Infogrid hires new CEO Kate Henningsen as building owners and occupiers demand intelligence to curb their climate impact
Funds from new investors will support demand for data to make buildings greener
Leading real estate owners including Hilton Worldwide, Bridge Commercial Real Estate and Invesco are among Infogrid’s clients
Four new board directors join Infogrid board as company embarks on a new chapter
LONDON, UK – 22 April 2024 – Infogrid, the building intelligence and analytics company, leveraging AI and data to curb the impact of the global real estate sector on the planet, has appointed a new CEO experienced in scaling transformative climate tech companies.
Kate Henningsen, a climate tech founder who has devoted her professional career to fighting the climate crisis, will lead the company, which is rapidly becoming the data and analytics solution of choice for real estate organisations on both sides of the Atlantic.
Kate joins as building owners and occupiers face increasing pressure to monitor and optimise building performance and impact, including climate legislation in Europe and the US, high operating costs and interest rates and even the rise of hybrid working. These challenges are increasing the demand for data and technology to make buildings healthier, more efficient, while pushing investors in the world’s largest asset class to move from reporting to action on their sustainability commitments.
Kate co-founded and was Chief Operating Officer at Arcadia, an energy data platform connecting millions of households to their utility data that has grown to a climate tech unicorn. Now at Infogrid, she'll lead the organisation in responding to the global demand for high-quality data and insights as a way to innovate and optimise building performance.
Kate said: “Infogrid’s growth to date coincides with a transformative moment for the built world. The company’s technology future-proofs any building and delivers a solution not otherwise available in the market. I’ve made decarbonising the world the goal of my professional life and I’m thrilled to be joining Infogrid at this critical moment to help real estate organisations reduce their carbon footprint. As an industry, the built world now has a technology that can make an impact at scale, rather than addressing isolated issues. Climate is the problem of our generation to solve and by pursuing this opportunity, Infogrid has the potential to become a category-defining company.”
Kate joins the company as it raises a Series B extension round, bringing in two new investors, Keyframe Capital and A/O. Existing investors Northzone and The Venture Collective also joined the latest fundraising, along with a consortium of European real estate owners.
Four new directors have also been appointed to the board: Ben Birnbaum, Partner, Keyframe Capital; Gregory Dewerpe, Founder and chief investment officer, A/O; Stephen Goldstein, President of Kernel and former Deliveroo executive and Nick Shekerdemian, Founding partner, The Venture Collective.
The global real estate sector is under pressure to halve its emissions by 2030, but to decarbonise effectively requires real-time data and intelligence to be able to act. Buildings account for 37% of global carbon emissions and there is growing demand for scalable solutions that accelerate the digital transformation of real estate, especially in the face of rising interest rates, emerging risks to asset values, and increasing regulation worldwide.
The onset of stringent mandates, including the SEC’s recently-adopted climate rules, the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, California’s Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act, and New York’s Local Law 97, underscore the industry’s urgent need for high-quality data to reduce energy and emissions, meet new disclosure requirements, and maintain access to capital markets.
About Infogrid
Infogrid is a data and analytics company on a mission to make every building smarter, more efficient, and more sustainable. Recently ranked in the top 10 tech companies leading the charge on climate action, its AI-powered suite of products surface unique insights that empower real estate teams to reduce costs, decrease time spent on routine work, and find and act on opportunities to save energy and carbon. Discover how Infogrid's solutions can unlock the potential of your assets and accelerate the transition to net zero. Visit us at www.infogrid.io to learn more.
About A/O
A/O is Europe’s largest venture capital firm focusing on the positive transformation of the largest, least digitised, and most polluting industry globally: the built world. The firm invests across the entire spectrum of the real estate and construction industry, including new materials, AEC (architecture/design, engineering and construction), as well as building operations and management. A/O's portfolio includes the likes SPAN, Passivelogic, Satellite Vu, Enter and Plentific. For more information, visit www.aoproptech.com.
About Keyframe Capital
Keyframe is an NYC-based investment firm, principally focused on the energy transition. Since 2020, Keyframe has developed a strong conviction that technology will unlock operational, energy, and cost efficiency in the built environment, and has constructed a portfolio of investments in the space to capitalise on that opportunity. For more information, visit www.keyframecapital.com.
About Northzone
Northzone (www.northzone.com) is a global full-stack investor from Seed to Growth built on experience spanning multiple economic and disruptive technology cycles. Founded in 1996, Northzone has raised more than ten funds to date, and has invested in more than 150 companies, including category-defining businesses such as Trustpilot, Spotify, Klarna, iZettle, Kahoot!, Personio, TrueLayer, Spring Health, Forto and Zopa, among others.
