Physical AI (PAI) startup company Butlr announced $38 million in Series B funding to meet the increasing demand for its sensors and anonymous data, which can be used in any building to understand better how humans interact in a space. So far, the company has raised $68 million from investors, including Foundry, Pacific Alliance Venture, GS Futures, DNX Ventures, Ray Stata, Joi Ito, Carrier, and Qualcomm.
This leads to more collaborative, energy-efficient, and safer buildings where people work and live. Butlr’s primary customers are senior living communities and workplaces, with an interest among brick-and-mortar retailers.
Butlr—an MIT Media Lab spinout—has patented the combination of body heat sensing technology and machine learning in the form of sensors that magnetically mount to the wall or ceiling and provide insight into how a building’s interior space is used for working and living. With a commitment to 100% anonymity, Butlr sensors are designed to make capturing any personally identifiable information impossible. The only raw data the Butlr platform captures is temperature, translated into body posture, indoor location, and occupancy.
Butlr’s sensors and data are used by the world’s largest companies, hospitality companies, retailers, and senior living communities to identify patterns and behaviors that inform decisions about real estate investment planning, asset management, occupancy, health, and energy efficiency. And companies including Walmart, 9solutions, Carrier, Qualcomm, Shell Point, and Verizon, picked Butlr to support their businesses. The additional funding enables Butlr to expand its presence in senior care communities.
The number of Americans aged 65 and older is expected to increase by tens of millions over the next few decades, but the industry is faced with a persistent labor shortage.
Butlr addresses this issue by filling the gap with technology that identifies subtle changes in movement. The Butlr Care solution for senior care communities, including Shell Point and Sweden Halmstad City’s acute care, provides administrators and staff with a privacy-based approach to safety that goes beyond wired wristbands and monitors.
These sensors and data are used for emergency response to falls and wandering, and identifying potential long-term health issues like frailty. And Butlr insights enable care teams to respond faster, mitigate the impact of acute health risks, and ensure compliance while helping address the labor shortage through more efficient use of staff. Combining Butlr insights with predictive care data enables health professionals to identify new or changing conditions earlier, enabling them to proactively revise care plans.
Butlr’s new sensors have an ultra-long multi-year battery life. And they remain easy to install within minutes and feature a sleek, unobtrusive, and award-winning design.
The API-first platform makes it easier for customers to integrate various data sources with nurse call systems and emergency response apps. And this results in more collaborative, safer, energy efficient, and inviting spaces for working and living.
KEY QUOTES:
“With the ability to better understand how people use interior spaces, we can imagine a not-too-distant future where Butlr sensors and data are the essential nerve system for buildings throughout the world. Our focus for this strategic funding is to continue to support enterprise customers and meet the strong demand for our technology in senior care.”
- Honghao Deng, CEO and co-founder, Butlr
“Senior care communities are in the midst of massive change. The population around the world is growing older and the shifting demographics demand innovation to support the needs of residents. We selected Butlr based on its strategic vision and ability to execute. It’s clear their offerings address the unmet needs of a global customer base, specifically in senior care, to support safety, longevity, and early healthcare interventions.”
- Sami Herrala, deputy CEO, 9Solutions
“We are successfully building a loyal customer base because our technology provides the insights to support strategic decisions that were previously based on outdated practices or opinions. The infusion of funding and the release of our new products enables Butlr to strategically scale and respond to customer demand across a variety of industries, most notably senior care.”
- Jiani Zeng, co-founder, and chief product officer
