Dive Brief:

Building Robotics, an energy management startup, has attracted seed funding of $1.14 million from Google Ventures, Claremont Creek Ventures, Formation 8 and Red Swan Ventures.

The startup is developing energy efficiency programs that help workplaces manage and control their energy use. Their first product, Comfy, is an app that allows occupants to control temperature zones.

Instead of relying only on sensors, human occupants provide input to the building systems for instant warmth or cool air. The program then incorporates usage patterns and feedback into a machine-learning algorithm.

Dive Insight:

Building Robotics has tapped into what should have been obvious from the start. The key to determining if people will buy into an efficiency program lies not just in financial results, but in the comfort of the people most affected by it.