Articles

Commercial building AI has invested heavily in teaching buildings to detect and analyze, but it has been slower to teach them what to do next. Our new analysis of 454 companies active in commercial building AI surfaces this pattern with unusual clarity. A Structural Gap, not a Technology Gap In Indoor Environment and Occupant Comfort, […]

This Research Note examines the Building Operations & Experience (BOE) segment of CBRE, since it was established in January 2025, a successor to the former Global Workplace Solutions business acquired from Johnson Controls in March 2015.  We highlight the revised 2025 financials reported on 24th March 2026, reflecting the Pearce Services acquisition and resulting expansion […]

This Research Note examines the acquisition of Nantum AI by Johnson Controls (JCI) announced on 27th April 2026. We highlight the strategic rationale of the acquisition before analyzing the evolution of the OpenBlue platform over the past 6 years through acquisitions and partnerships, as part of the JCI group’s strategy to grow its digital services […]

This Research Note examines the development of the Carrier Abound platform, its unified IoT platform offering for connected commercial building operations.  We analyze the key milestones in its evolution over the past 10 years, as part of the group’s strategy to grow its digital and aftermarket services. Acquisition of EcoEnergy Insights In March 2017, UTC […]

Every year, the commercial real estate industry pours more money into connected building technology, and every year a stubborn gap persists between the ROI promised in the vendor deck and the ROI that actually shows up in net operating income (NOI). The reflex is to blame the tech: the wrong platform, the wrong integrator, the […]

This Research Note examines the Estonian firm, Bisly, the 2026 winner of the ABB Smart Buildings Startup Challenge. This article updates our coverage of the startup in June 2024, with new data on deployments, revenue growth, latest funding and market presence. ABB 2026 Smart Buildings Startup Challenge In its seventh year, the ABB 2026 Startup […]

This Research Note examines the Australian workplace sensor firm, XY Sense. We assess their development over the last 6 years, expansion in the UK, India, and the United States, before presenting the latest findings of their global Workplace Utilization Index and our view of the company. XY Sense Profile Co-founded in 2016 by Serraview co-founders, […]

This Research Note examines the majority investment by Otis, a leading elevator and escalator manufacturing, installation, and service company in French startup, WeMaintain, announced on 13th April 2026. This article updates our Research Notes on WeMaintain in July 2025 and Otis in May 2025. WeMaintain Profile Founded in 2017, WeMaintain offers tech-enabled predictive maintenance operations […]