US-based smart office app Comfy secured $12m in a series B round yesterday backed by Microsoft Ventures, the software company’s corporate venturing vehicle, and real estate services firm CBRE Group.
Cloud-focused VC firm Emergence Capital led the round, in which existing investors Claremont Creek and Westly Group also took part. Claremont and Westly previously co-led a $5.5m series A round in 2014.
The investment is among the first by Microsoft Ventures, the strategic investment unit announced at the end of May and follows its commitment to a $23m series B round for Helpshift and a $10m funding round for CrowdFlower.
Comfy, owned by Building Robotics, offers on-demand, personalised comfort in the workplace, such as temperature control.
Turning employees’ smart phones into remote controls for the office, Comfy claims to reduce wasted energy on heating or cooling empty spaces, while improving productivity and wellness. The app is currently available in five countries.
Comfy will use the money to add other aspects of the office environment, such as lighting control.
In 2013, Building Robotics raised $1.1m in seed funding from backers including GV, the corporate venturing arm of diversified conglomerate Alphabet then known as Google Ventures.
Other investors in that round were Claremont Creek Ventures, Formation 8, Navitas Capital, Red Swan Ventures and angel investors.