Critical Loop, a power-solutions startup that builds modular, battery-based microgrids, raised a $26m Series A round, announced on 13 April 2026. Conifer Infrastructure Partners and Hanover led the round. Better Ventures, Climate Capital, Adapt Nation Capital and Cyrus Ventures also took part. No valuation was disclosed.
The company said it has now raised $49m in total, counting committed equity and debt. Critical Loop plans to use the money to accelerate deployment of its microgrids, so that utilities can connect industrial customers while permanent grid upgrades are built.
“Grid interconnection queues are limiting industrial growth”Nick Stork, Founder and Managing Partner, Conifer Infrastructure Partners
What Critical Loop does
The company's main product is the CLB-5100, a scalable 1 MW battery system that combines battery storage, power generation and a software-defined controller called Cygnus. pv magazine USA reported that the controller is certified to the UL 3141 standard. The system is designed to connect to existing grid infrastructure or to on-site generation, and it can be relocated as grid constraints change.
Mercom Capital described the platform as a modular, battery-integrated microgrid that pairs energy storage with the proprietary Cygnus controller. The company also has an agreement to buy domestically manufactured energy-storage products from LG Energy Solution Vertech.
The problem it targets
Critical Loop sells to industrial clients and utilities that are waiting on grid upgrades. pv magazine USA said the company points to load growth from AI data centres and industrial electrification as pressures on the grid. Conifer's founder and managing partner, Nick Stork, said grid interconnection queues are limiting industrial growth.
The article also noted regulatory context: in February 2026 the California Public Utilities Commission directed Southern California Edison and Pacific Gas & Electric to file tariff options for what it called flexible service connections. Critical Loop currently operates in California and plans to expand to other territories where grid queues are a constraint.
Customers and team
Pulse 2.0 listed San Diego International Airport as a partner and said the company has deployed microgrids for industrial and infrastructure users, including EV charging. pv magazine USA did not name customers. It said the team includes engineers from SpaceX, Tesla and Rivian, and no headcount was given.
Bala Ramamurthy is co-founder and chief executive. According to Pulse 2.0, he said the company has built a software and hardware stack with the potential to accelerate the time to power from years to days. Other investors quoted in that report included Joe Malchow of HNVR Technology Investment Management, and Greg Matter of JLL, who said Critical Loop can get a facility connected in weeks or months.
Where the company is based
Where Critical Loop is based is not clear from the reports. pv magazine USA called it a Los Angeles-based company, while the other reports did not state a city, so none is recorded here. The sources did not list earlier funding rounds. Critical Loop's own website describes modular, relocatable battery systems that pair with on-site generation and a controller, with deployments in California.
Company website: criticalloop.com