Powering a Smarter Future for Energy
Rethinking the Last Mile
For most of us, energy begins and ends at the switch but behind the scenes, the last mile of delivery is the most expensive, inefficient, and carbon-intensive part of the system. For Kris Sebro, Founder of Last Myle, that challenge became an opportunity.
While working on a hydro installation project in Papua New Guinea, Kris discovered that transmission costs were crippling projects. “It should have been about generation,” he recalls, “but it was the cost of lines that blew out budgets.” That insight sparked Maestro, a smart energy orchestration platform that coordinates devices like heat pumps, EV chargers, and hot water systems across the grid.
By shifting energy use away from peak times, Maestro unlocks hidden flexibility in existing infrastructure, helping households and businesses reduce costs without sacrificing comfort and lowering emissions along the way.
Switching on Growth with Creative HQ
In 2024, Last Myle joined Creative HQ’s Climate Response Accelerator with an early MVP. The challenge was clear: move from a simple prototype into a scalable solution.
Through the programme, Kris and his team gained access to mentorship, pitching expertise, and industry connections. A critical partnership secured through a programme mentor enabled Last Myle to test Maestro at scale, proving its effectiveness in real-world conditions.
“I cannot express just how important pitching is,” says Kris. “It helped us tell our story in a better way that’s more digestible and that’s what’s got us to where we are today”
Creative HQ’s ecosystem also opened doors to investors, industry partners, and legal support. Without this, Kris admits, “We’d probably still be banging on doors trying to get from zero to one.”
“I’ve been very fortunate to go through the Creative HQ accelerator program because without it, I’m pretty sure we’d be plodding along still…You need that cheerleading squad behind you. It’s a village.”
Trials to Traction
Since graduating from the 2024 accelerator, Last Myle has scaled rapidly:
- Grew from a two-person team to nearly 10 employees
- Secured contracts with major partners, helping schools avoid costly infrastructure upgrades and saving millions of dollars in potential transformer and network costs.
- Expanded trials across residential communities, particularly in Auckland, targeting 10–30 megawatts of flexible load capacity.
- Proven Maestro’s ability to defer peak demand and reduce energy costs, benefiting both consumers and retailers.
With energy prices hitting record highs in 2024, Last Myle demonstrated that smarter coordination can deliver real, measurable savings for households, businesses, and the wider grid.
Impact beyond Energy Bills
Last Myle’s growth has ripple effects far beyond energy bills:
- Environmental impact: By shifting demand rather than increasing generation, Maestro reduces reliance on coal and gas, lowering emissions across the energy system.
- Social impact: Devices are provided at zero cost to residential users, making energy savings accessible to renters and homeowners alike.
- Economic impact: Unlocking hidden flexibility in the grid strengthens New Zealand’s energy resilience while giving consumers a share of the value they create.
With plans to expand into international markets in 2026, Last Myle is poised to take its New Zealand-grown innovation to the world.
