Paces
YC S22New York City, US · Founded 2022 · 48 employees · Hiring · 4 known investors
Paces develops software and services to accelerate the development of renewable energy and power infrastructure projects from siting to shovel-ready. The platform serves energy developers and project teams working on renewable energy and power generation.
Also known as Paces AI · Paces
Founders & leadership· Y Combinator alumni (S22)
Paces was founded in 2022 by James McWalter and Charles Bai.
Investors · 4
Funding
SEC filings, press & company announcements$11M disclosed across 1 round · 2024
- $11MraisedJul 2024 · 2 sourcesSource ↗
Source: company announcements and press reports — follow each round's link for the claim.
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Paces sells software and services for power and renewable energy project development, aimed at helping teams identify viable sites, assess grid and permitting constraints, and move projects from origination to construction-ready. The offering combines an AI agent that autonomously completes development workflows with a software platform, modular reports, and expert-validated services covering site viability, grid interconnection constraints, environmental factors, and permitting.
The company positions its approach against sequential, manual and siloed development workflows, stating that its model enables parallel development stages and claiming projects can reach power up to three times faster and shovel-ready status in half the time. Alongside the platform, Paces delivers power and permitting reports and publishes research such as a power flow study of Hansford County, Texas examining how ERCOT could enable 1,345 MW of new load by 2030.
Business model
Paces offers a combination of software (an AI agent and platform for site selection, diligence and pipeline tracking) and human expert-validated services and modular reports, sold to energy development organizations; the website directs prospective customers to a sales contact rather than self-service signup.
Traction
Customer testimonials on the company site describe outcomes such as identifying over a thousand parcels in Illinois missed by an internal GIS team, which subsequently moved into development.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market
Market position
Pairs automated AI-driven diligence with expert-validated reports and services, marketed as enabling parallel rather than sequential development stages, earlier detection of grid, environmental and permitting risks, and faster delivery of power and permitting reports.
Technology
An AI agent that autonomously completes key development workflows, layered over a software stack combining geospatial and energy data with human expert validation, used to assess site viability, grid constraints, environmental risk and permitting requirements.
Go-to-market
Direct enterprise sales through a "Get in Touch" contact motion, supported by content marketing including webinars on AI in energy development, blog posts, podcasts, case studies, white papers and published technical reports.
Power developers, data center developers, and utilities involved in siting, origination and development of power and renewable energy projects. Named users referenced on the company site include Demeter Land Development, Qcells' ESS project development team, and onCORE Origination.
Compiled by commissioned research from 1 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Competitors · 2
by search overlapCompanies competing with Paces for the same Google search keywords, organic and paid, via search-intersection analysis.
In the news
▸Research sources · 1
primary sources listed
- Pacespaces.com · web
1 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Paces do?
- Paces provides AI software and expert services that help energy infrastructure teams site and de-risk power projects.
- Who founded Paces?
- Paces was founded by James McWalter, Charles Bai in 2022.
- Who are Paces's investors?
- Paces's investors include Navitas Capital, Resolute Ventures, Suffolk Technologies, Y Combinator.
- How much funding has Paces raised?
- Paces has disclosed $11M raised across 1 round.
- Where is Paces headquartered?
- Paces is headquartered in New York City, US.