UC Berkeley alumnus Tim Barat was working as an electrical lineman in 2009 amid Australia’s devastating wildfires, many of which were sparked by downed power lines. His desire to mitigate such future tragedies inspired him to co-found the company Gridware with fellow Berkeley students Hall Chen and Abdulrahman Bin Omar.
Gridware, a spring 2020 CITRIS Foundry venture that produces sensors to evaluate electrical grid integrity and potential hazard risks from power lines, was recently named a Time magazine Best Invention of 2022.
Bin Omar said the support, resources and guidance from the CITRIS Foundry were instrumental in providing Gridware with the credibility to secure its first round of funding.
(Photo courtesy of Gridware)