09.02.2021, 11:53
Acquisition Expands Smart Maintenance Capabilities
Lift maintenance platform WeMaintain has acquired fellow PropTech startup and smart fire system maintenance platform Shokly.
WeMaintain’s state-of-the-art sensor technology captures rich data from buildings, and utilies sophisticated technology and highly skilled engineers to manage often ‘invisible’ maintenance operations more transparently. The company’s London launch in 2020 was supported by existing clients, including BNP Paribas Real Estate, Allianz Real Estate, CBRE, Savills – as well as local players, such as L&Q, Business Design Centre and Meadow Partners.
With Shokly, fire alarm system maintenance is automated and more reliable thanks to a module that connects the central unit with the mobile app used by the engineers. At the same time, the company has also developed IoT sensors for the day-to-day management of fire alarm systems. This lets customers monitor their equipment, and potential malfunctions, remotely and in real time.
Benoit Dupont, WeMaintain CEO and co-founder, explains: “Most PropTech players tackle the problem from the wrong side: first they conceive a data platform, before coping with data collection, and finally consider analysis of this data.
“WeMaintain and Shokly have both started from their field expertise in order to identify and collect adequate data, provide a high quality service and enable a broader long term data strategy.
“In fact, Shokly has created technology just like WeMaintain, that is not bound to a specific manufacturer, like traditional industrial players do. We find ourselves with an agnostic technology, easy to deploy and that truly brings value to the client.
“Just like WeMaintain can deploy its IoT solution on all types of lifts, Shokly can install its solution on all brands and models of fire alarm systems.”
Olivier Comets, Shokly founder, adds: “The founding teams of both our companies are aligned: we share values and an ambition to transform the space in which we operate.
“The historic approach to building operations does not serve customers and this has real consequences. Over 70 percent of companies that have a fire in one of their buildings close down in the following months.
“We look forward to becoming a building operation provider that fully leverages people, tech and data. We want to raise the bar in our industry.”
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