With the support of the Banque des Territoires and A/O Proptech, Vizcab has completed its first round of financing, also involving the Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield group. This round of financing will enable the company to accelerate the marketing of its SaaS Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) solutions for buildings to players involved in the shift to low-carbon construction.
Based on a technology developed by Thomas Jusselme at EPFL Fribourg and the Building 2050 group, Vizcab is a SaaS platform that enables construction and real estate players to catalyse their carbon transition at the various phases of a project thanks to data science.
Raising funds to accelerate the sector's carbon transition
With 680 users on the platform, it was time to speed things up for Guillaume Lafont, CEO: "This €1.6 million round of funding will enable us to consolidate our technological progress, to structure our teams and also to move up a gear in terms of marketing and presence, first on the French market and then in the medium term on the European market.
Particularly committed to the energy and ecological transition, the Banque des Territoires was a natural partner for this fundraising.
"For Banque des Territoires, Vizcab is a key investment that illustrates the relevance of using innovative digital solutions to accelerate low carbon construction. We believe that this tool will be a valuable aid to local authorities in their dialogue with developers on urban planning regulations or the control of the energy and environmental performance of buildings. Our commitment to them is fully in line with the Banque des Territoires' action in favour of more sustainable territories", says Géraldine Welter, deputy director of the Digital Transition department of the Banque des Territoires.
A/O PropTech is the largest Venture Capital fund in Europe dedicated to PropTech and ConstructionTech, which should open essential doors to the international growth of Vizcab.
"Contributing to the decarbonisation of the real estate industry is part of A/O PropTech's mission. Vizcab is a strategic investment that illustrates the relevance of modelling and data science to low carbon construction. We believe that this type of innovative eco-design solution will become more common in Europe in the coming years, and we want to help Vizcab conquer this market," says Othmane Zrikem, Chief Data Officer of A/O PropTech.
Nurturing decision-making at every stage of a property project's life
The Vizcab range is positioned where current eco-design tools are no longer sufficient to take the step towards generalised Life Cycle Assessment.
- Vizcab Explo: a decision-making tool that enables project owners and their consultants to build secure and competitive carbon energy strategies, right from the upstream phases of real estate operations.
- Vizcab Eval: LCA calculation software used by engineering and general contractors to optimise and validate the achievement of "regulatory" carbon levels.
- Vizcab Dashboard: a platform for capitalising on and reporting on the energy-carbon data of major real estate accounts, which enables them to manage and accelerate their carbon neutrality trajectory.
Among the 200 projects already launched on the platform, Guillaume Lafont is delighted to count the Ile Saint-Denis - Village des Athlètes river eco-district project carried out by the Pichet-Legendre consortium and managed by Solideo.
"We are delighted with the trust placed in us by Pichet-Legendre, who gave us the keys to the carbon strategy from the consultation phase. Our consultants will be at their side throughout the design-build process. This is a fantastic opportunity to accelerate the development of our solutions, by being ever closer to the needs of the players on the ground.
Generalising a more sober and decarbonised construction
In a post-Covid-19 context that calls on all sectors to take the necessary steps towards a low-carbon economy, the construction industry is at the forefront both in terms of awareness and in terms of driving change. With the positive consequences of limiting greenhouse gas emissions in the face of a global downturn, and driven by public opinion, political authorities and private companies are responding.
The RE2020 environmental regulation for new buildings will come into force in 2021. It will commit all actors to calculate and significantly reduce the carbon emissions of buildings. For Vizcab, it is a question of offering them support adapted to these new paradigms.
Guillaume Lafont, co-founder and CEO of Vizcab
"We needed partners who shared our ambitions and values, but who were also there for the long term to support us in the metamorphosis of the sector. They were convinced by the data sciences to be able to accelerate the carbon transition of real estate. We couldn't have wished for a better fundraising round.
Thomas Jusselme, co-founder and CINO
"Our vision is that digital tools should be used to address societal issues such as controlling the impact of global warming. This is what drives us, what our talents join us for, but also our clients, who can make their low-carbon transition with us.
