Overstory

Overstory provides an AI-powered vegetation intelligence and grid resilience platform for electric utilities. It generates vegetation data by applying AI models to remote sensing sources such as high-resolution satellite and aerial imagery, then combines that data with local context including asset locations, wildfire maps and terrain. The resulting span- and circuit-level risk analysis is used by utilities to plan and prioritize vegetation management work, with the stated aim of moving programs from cycle-based, reactive maintenance to targeted, risk-based resilience strategies.

The company positions vegetation management as typically a utility's largest operations and maintenance expense and frames its product around four main uses: cycle optimization (deciding which circuits to trim and when), work quantification (adding volume, type and location detail to bid packages), targeted risk identification (strike trees, declining trees and hazard trees), and reporting and auditing (measuring risk change between scans and supporting conversations with regulators and insurers). Additional stated use cases include wildfire risk mitigation, high-reliability zone targeting, compliance workflows, transmission work-type classification, contractor work auditing, and pre-storm identification of trees likely to cause outages.

Overstory was founded in Lisbon in 2018 by Indra den Bakker and Anniek Schouten. It is led by CEO Fiona Spruill and operates a U.S. headquarters in Boston and a European headquarters in Amsterdam, with listed offices in Somerville, Massachusetts and Amsterdam.

Founding story

Overstory was founded in Lisbon in 2018 by Indra den Bakker and Anniek Schouten with the stated purpose of helping address the climate crisis, applying technology to enable a more resilient electrical grid.

Business model

Overstory sells its vegetation intelligence analysis as a product to electric utilities, including investor-owned utilities, municipalities and cooperatives, engaging prospects through demos and pilots. Customer statements reference paying for AI-derived vegetation data whose cost is weighed against avoided or better-targeted trimming spend.

Sources describe utilities purchasing Overstory's vegetation risk analysis and data deliverables covering their networks, with results delivered per scan across spans and circuits; specific pricing terms are not stated.

Traction

Overstory reports work with 50+ investor-owned utilities and cooperatives across the Americas and Europe and use by 6 of the 10 largest North American utilities. Published results include a 46% efficiency improvement including SAIDI and cost reduction for a U.S. distribution customer, 64% trimming efficiency improvement and 13x return on investment for a U.S. transmission customer. Its analysis is implemented in the vegetation management cycle for 10,000 miles of powerline for Elewit / Red Eléctrica Group in Spain. The team had grown to more than 80 people across 16 nationalities as of November 2025.

Latest developments

In November 2025 Overstory closed a $43 million Series B led by Blume Equity with participation from Energy Impact Partners and existing investors, earmarked for global expansion, development of AI-based risk models and advancement of its wildfire prevention offering. The company also appointed Tamara Mendelsohn as Chief Operating Officer.