September 2025: Allison Myers
Allison, what does HData do as it relates to providing services to the energy industry?
HData provides a regulatory intelligence platform that aggregates and structures documents from federal, state, and utility commission proceedings, enabling energy companies, regulators, and intervenors to analyze rate cases more efficiently. By applying an AI layer to the full corpus of U.S. regulatory filings, the platform helps stakeholders answer discovery requests, track dockets, generate summaries, and uncover insights that would otherwise require significant legal, consulting, or staff resources. Our platform is already used by regulated utilities, state commissions, corporate energy buyers, and advocacy groups, creating an ecosystem where multiple parties can work from the same data foundation. HData is becoming the “platform of record” for rate proceedings, driving both efficiency (time, staffing, and cost savings) and strategic advantages (better case outcomes, stronger regulatory relationships, and smarter energy spend management). Ultimately, our vision is to create network effects across the sector—similar to leading regtech platforms in financial services—making HData the standard infrastructure for regulatory interaction across the energy industry.
You had a major acquisition announcement this summer. What was your role and what will this acquisition mean for HData’s growth?
Yes! We were thrilled to announce HData’s acquisition of Insight Engine from Advanced Energy United. I had previously been advising HData, and when this opportunity emerged through CEO Hudson Hollister’s relationship with Advanced Energy United’s leadership, I stepped in to lead the transaction—negotiating terms and driving due diligence. I’m incredibly proud of the trust Advanced Energy United placed in us to carry their product and customers forward. They saw HData as uniquely positioned to apply the latest technology to the age-old challenge of extracting insights from hundreds of pages of regulatory filings. With this acquisition, we’ve created the industry’s most comprehensive regulatory intelligence platform and expanded customer community, positioning HData for significant growth.
As we seek to inform, inspire, and motivate the next generation of workforce talent, briefly share with us your education and professional background.
I started my career as chief of staff at a startup that was acquired by a large corporate just as I joined, giving me a unique perspective into both a scrappy entrepreneurial environment and a century-old organization. After business school, I joined Accenture’s Strategy Consulting practice, focusing on energy, mobility, infrastructure, and the built environment—often working with utilities. I then co-founded Buoyant Ventures, an early-stage VC fund backed by Microsoft, built on the belief that software could deliver the speed and scale needed to address climate and energy challenges. One of my favorite investments was HData, where I led the Series A round after experiencing firsthand how regulatory insights were buried in complex filings. I recently joined HData as Chief Growth and Strategy Officer, where I’m excited to help scale a world-class team tackling one of the most critical challenges in the energy sector.
Share with students following us why you find the cross-section of analytics, artificial intelligence, and energy exciting, and elaborate on the opportunities you see coming.
When I first worked in consulting, one of my earliest projects was in energy, and I became fascinated by the enormous amount of work required to deliver what most of us experience as simply “flipping a switch.” That experience sparked my interest in solving complex energy challenges, and later investing in startups tackling these problems, because the impact is so tangible and far-reaching. Today, with the leaps forward in AI and digital technology, the opportunities are even greater. Growing load demand, evolving business models, and regulatory change are reshaping how we generate, deliver, and consume energy. I believe the future of energy will be defined by how well we “manufacture intelligence”—building more responsive and flexible systems that serve communities better. While I think there will be many opportunities to play a role in this evolution much of this innovation will start with modernizing the regulatory process itself, and that’s exactly where HData is focused.