Across the American Inno network of publications that covers 45 cities across the U.S., the Fire Awards highlight innovative organizations that have had a year worth celebrating. Honorees can include later-stage tech pillars, growth-stage startups, accelerators, venture firms, meetup groups, nonprofits, etc.
From firms that have garnered investment, unveiled a new product, secured a big client, made a significant acquisition, expanded or pivoted — the Fire Awards are intended to recognize organizations that are having a positive impact on New Mexico's economy.
With those criteria in mind, Albuquerque Business First and New Mexico Inno put out a call for nominations for potential award recipients. The Albuquerque Business First team and New Mexico Inno reporter Collin Krabbe reviewed the applications. Investment, new products and expansions over the past year were all considered.
A special ceremony celebrating the 2022 Fire Awards recipients was held on May 4 at Explora and sponsored by Comcast Business, Mesa del Sol and Sandia Laboratory Federal Credit Union.
Meet today's honoree: Build With Robots.
You may have heard of a company called Build With Robots.
In fact, if you read Albuquerque Business First and New Mexico Inno, it’s a near guarantee. The startup has made the local media rounds with its Breezy One disinfectant bot.
Now, it has a new product acting as a complement to the Breezy One. Whereas the original robot is meant to disinfect large spaces such as airports, the new product, dubbed Breezy Blue, is geared toward smaller spaces like hotel rooms.
The Breezy Blue unit is physically “much smaller,” according to chief strategy officer Matthew Ennis. Its target audience is still primarily institutions, but it could also be used for more consumer-focused approaches, such as an AirBnb, Ennis said.
“If I had different people coming through [shared spaces] … it would make sense,” Ennis said. “Everything from assisted living facilities to hotels to conference rooms to portable classrooms.” The Breezy Blue is “a fraction of the cost” of the larger unit, Ennis added, though, he would not disclose the cost of a bot.
Build With Robots both leases and sells its products. The initial disinfectant bot got its start at places like Electric Playhouse, which showcased its ability to quickly disinfect large spaces.
Now, with the smaller unit — which Ennis said is for “filling in the gaps” — users can clean other spaces where it wouldn’t make sense to use the larger machine.
The announcement of a new product comes after the firm, founded in 2015, disclosed a $5 million funding round earlier this year.
