UW Startup Company Develops PowerTwin Platform That Shows How Energy is Consumed

What if you could see energy? Not as an abstract number on a utility bill, but as a living, breathing part of an organization. For Keon Mobasher and his team at the University of Wyoming, this question wasn’t theoretical. It was a direct response to seeing leaders forced to choose between people and power.

 

Power Theory Inc., a business venture launched on the final day of 2023, was established with a mission to make sustainability visible, measurable and actionable. Armed with a blend of engineering prowess, business acumen and psychological insight, the team -- led by Mobasher, the company co-founder, and CEO Luke Macy, who received his MBA from UW and is currently pursuing his Ph.D. at UW -- developed the PowerTwin platform, a “digital twin” that transforms complex facilities into intuitive, data-driven ecosystems.

 

The platform can feed real-time data -- such as temperature or energy consumption -- into a virtual model where managers can monitor what’s happening in real time; simulate the effects of potential changes; and use artificial intelligence to predict future problems.

 

For UW, this technology is a game-changer. Instead of relying on monthly utility bills and reactive maintenance, administrators can use the PowerTwin platform to determine which buildings are consuming the most energy and why, empowering them to take immediate action. The system can predict that a critical HVAC component is likely to fail before it breaks down and allows for simulated scenarios, such as the energy savings from installing new windows or the impact of adjusting thermostat settings across campus.

 

But a brilliant idea is one thing; convincing a large organization to trust a new startup is another. The initial hurdle was credibility. This led the team to smaller pilot projects, proving their value proposition with results and methodically building a foundation of trust. Yet, the question of how to scale and reach the right decision-makers remained.

 

The team engaged with the Wyoming SBDC Network’s Wyoming SBIR/STTR Initiative program, which provided mentorship and crucial early-stage funding support for development. This relationship proved to be a door to new opportunities. Mobasher recalls a pivotal moment that accelerated their business’s trajectory.

 

“The SBDC’s sponsorship of our participation in the SBIR Conference in June 2025 directly led to our first Department of Defense subcontracting deal,” he says.

 

The conference yielded more than 35 valuable connections and illuminated a path into the competitive world of federal contracting -- a breakthrough that validated the broad potential of the technology.

 

Power Theory’s momentum has been building. The team has graduated from the gBETA Accelerator, located in Cheyenne, and is completing the National Science Foundation (NSF) Ascend Engine Accelerator, located in Fort Collins, Colo. The latter is a startup accelerator by the NSF Colorado-Wyoming Climate Resilience Engine, a regional innovation initiative, led by Innosphere Ventures, that is focused on digital twin startups.

 

Power Theory has successfully launched three pilot projects across Wyoming. Evolving from a concept into a proven platform that benefits communities and the planet, Power Theory operates at the intersection of high tech and human-centric design. 

 

“We don’t just provide data; we deliver insights that save money, prevent problems and empower people to make better decisions,” Mobasher explains.

 

When confronted with the same rejections that many startups endure, the Power Theory team refined its approach with each conversation: “Persistence is everything. You’ll hear countless ‘no’s’ before you get to a ‘yes,’ but every rejection teaches you how to refine your approach.”

 

Power Theory is proving that the most powerful innovations are born from a desire to solve real-world problems. With a vision to become a national leader in technology, this Wyoming-grown company is building a business for a smarter and more efficient world.

 

For more information about Power Theory, go to www.powertheoryinc.com.

 

For more information, call Tyler Schanck, marketing, communications and database manager for the Wyoming SBDC Network, at (307) 343-0925 or email tschanck@uwyo.edu.