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Sense Names Co-Founder Ryan Houlette as Chief Technology Officer
On June 24, 2026, grid‑edge intelligence company Sense announced a key leadership change: co‑founder Ryan Houlette will step into the role of chief technology officer (CTO). The appointment follows Houlette’s long‑standing position as senior vice president of engineering and technology.
Houlette brings more than three decades of software architecture and engineering expertise to the post. Since Sense’s founding, he has been the driving force behind the company’s core platform, guiding its evolution from early real‑time device detection to the sophisticated Waveform AI that powers the firm’s offerings today.
"Ryan has been instrumental in shaping the technology foundation that makes Sense possible," said CEO Mike Phillips. "For more than a decade, he has helped build and refine the core technology behind our distributed architecture and Waveform AI. As utilities invest in next‑generation metering infrastructure and seek greater visibility into grid conditions, electrification and energy use, Ryan’s leadership will help accelerate our mission to unlock the full value of the grid edge."
In a statement, Houlette reflected on his journey: "As a co‑founder, I’ve had the opportunity to help build Sense from the earliest days of real‑time device detection through today’s grid‑edge intelligence platform. We’re entering a period where utilities have access to unprecedented visibility through next‑generation smart meters. Waveform AI gives us the ability to transform those electrical signals into actionable intelligence that supports reliability, affordability and the energy transition. I’m excited to lead the team continuing to push that technology forward."
Waveform AI is embedded in advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) and captures high‑resolution waveform data—up to one megahertz of sampling—allowing utilities to detect load patterns, identify faults, monitor electrification and gain visibility across the distribution grid. The distributed architecture that Houlette helped design enables Sense to scale its platform across millions of homes equipped with smart meters.
Before joining Sense, Houlette was senior architect at Vlingo, where he led the development of the company’s speech‑recognition service architecture and scaled the platform to support more than a hundred million users and over a billion speech transactions per month. He also contributed to early mobile speech‑recognition applications for Yahoo! and BlackBerry.
Houlette holds a Master of Science in Computer Science with a concentration in Artificial Intelligence from Stanford University and a Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science from DePauw University.
Sense’s mission, as outlined on its website, is to make the energy transition accessible to everyone. The company delivers software driven by high‑resolution data that helps utilities engage customers, detect devices, balance load, forecast demand and identify anomalies. Its consumer‑facing app empowers households to reduce electricity bills and lower carbon footprints.
The announcement comes as utilities across the United States and abroad accelerate deployments of advanced metering infrastructure and invest in edge‑computing solutions to support grid reliability and the integration of distributed energy resources. Sense’s partnership model—working with meter manufacturers and utilities—positions it to play a role in the broader shift toward data‑driven grid management.
With Houlette’s appointment, Sense signals a continued focus on deepening its AI capabilities and expanding its market reach. The company has already demonstrated the utility of Waveform AI in detecting faults at the edge in real time, a feature highlighted in recent industry publications.
The promotion underscores the importance of experienced engineering leadership in the AI‑enabled utilities sector, where reliable, scalable, and secure data pipelines are critical. As the sector moves toward higher‑resolution metering and more sophisticated analytics, leaders like Houlette will be key to translating raw electrical data into actionable insights for both utilities and consumers.
Looking ahead, Sense will likely pursue further development of its foundational models, integration with additional meter manufacturers, and expansion of its consumer app’s capabilities. Continued growth will depend on the firm’s ability to maintain a robust, distributed architecture that can handle the increasing volume and velocity of metering data.
In summary, Sense’s promotion of Ryan Houlette to CTO signals a commitment to advancing its Waveform AI platform and reinforcing its position as a leading provider of grid‑edge intelligence solutions. The company’s focus on high‑resolution data analytics, distributed architecture and consumer empowerment aligns with industry trends toward smarter, more resilient electric grids.
Houlette brings more than three decades of software architecture and engineering expertise to the post. Since Sense’s founding, he has been the driving force behind the company’s core platform, guiding its evolution from early real‑time device detection to the sophisticated Waveform AI that powers the firm’s offerings today.
"Ryan has been instrumental in shaping the technology foundation that makes Sense possible," said CEO Mike Phillips. "For more than a decade, he has helped build and refine the core technology behind our distributed architecture and Waveform AI. As utilities invest in next‑generation metering infrastructure and seek greater visibility into grid conditions, electrification and energy use, Ryan’s leadership will help accelerate our mission to unlock the full value of the grid edge."
In a statement, Houlette reflected on his journey: "As a co‑founder, I’ve had the opportunity to help build Sense from the earliest days of real‑time device detection through today’s grid‑edge intelligence platform. We’re entering a period where utilities have access to unprecedented visibility through next‑generation smart meters. Waveform AI gives us the ability to transform those electrical signals into actionable intelligence that supports reliability, affordability and the energy transition. I’m excited to lead the team continuing to push that technology forward."
Waveform AI is embedded in advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) and captures high‑resolution waveform data—up to one megahertz of sampling—allowing utilities to detect load patterns, identify faults, monitor electrification and gain visibility across the distribution grid. The distributed architecture that Houlette helped design enables Sense to scale its platform across millions of homes equipped with smart meters.
Before joining Sense, Houlette was senior architect at Vlingo, where he led the development of the company’s speech‑recognition service architecture and scaled the platform to support more than a hundred million users and over a billion speech transactions per month. He also contributed to early mobile speech‑recognition applications for Yahoo! and BlackBerry.
Houlette holds a Master of Science in Computer Science with a concentration in Artificial Intelligence from Stanford University and a Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science from DePauw University.
Sense’s mission, as outlined on its website, is to make the energy transition accessible to everyone. The company delivers software driven by high‑resolution data that helps utilities engage customers, detect devices, balance load, forecast demand and identify anomalies. Its consumer‑facing app empowers households to reduce electricity bills and lower carbon footprints.
The announcement comes as utilities across the United States and abroad accelerate deployments of advanced metering infrastructure and invest in edge‑computing solutions to support grid reliability and the integration of distributed energy resources. Sense’s partnership model—working with meter manufacturers and utilities—positions it to play a role in the broader shift toward data‑driven grid management.
With Houlette’s appointment, Sense signals a continued focus on deepening its AI capabilities and expanding its market reach. The company has already demonstrated the utility of Waveform AI in detecting faults at the edge in real time, a feature highlighted in recent industry publications.
The promotion underscores the importance of experienced engineering leadership in the AI‑enabled utilities sector, where reliable, scalable, and secure data pipelines are critical. As the sector moves toward higher‑resolution metering and more sophisticated analytics, leaders like Houlette will be key to translating raw electrical data into actionable insights for both utilities and consumers.
Looking ahead, Sense will likely pursue further development of its foundational models, integration with additional meter manufacturers, and expansion of its consumer app’s capabilities. Continued growth will depend on the firm’s ability to maintain a robust, distributed architecture that can handle the increasing volume and velocity of metering data.
In summary, Sense’s promotion of Ryan Houlette to CTO signals a commitment to advancing its Waveform AI platform and reinforcing its position as a leading provider of grid‑edge intelligence solutions. The company’s focus on high‑resolution data analytics, distributed architecture and consumer empowerment aligns with industry trends toward smarter, more resilient electric grids.
