Let’s Get Comfy

When was the last time you were in an overheated conference room? How productive was that meeting?

The most recent addition to our portfolio,Comfy, can eliminate such productivity drains. Our investment in Comfy is the result of our work understanding how the Internet of Things (“IoT”) will change the lives of millions of employees who work in office buildings.  While most modern office buildings have sophisticated digital HVAC controls systems, they don’t have any way to know the daily usage patterns of the offices and conference rooms on each floor.  Comfy allows any employee to suggest temperature changes in their specific location via a mobile app. Workers know their preferred temperature in a given workspace, and with Comfy they can teach the building to optimize for it.  It’s not surprising that the most effective temperature control also lowers energy use. By reducing heating and cooling in spaces that aren’t occupied, Comfy achieves an average HVAC electricity reduction of 20%.

We know that companies get the strongest ROI from software solutions that employees want to use.  Broad employee adoption requires simple access and an easy-to-use interface that delivers immediate value to each user.  Our excitement in Comfy is fueled by conversations with their customers and end-users. Users rave about the product, approaching Comfy team members on site visits to thank them for improving their work environment.  Indeed, the Comfy app has spread across corporate campuses due to popular demand from visiting employees.

The team behind the product explains this success. Comfy’s founders are passionate about the potential for large-scale impact on sustainability and worker productivity. Andrew Krioukov and Steve Dawson-Haggerty met at Berkeley while pursuing CS PhDs focused on rethinking building control software. They have assembled a group of building science experts, experienced SaaS engineering and sales talent, and world-class designers to create an app that is delightful and effective.  With this round of capital, Comfy will expand its sales and marketing capability to serve large companies in the US and overseas.   We are pleased to partner with CBRE, the global real estate giant, Microsoft and Claremont Creek Ventures as co-investors in Comfy.

Comfy fits our vision of how the Internet of Things will empower everyone to optimize their work environment. We’re thrilled to welcome Comfy as the fourth IoT company in the Emergence family.   We think a lot about the future of work, and to us, it feels Comfy.