As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to urge large corporations to delay their reopening until late 2021, many companies are planning how to return to workplaces safely. This is where, UK-based IoT startup OpenSensors is helping large organisations by providing them with inexpensive hardware sensors to estimate the air quality, space utilisation, etc. so that they reduce costs and manage during uncertain times.
First VC funding round
Now, the air monitoring startup announced its first VC funding by raising $4M (nearly £2.95M) seed funding in a round led by Crane Venture Partners and other unknown investors. This investment will be used to help organisations create productive, safe and flexible workplaces. With 16 employees across Europe, OpenSensors intends to use the funds to build out products, support international demand, and help customers reopen workspaces.
Scott Sage, Partner at Crane Venture Partners said: “With data insights, real-world usage and known customer references, OpenSensors has all the ingredients to become a trusted advisor and solutions provider throughout COVID-19 and the immediate recovery, as well as supporting the shift towards more flexible working that COVID-19 has accelerated.”
How does OpenSensors help companies?
OpenSensors’ technology helps anyone create a productive, safe, cost-effective, and agile workspace. It works with over 30 customers across North America, Europe, the UK and Ireland across industries such as fintech, insurance, tech and more.
The startup helps organisations manage costs and optimise resources. While it is estimated that the office space costs over £20B per year in the UK, almost half the office space is unused due to the pandemic crisis. By reopening with proper measures, companies can utilise these workspaces. Also, it reduces environmental footprint by letting them manage their carbon footprint.
OpenSensors lets them accelerate the move towards flexible working. While flexible schedules and environments were gaining traction even before COVID-19, it is trending now as employees do not want to get back to their office desk five days a week. By tracking humidity, CO2 levels and other factors, this startup lets them adapt to their workplaces as offices reopen.
Yodit Stanton, CEO and founder of OpenSensors, commented: “OpenSensors was founded to use data to measure, understand and improve the world around us. How we work and live are changing faster than we could have ever anticipated. There is a real opportunity for humanity to rethink how we use the physical world with sustainability in mind as well as making the design of workplaces better for people using them.”
The post How OpenSensors plans to help businesses reopen workspaces with £2.95M funding? appeared first on UKTN (UK Tech News).
