Smart building funding surged 275% in Q1 2025 compared to 2024.
The focus: IoT infrastructure, AI-powered automation, grid-interactive buildings. Europe leads with 60% of energy management funding. Cybersecurity for operational technology emerges as critical investment area.
This guide lists 25+ investors specifically targeting intelligent building technologies. Not general real estate. Not broad proptech. Just smart building infrastructure.
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Top 25 smart building investors
1. Navitas Capital
PropTech specialist with dedicated smart buildings practice.
Investment focus: Building automation, IoT platforms, energy management systems
Investment range: Series A-B, $3M-$20M
Notable investments: Smart building infrastructure companies
Contact: navitascap.com
2. Fifth Wall
Largest PropTech VC with smart buildings allocation.
Investment focus: Building technology, sustainability tech, IoT
Investment range: Seed to growth, $1M-$50M+
Notable investments: Building automation platforms
Contact: fifthwall.com
3. Allegion Ventures
Corporate VC from access control leader.
Investment focus: Building security, access control, IoT integration
Investment range: Strategic investments, $1M-$10M
Notable investments: Smart access technologies
Contact: allegion.com/ventures
4. JLL Spark
Real estate giant's tech investment arm.
Investment focus: Building operations, sustainability, tenant experience
Investment range: Series A-C, $2M-$20M
Notable investments: Building management platforms
Contact: jll.com/spark
5. CBRE Ventures
Commercial real estate leader's investment arm.
Investment focus: Building efficiency, IoT, workplace technology
Investment range: Strategic investments
Notable investments: Smart building solutions
Contact: cbre.com/ventures
6. Honeywell Ventures
Building automation giant's strategic fund.
Investment focus: IoT, building controls, energy optimization
Investment range: Series A-C, strategic amounts
Notable investments: Complementary building technologies
Contact: honeywell.com/ventures
7. Schneider Electric Ventures
Energy management leader's venture arm.
Investment focus: Energy efficiency, grid-interactive buildings, IoT
Investment range: Strategic investments
Notable investments: Building energy platforms
Contact: se-ventures.com
8. Siemens Energy Ventures
Industrial IoT leader's investment fund.
Investment focus: Building automation, digital twins, energy systems
Investment range: Strategic partnerships
Notable investments: Smart infrastructure companies
Contact: siemens.com/ventures
9. ABB Technology Ventures
Industrial automation investor.
Investment focus: Building robotics, automation, electrification
Investment range: Series A-C, $2M-$20M
Notable investments: Industrial IoT for buildings
Contact: abb.com/ventures
10. Energy Impact Partners
Utility-backed fund for building tech.
Investment focus: Grid-interactive buildings, demand response, storage
Investment range: Series A-D, $5M-$50M
Notable investments: Building-to-grid technologies
Contact: energyimpactpartners.com
11. BuildingVentures
Dedicated construction tech investor.
Investment focus: Building IoT, construction automation
Investment range: Seed to Series B, $500K-$10M
Notable investments: Smart construction platforms
Contact: building.ventures
12. Bain Capital Ventures
Growth investor with PropTech practice.
Investment focus: Enterprise building software, IoT platforms
Investment range: Series A-D, $10M-$100M
Notable investments: Building management systems
Contact: baincapitalventures.com
13. Emerald Technology Ventures
Cleantech investor focused on buildings.
Investment focus: Energy efficiency, building sustainability
Investment range: Series A-C, €3M-€15M
Notable investments: Green building technologies
Contact: emerald.vc
14. RET Ventures
Real estate tech specialist.
Investment focus: Building operations, resident experience
Investment range: Seed to Series B, $1M-$15M
Notable investments: Multifamily smart building tech
Contact: retventures.com
15. Maven Capital Partners
UK investor active in smart buildings.
Investment focus: IoT platforms, building analytics
Investment range: £2M-£20M
Notable investments: Intelligent Building Group
Contact: mavencp.com
16. CEMEX Ventures
Construction giant's innovation fund.
Investment focus: Smart construction, building materials IoT
Investment range: Strategic investments
Notable investments: Construction tech platforms
Contact: cemexventures.com
17. Taronga Ventures
Real estate innovation investor.
Investment focus: Building technology, sustainability
Investment range: Seed to Series A, $1M-$10M
Notable investments: Early-stage building tech
Contact: tarongaventures.com
18. Cushman & Wakefield Ventures
CRE services firm's tech fund.
Investment focus: Workplace tech, building operations
Investment range: Strategic investments
Notable investments: Tenant experience platforms
Contact: cushmanwakefield.com
19. MetaProp
NYC PropTech specialist.
Investment focus: Building technology, IoT, sustainability
Investment range: Pre-seed to Series A, $500K-$5M
Notable investments: 150+ PropTech companies
Contact: metaprop.vc
20. Lennar Ventures
Homebuilder's venture arm.
Investment focus: Residential smart building tech
Investment range: Strategic investments
Notable investments: Smart home platforms
Contact: lennarventures.com
21. Foundamental
European construction tech VC.
Investment focus: Building digitization, automation
Investment range: Seed to Series B, €1M-€15M
Notable investments: Construction IoT platforms
Contact: foundamental.com
22. A/O PropTech
European PropTech accelerator and fund.
Investment focus: Building efficiency, tenant tech
Investment range: €100K-€5M
Notable investments: 30+ PropTech startups
Contact: aoproptech.com
23. Pi Labs
European PropTech venture studio.
Investment focus: Building operations, sustainability
Investment range: Pre-seed to Series A
Notable investments: PropTech innovations
Contact: pilabs.co.uk
24. Shadow Ventures
Real estate tech investor.
Investment focus: Building automation, energy tech
Investment range: Seed to Series A
Notable investments: Smart building startups
Contact: shadow.vc
25. Moderne Ventures
Multi-industry tech investor including buildings.
Investment focus: Real estate tech, home services
Investment range: Seed to Series B, $1M-$10M
Notable investments: Building service platforms
Contact: moderneventures.com
Pitching smart building investors
Metrics that matter
Energy savings: 20%+ reduction validated
Payback period: Under 3 years essential
Integration capability: Works with existing BMS
Cybersecurity: OT security addressed
What gets meetings
Proven deployments beat prototypes. Show square footage under management. Name reference customers.
Building owners care about NOI impact. Quantify operational savings. Demonstrate tenant satisfaction improvement.
Common mistakes
Selling to IT instead of facilities. Wrong buyer.
Ignoring retrofit market. 99% of buildings exist already.
Complex installation. Must work with existing systems.
Alternative funding sources
Corporate partners
Johnson Controls Ventures: Building controls expertise
Carrier Ventures: HVAC and building systems
Trane Technologies Ventures: Climate control focus
Otis Ventures: Vertical transportation and IoT
Government programs
DOE Building Technologies Office: Efficiency grants
Smart Cities Challenge: Federal funding
State energy efficiency programs: Rebates and incentives
EU Green Building funds: European opportunities
Industry accelerators
URBAN-X: Smart cities accelerator by MINI
Techstars Smart Cities: Focused program
Plug and Play Real Estate: Corporate partnerships
JLL Spark Global Venture: Industry connections
Success stories
Recent winners
Verkada: $360M raised. Cloud-based building security.
Density: $225M raised. Anonymous occupancy analytics.
VergeSense: AI-powered space utilization. Series C closed.
Acquisition exits
View: Smart glass. Went public then private.
NeuMoDx: Building testing platform. Acquired by QIAGEN.
Comfy: Workplace app. Acquired by Siemens.
Why smart building startups fail
Pilot purgatory. Great pilot, no scale.
Long sales cycles. 18-month enterprise deals.
Integration complexity. Every building different.
How Ellty helps smart building startups
Ellty shows exactly which slides get attention.
Smart building founders using Ellty see 4x better response rates. They know which investors understand IoT infrastructure. They see when decks get forwarded to technical teams for evaluation.
Stop guessing. Start tracking. Know what resonates with building tech investors.
FAQs
Q: Hardware or software focus?
Software-first with hardware integration wins. Pure hardware tough.
Q: New construction or retrofit?
Retrofit market 50x larger. Focus there.
Q: Direct sales or channel?
Channel through BMS providers scales faster.
Q: Cybersecurity importance?
Critical. OT security now mandatory discussion.
Q: Time to revenue?
12-18 months typical. Plan runway accordingly.
