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Lucend

Category: AI in Climate / Energy

An AI-driven optimization platform for data centers that reduces energy and water consumption through real-time operational insights and 'Transparent AI.' Lucend was founded in 2023. The company is led by René Gompel. Based in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Team size: 11-50. Total funding raised: €2.7M. Latest round: Seed round (Jan 2025). Key investors include 4impact capital, Mitsubishi Electric (ME Innovation Fund), Remarkable Ventures Climate (RVC).

Founded
2023
Headquarters
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Team size
11-50
Total funding
€2.7M

Value proposition

Reduces Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) and operational costs by up to 40% without requiring new hardware or infrastructure changes, while simultaneously protecting uptime and reliability.

Products and solutions

Transparent AI Platform (Core SaaS), Cooling Infrastructure Optimizer, Real-time Sustainability & CO2 Dashboard, Predictive Maintenance & Uptime Monitoring Suite

Unique value

Utilizes 'Transparent AI' which provides explainable and verifiable recommendations rather than 'black-box' decisions, allowing mission-critical facility managers to trust and audit AI-driven adjustments.

Target customer

Hyperscale and colocation data center operators, facility managers, and corporate sustainability officers.

Industries served

Data Centers, Cloud Infrastructure, Energy & Utilities, Sustainability Technology

Technology advantage

Hardware-agnostic integration that leverages existing sensor data from Building Management Systems (BMS) to create a holistic view of the entire cooling and power chain, from chip to cooling tower.

How they differentiate

Lucend utilizes 'Transparent AI' which provides explainable and verifiable recommendations rather than 'black-box' decisions, allowing mission-critical facility managers to trust and audit AI-driven adjustments without relinquishing total control.

Main competitors

Phaidra, EkkoSense, Vigilent, BrainBox AI

Key partnerships

Mitsubishi Electric (Strategic investor and technology partner via ME Innovation Fund), Digital Realty (Global deployment partner), Global Switch (Operational partner), T5 Data Centers (Collaboration partner), 4impact capital & Remarkable Ventures Climate (Investment partners)

Notable customers

Digital Realty, Global Switch, T5 Data Centers

Major milestones

Rebranded from Coolgradient to Lucend in late 2024 to reflect the mission of 'illuminating' data insights., Recognized by WIRED as one of the hottest startups in Amsterdam (2024)., Raised €2.7 million Seed round in January 2025 to fuel U.S. market entry., Established strategic partnership with Mitsubishi Electric for global distribution.

Growth metrics

Claims to reduce Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) and operational costs by up to 40% while protecting uptime.

Market positioning

Specialized sustainability AI challenger for hyperscale and colocation data centers.

Geographic focus

Europe (Headquarters in Netherlands) and North America (US expansion focus).

Patents and IP

No specific public patents disclosed; relies on proprietary machine learning algorithms and thermal modeling trade secrets.

About René Gompel

René Gompel is a seasoned entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience in B2B software, industrial data, and AI-driven optimizations. Before co-founding Lucend (formerly Coolgradient), he was a Partner at ViaConnect Group, where he focused on leveraging AI for sustainable industrial applications. His career is defined by a mission to reduce global energy consumption through transparent and actionable data insights.

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