Smart buildings

This Research Note examines Trane Technologies commercial HVAC business and the group’s financial highlights following their 2025 financial results announced on 29th January 2026.  We explore Trane’s M&A strategy in 2025 and 2026, augmenting both its hardware and software portfolio for commercial buildings and data centers.  This Research Note updates our previous commentary in September […]

In this episode of Sh*t You Wish Your Building Did, we sat down with Jay Scholten, Principal Consultant at JRS Innovative Real Estate LLC (Former VP – Asset Management Product Owner at PGIM Real Estate), and Rob Murchison, CEO of Intelligent Buildings LLC, to explore an angle on smart building ROI that most operators are […]

This Research Note examines Xovis, a Swiss technology company that manufactures and sells 3D sensors and related software solutions for the precise counting and analysis of people flows worldwide. We highlight their ownership, acquisitions, market reach, and regional expansion. Xovis Profile Founded in 2008, the Xovis Group has more than 600,000 sensors installed globally, with […]

Something fundamental has shifted in the smart building startup landscape. Our new report, Startups in Smart Buildings 2026, reveals an ecosystem that has moved decisively from creation to consolidation. We identified only 11 new startups founded in 2025, and there has been a steady decline from the peak of 195 in 2016. At the same […]

This Research Note examines Lessen, a US startup providing a tech-enabled facility services platform that manages maintenance requests for property owners.  We review their combined network of service providers, the acquisitions of SMS Assist and Blue Skyre, disclosed external funding, and their AI-driven maintenance lifecycle platform launched in 2025. Lessen Profile Lessen LLC positions itself […]

Four years ago, Meta rebranded its entire company around virtual reality. Now, they’ve announced they will discontinue Horizon Workrooms and lay off 1,500 Reality Labs employees. A stunning and expensive reverse. They are not alone. Microsoft has retired Mesh, transferred its HoloLens contract to a defense contractor, and its Places app, quite frankly, feels increasingly […]

This Research Note examines the 21 January 2026 announcement of Copeland’s acquisition of Bueno Analytics. We review Bueno’s development, the strategic rationale of the acquisition, and Copeland’s overall strategy before assessing the energy efficiency and building controls businesses within the Copeland portfolio. This article updates our previous coverage of Bueno in January 2025. Bueno Analytics […]

This Research Note examines the buy-and-build strategy of PSG-backed Sign In Solutions, updating our previous coverage of the company in April 2024.  We highlight the latest acquisition before assessing their buy-and-build strategy since 2021. The Receptionist Acquisition In January 2026, Sign In Solutions acquired its 8th acquisition with The Receptionist, adding a Denver-based visitor management […]