These IoA startups are betting big on a smart future for buildings
Internet of Anything enables buildings with conventional applications to be more efficient. Computing devices can be embedded into these systems, and algorithms can figure out the health and rate of failure of machines.
Internet of Things (IoT), Industrial IoT (IIoT), and Internet of Everything (IoE) - with increased usage, these terms are gaining popularity. While used interchangeably depending on the application, IoT, IIoT and IoE are real.
While Internet of Things is a network where computing devices are embedded into everyday objects, Industrial IoT is a branch where computing devices are in machines in factories. Internet of Everything is a combination of the two, and Internet of Anything (IoA) applies to embedded devices in buildings, homes, and factories.
IoA enables buildings with conventional applications – like lift monitoring or lights – to be more efficient. Computing devices can be embedded into these systems and algorithms can figure out the health and rate of failure of these machines.
C3 IoT and Uptake.com, the leading startups in this space globally, are today valued at $1.5 billion, and have raised more than $200 million. Katerra, a US-based technology startup in the offsite construction space, also raised $250 million, and was valued at $1.5 billion in three years. YourStory lists some of IoA startups that are making it big in India.
Facilio: The Chennai-based startup was founded by Prabhu Ramachandran, Rajavel Subramanian and Yogendra Babu Venkatapathy in 2017. The company makes software for facilities and buildings with regard to fire safety systems, air-conditioning systems, and lift systems. A building’s fitness is critical, as it has a direct impact on the bottom-line because it drops efficiency.
Facilio uses IoT and Machine Learning to harness data from multiple buildings, and the data is collated to make sense of it for building managers. The company increases the lifecycle of an asset by 20-25 percent, and saves 30 percent on the operating expenses. Facilio has raised an undisclosed amount of funding from Accel Partners.
Integration Wizards: Founded by Kunal Kislay, Saquib Khan, and Kumar Raman, this Bengaluru-startup empowers customers running oil wells and gas compressors to mobilise their business processes in a “swift, scalable, secure and seamless manner”. Its solution enables rapid designing, building, integrating and managing enterprise mobility solutions. The pre-built mobile templates allow customers to deploy an enterprise mobility solution in a matter of weeks as against months, thereby making the whole factory intelligent.
A platform-agnostic solution, it can run seamlessly on cloud solutions like MS Azure, AWS, and Google as well as on premise. Integration Wizards’ integration methodology and Machine Learning allows collection and processing of data to provide end-users with actionable insights.
Iero: Bosch-incubated startup Iero makes buildings intelligent, and figures how consumers are shopping. The building enables a retailer to know where the customer is, and in which part of the store or the mall customers are, and why. The Iero software pulls all the marketing collateral of Bosch and figures out what engages best with the customer. It makes the retailer's brand engagement team dynamic and increases sales for the retailer. Iero founder Hemanth SN and Pavan Govindan have signed up with a host of legacy retailers to make them committed to a digital era.
Oakter: Delhi-based Oakter, founded by Shishir K Gupta, Nithin K David and Varun Gupta in 2015, focuses on making homes smarter. They have smart plugs that can handle high power appliances and also digitise the entire home. You can control the appliances through voice. Oakter’s products include Smart Universal Remote, Smart Plugs, Smart Locks, and a Smart box, that make existing switches smart. The company aims to power automation for one million homes and businesses by 2020. Oakter recently announced its plans to invest $2 million in research and development. The company plans to expand its technological capabilities by instituting a research centre in Noida.
Covacsis Technologies: This Mumbai-based company has conceptualised, designed and implemented the Intelligent Plant Framework (IPF) targeting manufacturing industries.
Covacsis was founded by Tarun Mishra and Abhijeet Mhatre in 2009. The Intelligent Plant Framework that Covacsis uses captures all micro events across all locations on the plant floor and models them into key and extremely relevant business KPIs. Covacsis’ proprietary tool RTPD, measures the economies of the production floor of any industry. After a preliminary check on the various revenue leaks in a production floor, the RTPD then provides information about capital gained or lost due to various operations of the floor.