raised in 14 deals in Q1 2026 compared to $346 million in 18 deals in Q1 2025, according to Mercom’s recently released Q1 2026 Smart Grid Funding and M&A report.