Today we’d like to introduce you to Kenny Anshewitz.
Hi Kenny, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Utilyze started from a very personal and very practical question. While I was working at a utility payments and analytics company that focused on water leak detection, I also experienced something at home that kept bothering me: in one year alone, I smelled gas in the house eight different times because someone had accidentally left the stove knob on. That made me ask, why can’t we use utility data to help detect gas risk too? As I explored the problem further and spoke with property managers, it became clear that water loss and leaks were also a major pain point for them, so we built Utilyze to address both gas and water risk. Beyond our current product roadmap, we are also developing an unreleased study and white paper exploring the connection between sustainability, AI safety, and resource optimization. I personally developed the research premise, and a colleague with a PhD in AI validated it and will help drive the research program. We believe this work may lead to an AI optimization tool with meaningful water use efficiency benefits. We also believe some of the same phenomenon is being closely studied by top AI Safety and AI Model labs, but we take a differentiated approach.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has definitely not been a smooth road. Early on, after I built the website and laid out the business case, I hit a moment where I genuinely did not know what came next. I was in conversations with a few VCs, but I was still wrestling with self-doubt and wondering whether I was the right person to build this. In a strange way, part of the reason I started was because I could not get traction anywhere else. I was struggling to land even an interview, which forced me to bet on myself. Then, when I posted for software developers, the response was overwhelming. People believed in the mission, believed in the idea, and were willing to volunteer their time to help build it. That support gave me the conviction to keep moving forward.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Utilyze, Inc.?
Utilyze is building AI software that transforms utility meter data into actionable intelligence. We help detect gas and water risks early, including leaks, burst pipes, and unusual consumption patterns, so that property managers and utilities can respond before small issues become expensive or dangerous ones. We are known for taking something most people see as back-office data and turning it into a frontline safety, cost-saving, and operational tool.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
I think the biggest risk right now is not taking any risk at all. AI is moving so fast that simply getting started early gave us an advantage and built the foundation we need to execute. AI can accelerate development, but real industry nuance still takes time to understand, and our biggest differentiators came from lived experience and customer insight, not from AI alone. That is how I think about risk: move early, stay grounded, and build before the opportunity passes.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.utilyze.ai
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/utilyze.ai
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UtilyzeApp
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/utilyze/
- Twitter: https://x.com/UtilyzeApp
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@UtilyzeApp
