CivilGrid Raises $26 Million to Build Google Maps for Underground Utilities
CivilGrid raises $26 million to map buried utilities, helping PG&E reduce strike risks and identify $60 million in avoidable paving costs across 1,600 projects.
Summary
After 10 years at Pacific Gas and Electric, engineer Josh Mackanic founded CivilGrid in 2020 after an unidentified pipe halted an excavation for three days, costing $60,000. Utilities generally see only infrastructure they own, while other operators control water and sewage records, contributing to about 200,000 utility strikes annually. CivilGrid combines utility asset, property ownership and environmental regulation data into what Mackanic calls Google Maps for the underground, selling access to governments, civil engineering firms and utilities, including PG&E.
As of August 27, 2026, CivilGrid had raised a $26 million Series A led by Spark Capital, with Afore, A*, Ford Street Ventures, SNR and utility backed Energy Impact Partners participating. A PG&E case study identified $60 million in avoidable paving costs across 1,600 planned gas distribution projects. PG&E senior vice president Christine Cowsert said earlier risk detection could improve safety, efficiency and affordability as California’s energy needs grow. Mackanic plans to add customers, recommend infrastructure routes, identify and file permits, and automate more construction red tape using CivilGrid’s dataset and position at the start of engineering decisions.
Positives
- $60 million in avoidable paving costs was identified across 1,600 planned PG&E gas distribution projects using CivilGrid.
- $26 million in Series A funding gives CivilGrid capital to expand its customer base and underground infrastructure dataset.
- About 200,000 annual utility strikes create a substantial safety and cost problem that CivilGrid directly addresses.
- PG&E uses CivilGrid to identify risks earlier, improve construction efficiency and avoid unnecessary costs.
- Route recommendations and automated permit filing could expand CivilGrid beyond data access into infrastructure planning and approvals.
Risks & concerns
- 200,000 utility strikes occur annually because infrastructure owners lack complete visibility into buried assets.
- Three days and $60,000 were lost when an unidentified pipe stopped Mackanic’s excavation project at PG&E.
- Water, sewage, gas and electricity records remain fragmented across separate owners, complicating data collection and engineering decisions.
- Collecting, sorting and securing sensitive underground infrastructure data has prevented earlier efforts from solving the problem at scale.
- Route recommendations and permit filing remain expansion plans rather than established CivilGrid services.
