Archives

This Research Note examines the growth of deskbird, a Swiss startup offering a workplace management platform that addresses hybrid working.  We explore the company’s disclosed funding and its acquisitions completed last year before highlighting one of the firm’s recent reports on the German workplace market. Finally, we provide our view on the company and the […]

This Research Note examines the acquisition of the German software company Thing-it, by MazeMap, a Norwegian indoor navigation provider. We examine the development of the two startup companies prior to their merger and conclude with our perspective on the consolidation. Transaction In August 2025, Thing-it became part of MazeMap. Since then, the company reported that “they have combined their expertise in space efficiency and workplace experience with MazeMap’s indoor navigation to create a new standard for a user-centric workplace experience.” According to a LinkedIn post, “this marks the beginning of a forward-looking partnership between two complementary market leaders: MazeMap, with its state-of-the-art mapping technology, and Thing-it, a pioneer in the field of employee experience and workplace solutions. Advantages for customers: Stronger innovation pipeline – thanks to combined expertise and additional resources Even better reliability and support – thanks to 24-hour support Expanded product portfolio that combines digital maps, indoor navigation, and workplace solutions into one […]

The smart building technology market presents a unique challenge for commercial real estate professionals: how do you efficiently evaluate thousands of technology vendors when every week brings new pitches, new solutions, and new promises? The sheer volume of vendors, from energy management platforms to occupancy analytics providers, makes systematic evaluation nearly impossible with traditional methods. By the time you’ve researched one solution, ten more startups have appeared! In this subscriber-only video, we show you how we developed an approach that tackles this problem head-on, using AI agents powered by the Model Context Protocol (MCP) and our comprehensive smart building technology market data. The Smart Building Tech Evaluation Problem Commercial building owners and operators are constantly approached by technology vendors. These range from established building automation companies to startups. Each claims to solve critical problems, improve efficiency, or reduce costs. The traditional evaluation process is time-consuming and often inconsistent. Different team members might assess vendors using […]

This Research Note examines the major Johnson Controls UK businesses relating to building automation, fire and security systems, highlighting their latest financial data, year ending 30th September 2024.  It is based on the annual reports of 3 companies, Johnson Controls Building Efficiency (UK), Tyco Fire & Integrated Solutions (UK) and ADT Fire & Security.  We also assess the inorganic growth initiatives of Johnson Controls (JCI) in the UK through a series of 8 acquisitions in the last 3 years. Johnson Controls in the UK ADT Fire and Security plc is the largest of JCI’s three UK entities, with 2,466 employees and £395.0m in revenue in 2024, focusing on electronic security, fire systems, and building management services. Tyco Fire & Integrated Solutions (UK) Ltd sits in the middle with 937 employees and £213.5m turnover, specializing specifically in fire protection systems. Johnson Controls Building Efficiency (UK) reports 526 employees and £131.7m revenue, concentrating on air conditioning and […]

This Research Note explores the acquisition of UK-based Spica Technologies Ltd (formerly owned by Nordomatic) by Hubstar Group Ltd, announced on 9th October 2025. We examine the Spica Technologies software offering before highlighting Hubstar’s strategy with 4 acquisitions to date and concluding with our view of the transaction. Spica Technologies Profile Spica Technologies is a provider of Gemex workplace experience software for booking, visitor management, employee engagement, and space management. Founded in 2014 in Birmingham, UK, the company initially prioritized IoT data for space management and compliance; in 2019, Spica released the first iteration of the GemEx workplace experience app for employees, broadening its offering to the wider workplace experience audience. Spica’s cloud-based technology has been deployed across 2.5 million sqm of real estate with 300,000 users in 30+ countries throughout Europe, North America and Asia Pacific. Its client base spans large multinational corporates, real estate asset management firms, landlords, facilities management companies and government […]