Spark: AI-powered workflows for energy infrastructure

AI-powered workflows for energy infrastructure

Spark AI is workflow software for solar, storage, and data center developers. We've reviewed and identified over 1 million zoning, permitting, and project-related documents in nearly every jurisdiction in America, so that you can instantly identify project requirements, local sentiment, and fatal flaws in seconds. We’re trusted by dozens of industry-leading developers representing over 90 gigawatts of project pipeline and $30 billion in financing. Our team combines leadership experience from AI and energy (Microsoft, Apple, Department of Energy, Brex).

Active Founders

Julia Wu

Founder

Julia is the co-founder and CEO of Spark, an AI-powered permitting and workflow solution for energy infrastructure. Before Spark, Julia was an engineering manager and early engineer at Brex, where she led teams like Card Fraud, Growth, and Rewards. She was also an engineer at Apple Siri and Microsoft Azure. Julia studied computer science & economics at Brown, speaks 3 languages natively, and grew up between Brazil and China.

Julia Wu

Founder

Julia is the co-founder and CEO of Spark, an AI-powered permitting and workflow solution for energy infrastructure. Before Spark, Julia was an engineering manager and early engineer at Brex, where she led teams like Card Fraud, Growth, and Rewards. She was also an engineer at Apple Siri and Microsoft Azure. Julia studied computer science & economics at Brown, speaks 3 languages natively, and grew up between Brazil and China.

Anuj Saigal

Founder

Prior to Dataherald, I led Revenue Ops at Nauto, an AI company focused on the transportation industry. I also held roles in cleantech and finance: GM at EVgo (EV fast charging), SunEdison, the Dept of Energy, and JPMorgan Investment Bank. Northwestern Kellogg MBA, UC Berkeley Economics.

Anuj Saigal

Founder

Prior to Dataherald, I led Revenue Ops at Nauto, an AI company focused on the transportation industry. I also held roles in cleantech and finance: GM at EVgo (EV fast charging), SunEdison, the Dept of Energy, and JPMorgan Investment Bank. Northwestern Kellogg MBA, UC Berkeley Economics.

Company Launches

Spark: Permitting Intelligence for AI Infrastructure

See original launch post

TL;DR

With Spark AI, developers can instantly identify permitting requirements and fatal flaws in seconds, not weeks.

We have parsed more than 1 million zoning, permitting, town hall meetings, and project documents. Our systems ingest PDFs, maps, land use codes, moratoria, interconnection queues, and local websites across thousands of jurisdictions.

Permitting is the silent killer of energy infrastructure projects

An estimated $98 billion in projects were blocked or delayed in Q2 2025. A one-month delay on a 60 MW data center can erase $10M in value. Speed to power determines who wins in data center, storage, and generation.

Critical information lives inside thousands of scattered, inconsistent zoning codes, permits, and local records. Teams miss high-potential sites, waste months on weak ones, and get outpaced by competitors.

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Enter Spark: De-risking Speed to Power

Spark pulls everything into one place and makes permitting intelligence instant.

Spark scans millions of PDFs, maps, land use codes, and local websites to surface permitting rules and community sentiment. What used to take weeks now takes seconds. The same engine evaluates individual parcels or entire data rooms.

https://youtu.be/6wvFwUNPrks

Rapid Permit Matrix 📄

We run the permitting gauntlet for hyperscalers, energy developers, and BESS operators at a fraction of the cost and time.

Spark generates a complete permit matrix that captures the legal, procedural, and social landscape of any site. Developers move faster on strong sites and eliminate weak ones early.

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Social Media Sentiment 👥

Local opposition begins online long before public hearings. Grassroots groups and Facebook communities shape the approval landscape months in advance.

Spark tracks social media activity across every U.S. county for solar, storage, and data center projects. Users identify relevant groups, engagement patterns, and sentiment before the first meeting hits the calendar.

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Don’t just take it from us: We’re trusted by dozens of industry-leading developers representing over 90 gigawatts of project pipeline and $30 billion in financing: Cypress Creek Renewables, Standard Solar, Arevon, UGE (case study), DESRI, Dynamic Energy (case study), and many others.

Core Team

Our founding team, Julia Wu, Anuj Saigal, Luca Marturana, Wendell Beane, Shivam Agarwal, combines years of leadership in AI and energy.

We come from Apple, Microsoft, SunEdison, the Department of Energy, and multiple YC startups.

Our Ask

We’re partnering with developers and operators building the future of compute and energy. If that’s you, we’d love to chat! Book a demo here, or reach out to founders@sparkhq.ai

We are hiring across operations/growth and engineering! If this mission sounds exciting to you or someone you know, reach out to hiring@sparkhq.ai

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