Bentley Systems Announces iTwin Activate: Infrastructure Internet of Things

The program, which is organized in cohorts aligned to industry sectors, is managed by Bentley iTwin Ventures, a $100 million corporate venture capital fund that fosters innovation by co-investing in startups and emerging companies.

The iTwin Activate program supports startups in scoping and building industry relevant solutions by leveraging or interoperating with Bentley technology through program and co-development funding, solutions architecture support, and access to Bentley executives for commercial insights. Tom Kurke, Bentley’s Vice President of iTwin Ventures, said, “Our first cohort was a small, invitation-only group of four startups focused on the electric grid industry. We were excited to see the innovative solutions that the startups built incorporating our technology. The projects serve as powerful examples of new capabilities that arise from these collaborations, and in some cases we are already seeing our shared users benefit from these new tools and the efficiencies they unlock.”

iTwin Activate Cohort #1 – Grid supported four startups: Spatial Data.AI, Virtual Technology Simplified, Rebase Energy, and SurPlus Maps.

Spatial Data AI’s solution automates the processing of LiDAR data from point clouds into ready-to-use vector formats, including SPIDAcalc models and various other CAD formats. This project focused on building a connector to Bentley’s pole analysis solution (SPIDAcalc). Spatial Data founder Doug Culbert said, “Participating in the iTwin Activate program supported the automated development of a design-centric digital twin for electrical distribution and telecommunications companies. The outcome of this initiative advanced our technical solution and expanded our service offerings in these markets. Spatial Data would like to thank the Bentley team for this accelerator program and is excited to continue co-developing products and services, enabling digital transformations across the infrastructure sector.”