Comfy™, a SASA for real estate announced today that it raised $12 million in Series B funding for building automation software that saves companies energy cost on office air conditioning while analysing and making use of employee-contributed data about the use, preference and physical occupancy of their workspace. The latest round of financing was led by enterprise cloud venture capital firm Emergence Capital, CBRE Group, Inc.,Microsoft Ventures, and existing investors Claremont Creek Ventures and Westly Group also took part in the latest round. It plans to use the funding to grow its workforce, develop new technology and improve upon its existing. It already reports servicing over 3.5 million square feet throughout five countries.
Building Robotics, makers of Comfy™ has focused its technology on the way individuals interact with their workplaces. Comfy reports on its corporate site that 60% of occupants report being more productive while using Comfy. “We are thrilled with the traction Comfy has gotten so far in the market, and with the big impact it has on people’s quality of life at work,” said Andrew Krioukov, CEO of Comfy. “Our world-class team is very motivated to take our expertise into other aspects of the work experience; we have some exciting new capabilities coming soon.”
The Oakland, Calif.-based startup faces solid competition in large companies already rooted in energy management tech vendors like like Honeywell International, Silver Spring Networks, Comverge Johnson Controls or United Technologies but it distinguishes itself from the others with its“occupant facing” mobile app.
The preference settings for lighting and air could potentially follow an employee as it moves location. Furthermore, the company is exploring ways to develop functionalities based on an industry. The company states in its corporate press release that a significant factor driving Comfy’s growth has been the increased focus in the market on wellness and personalization. “Comfy is critical to keeping our employees happy and productive,” says Cadi Withers, senior manager of global office operations at AppNexus. “It’s great to watch people reacting positively to a tool that was so easy to adopt. It has completely changed my workflow. I can’t imagine going back to an office without Comfy.”
Have you experienced reduced work productivity due to uncomfortable lighting and, or air temperate?
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