In 50 mph gusts, how many poles break? How many customers lose power?

Steven Quiring knew his technology solved a problem for utilities. And based on projects he’d been involved in, he knew they’d pay for it. But it wasn’t until a student brought it up, that the idea took hold. This was a viable business. It could be a startup. So, in 2022, Steven co-founded StormImpact, whose predictive analytics helped electric utilities forecast weather-related damage and service disruptions. StormImpact grew to six employees, but just three years later, in 2025, sold for an undisclosed price to Urbant, a Miami Beach company that uses AI to predict threats to workers and critical infrastructure.

Midwest Moxie's executive producer is Audrey Nowakowski. She produced this episode. Subscribe to Midwest Moxie wherever you get your podcasts. And if you love Midwest Moxie as much as we do, help us out by posting a review.