Gradyent

As a child, Hervé Huisman was always dismantling radios, televisions and any gadgets he could get his hands on – much to his parents’ frustration. It was clear early on that he was destined to become an engineer. What wasn’t clear was that he would one day co-found a company helping cities cut carbon emissions through smarter heating systems.

Huisman’s entrepreneurial spark came later, during university, when a friend convinced him to enter a startup competition. Their idea – to build affordable city bikes for students – won, planting the seed for a career at the intersection of technology and entrepreneurship. After gaining experience at McKinsey and ASML, Huisman was ready to return to his real passion: the energy transition.

“I was fascinated by energy, and I wanted to work where I could make real impact,” he says.

That moment came when he met cofounder Robert Vrancken, who had drafted the first plan for Gradyent. 

“What drew me in was its focus on heating. At first, it seemed niche, but heating actually accounts for over half of the global energy use and rarely gets attention. We saw an opportunity to use software to optimise city and industrial heating systems. What excites me most is that it directly impacts on the energy transition – a big, relevant problem that few are addressing. That’s why I knew this was the right space to focus on.”

A virtual copy at the core

At the core of the solution is the digital twin, a virtual copy of a heating system that is both end-to-end and real-time. It covers the full chain – production, distribution, and consumption – while updating by the second. 

“Most solutions either cover the full system without real-time data or offer real-time insights into just one part, like heat production. Ours does both and provides active control”, Huisman says. “This enables utilities and industrial operators to optimise performance, manage complexity, and capture flexibility, such as storing heat during low-demand periods or integrating renewable energy more effectively.”

Customers typically achieve 5–15 per cent efficiency gains, with some reaching a 20 per cent gain by using Gradyent’s simulations. In terms of emissions, a 10 per cent CO2 reduction is often within reach.

According to Huisman, the platform's uniqueness is the combination of data, physics, and AI. 

“Many heating systems lack comprehensive sensors, and data can be incomplete or delayed. Physics-based models fill in the gaps – water flow in pipes must obey physical laws, for example – while AI forecasts demand and detect patterns. It’s not about large language models; it’s about making the system smarter and more reliable.” 

Expanding Beyond District Heating

The company is also expanding its focus. Initially concentrating on district heating systems, Gradyent is increasingly moving into industrial heating, helping chemical plants, refineries, and other energy-intensive industries reduce emissions and operate more flexibly. Its solution is already active in over 35 European cities, and the company is planning expansion into the Nordics, Germany, and North America, with permanent U.S. teams expected by 2026.

“In the Nordics, transformation is underway with heat pumps and electrification, while Eastern Europe still focuses on basic optimisation, and Germany faces redesign challenges after skipping gas as a transition fuel. 

Also, mindset remains a hurdle: Some companies think digitalisation comes after the transition. That’s like saying, ‘I’ll drive to southern France first, and then buy my navigation system. Transition and digital tools must go hand in hand.”

Gradyent recently partnered with SEB Greentech VC, a move he sees as strategic and symbolic.

“We’re proud to have SEB on board. We need solid, reliable partners – especially when working with critical infrastructure. SEB brings that credibility. Sweden is also a key market, and the partnership opens doors to new networks and opportunities.  

Gradyent’s long-term ambition is to become the world-wide operating system for energy grids – starting with heating, but ultimately enabling the optimisation of entire, interconnected energy systems.

“Our strength lies in combining data, physics, and AI to manage complex energy systems,” says Hervé Huisman. “That’s the recipe for making cities and industries smarter, more flexible, and lower-carbon.”  

Staying Grounded

Despite his ambitious vision, Huisman stays grounded thanks to his family. “My wife and our two daughters, five and nine, keep me anchored. The phone goes away at home – it’s about being present with them. 

But explaining what I do has always been tricky. I mean, where do I start? District heating? Digital twins? But now, with Gradyent’s software deployed in Utrecht – the city we live in – I can finally point to the power plants and say: ‘That’s where our Digital Twin is running. That’s where we’re making a difference to the planet.’”