Washington, D.C.-based Senseware will soon be able to connect a lot more buildings to the Internet of Things. The sensor and software startup is closing in on completing a $2.7 million funding round, with just $600,00 left to go according to a new filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
"We're almost there," Senseware co-founder and CEO Serene Almomen told DC Inno in an interview. "We should be finishing soon."
Senseware, at its core, is about using sensors to monitor and keep track of an area in real time.. That means anything from detecting a full dumpster or leaky pipe at an office building to noting a rise in carbon dioxide or drying air in a greenhouse.
The company also touts relatively little maintenance needed on its devices. Although originally requiring professional installation, the latest version of the sensors can be put into place by the clients on their own, wherever they may want. And real-time alerts about small problems can prevent them from being bigger, and more expensive issues.
"We can monitor anything that is critical," Almomen said. "The technology is flexible. We are building a universal platform."
Senseware's system went from 20 buildings at the end of 2013 to more than 100 buildings run by clients including Booz Allen and Montgomery County. The $1 million seed round Senseware raised a year ago from Blu Venture Investors, CAH Capital, CIT GAP Funds and local angel investors helped make that speed feasible. Almomen sees the new round, in which Blu Venture is also taking a leading role, accelerating the spread of Senseware's technology.
"We are building a universal platform."
Despite some obvious similarities to fellow D.C. IoT startup Aquicore, Almomen sees what Senseware does as complementary, rather than competitive. Where Aquicore has a focus on energy management and exploring the potential of its devices in that regard, Senseware is more interested in a generalized platform. Aquicore is even listed as a partner by Senseware.
"Anywhere where the environment can be managed by data collection can use our platform," Almomen said. "There's so much potential for how our technology can be used.
