The Founder and CEO of 75F, Deepinder Singh lived in Minnesota, which is famous for its chilly air. That air was responsible for the genesis of the 75F concept. When he moved into a new house in Minnesota, his daughter would wake up in the middle of the night with her room 10 degrees cooler than the parents’ room, where the thermostat was positioned. Deepinder, as a self-respecting engineer, founded this company to address the issue in 2012 and is headquartered in Minneapolis – USA.
75F is a smart building solution that was founded with the aim of solving the problem of indoor temperature control. The name derives from 75 degrees Fahrenheit, which is regarded as the optimal indoor temperature for productivity and comfort. The 75F Dynamic Airflow Balancing solution was the company’s flagship offering as a result. 75F launched its operations in India in August 2016, focusing on the four major metros. Indian businesses are particularly attracted by the fact that the 75F can be retrofitted into old buildings, which means that even legacy offices can be modernised and reap the benefits of smart management.
75F’s aim is to make smart buildings accessible to everybody, with faster installation and lower costs, simplicity of use, resulting in more efficient, comfortable, and productive occupant environments. Only around 10% of commercial buildings have automated controls, and those systems are complex, overbuilt, and expensive, relying on decades-old technologies that are difficult to implement. Its mission is to make world-class automation a reality while also improving occupant productivity through improved comfort and indoor air quality – all while saving energy and the environment. The solution’s objective is to reduce energy costs by optimising indoor conditions with the help of this data, including taking advantage of outside air and natural light as much as possible.
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75F uses the power of IoT, machine learning and cloud computing to analyse real-time data from various sensors and devices installed in each building. Through this, building managers can monitor the behaviours of their building occupants and the ambient conditions required for them to thrive. Moreover, the use of cloud computing means that running and maintaining the solution does not require the heavy capital expenditure of traditional data systems – a big plus for the cost-conscious Indian market.
In addition, their predictive solution optimises building conditions in an autonomous and proactive manner over time – a significant advantage over traditional building management solutions. Zones can be added or removed from the central control panel, which can be accessed remotely from any device anywhere, and repairs or upgrades can be scheduled too – all without impacting the day-to-day operations of the people using the building. The product portfolio includes innovative solutions such as the recently developed Epidemic Mode Solution, Advanced Lighting Control and Automation, Outdoor Air Optimisation, Indoor Air Quality Management and Facilisight, among others. Facilisight is a futuristic energy management tool with a dynamic UI, allowing customers to manage temperature and lighting in their buildings remotely and from anywhere using a smartphone, tablet or laptop. There are three aspects of the indoor environment that impact an employee’s ability to perform: thermal comfort, indoor air quality and lighting.
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Initially, 75F’s go-to-market was direct-to-customer i.e. Facility Managers and Facility Heads of commercial buildings. Over time, it redefined its strategy to approach customers through its ESCos (Energy Service Companies) Partners or through other channel partners such as FM Companies, Property developers, Building Automation SI’s and so on. 75F currently has over 300 buildings, totalling 20 million sq. ft. under management. If we look at the statistics the global Building Management System market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 11.4 per cent between 2022 and 2027, from USD 4341 million in 2020 to USD 8856.6 million by 2027. Indian facility managers are increasingly becoming energy conscious while at the same time prioritizing occupant comfort and safety. IoT powered Building Automation solutions can be truly predictive, proactive and self-learning, driving away inefficiencies while increasing their bottom line and customers see value in investing in such technologies.
We know for a fact that globally, buildings are responsible for up to 30% of all energy-related greenhouse gas emissions. 75F hopes to make more and more buildings in India and worldwide energy-efficient, smart and connected through IoT and thereby increasing occupancy comfort for thousands of people. With 75F’s solutions, comfort need not be at the cost of energy efficiency anymore. They uniquely contribute to their customer’s triple bottom line in a smarter, more intuitive way & at a lower cost: Increase employee productivity (social), Reduce energy usage (environment) and, Increase profit (economic). HVACs are critical in moving towards a more sustainable future and opening the road for energy optimization. Buildings are continuously on the search for smarter, greener solutions powered by Artificial Intelligence. Advanced features, such as 75F’s self-learning System, not only optimise comfort but also provides insights into the effective use of energy by commercial buildings. Such features function as a catalyst toward substantial reductions in energy consumption and a variety of other environmental benefits.
Their portfolio consists of multiple clients across business verticals such as IT/ITeS, BFSI, co-working spaces and offices, hospitals, malls and retail chains, hospitality and education. Some of their most prestigious clients include Mercedes-Benz, Flipkart, Shell, Taco Bell, Merrick etc. 75F is an IoT company that sells its hardware upfront and then captures recurring revenue through its SaaS and Managed Service fees. They go to market via a channel and direct enterprise accounts.
They are currently present in Minneapolis (USA), Bangalore (India) and Singapore. They are also planning to open additional offices in India, South Asia, and the APAC. 75F is uniquely able to control and optimally adjust each of these three aspects ensuring the best possible occupant experience while saving up to 50 per cent on energy. Their solutions contribute up to 38 LEEDv4 credits and can be optimised to fit older buildings as well as new architectural plans, which allows clients to benefit from sustainable building maintenance regardless of their infrastructure. 75F’s diverse portfolio of vertically integrated smart building products and solutions gives an advantage in standing out from the crowd. A few competitors in this segment are Schneider Electric, JCI, Trane, Honeywell and Carrier. Apart from these global competitors, there are a few locals as well such as Entouch, and Zenatix.
One of the most difficult challenges they see in building maintenance is cost control. As a result, facility managers are frequently expected to maintain quality service delivery despite budget constraints. They are under pressure to accomplish more with fewer resources. Another big challenge is that building projects require a significant amount of resources, and owners will spend a significant amount of money to make their structures modern and feasible. They want to keep their buildings appealing and competitive in the market. These mechanisms, however, will deteriorate as the structure matures. This type of degradation can be severe enough to compromise structural integrity (e.g. roofing components). In addition, there is a lack of understanding about building automation systems in India. Covid-19 made us realise the value of these systems, and corporations should be aware of this as well and implement the system for increased productivity and efficiency.
75F is expecting to raise Series B in the next 6 months. They have raised money from various clean energy-focused venture capitalists and strategic investors. To date, they have raised a total of $28 Million in funding from investors such as Siemens, Breakthrough Ventures, OGCI Climate Investments, Next 47, and Evergreen climate innovations.
The Indian subcontinent has tremendous growth potential for an industry like building management systems. While new building deployments provide significant possibilities, the potential for 75F is considerably greater because their retrofit-friendly technology is also applicable to existing buildings. Their plans are to establish a strong presence in certain verticals like IT/ITeS, BFSI, Healthcare, Retail, Co-working spaces Hospitality etc., in the 4 major metro cities. They intend to expand their presence in more Indian cities over the next few years, as well as to open additional offices in India and other regions. They are expanding their capacity to offer solutions to various vectors – making enhancements to the capabilities and the scope of the solution, bettering the services suite, deploying additional market-ready channels and a lot more!
