Switzerland’s Optiml, which provides an AI-powered solution to enable the decarbonisation of existing building stock, has been selected by the Urban Land Institute (ULI) as the overall winner of the second annual PropTech Innovation Challenge (PIC). The winner was announced during the C Change Summit in Barcelona following voting from both the expert jury and from selected ULI members representing the National Council country networks.

L-R Lisette van Doorn ULI Europe, Dr. Evan Petkov, Optiml, and Simon Abboud, Hines Europe and PIC lead (Picture: Karla Gowlett)

PIC is a ULI Europe Young Leaders-led initiative designed to foster innovation in the built environment, with this year’s challenge calling for game changing, tangible and scalable solutions focusing on reducing scope 3 emissions for real estate investors, focusing on an asset life-cycle approach.The solutions submitted for PIC needed to represent a genuine shift away from business-as-usual practices and be tangible and scalable in a regional context, including high- or low-tech solutions and hardware, software, or business models. This year’s challenge is closely aligned ULI’s mission priority to decarbonise the built environment and, as part of that, the urgent decarbonisation priorities of ULI C Change.

Optiml, a tech spin-off from ETH Zurich that was launched following more than five years of development, provides an AI-powered SaaS (software as a service) solution that enables asset managers, investors, and their consultancies to decarbonise their existing building stock. The software provides scalable decarbonisation and investment strategies and actionable, timed and costed renovation plans for buildings and portfolios in all asset classes with a focus on ensuring adherence to net zero goals.

Optiml impressed the expert jury by how the AI powered solution offers real scalability in investment and renovation planning, providing the industry with an extremely efficient alternative to a more traditional manual planning approach, while supporting the industry to ensure that buildings and portfolios can efficiently meet their carbon reduction targets.

Dr. Evan Petkov, co-founder & CEO of Optiml, said, “Over the coming decades there will be a large transformation of the existing built environment towards sustainability. As the real estate industry transitions from a phase of ESG reporting to decarbonization action, new approaches for real estate investment and renovation planning will enable better business models.”

“We are thrilled to be the European winner for the ULI PropTech Innovation Challenge, on the back of the hard work over the past two years as an AI company, and before that in the academic realm at ETH Zurich. Our vision is to build a new category of Real Estate Decision Intelligence – accelerating cost-effective Net Zero with data-driven investment strategies in sustainable buildings, working with large real estate owners & consultancies across Europe and North America.”

The seven in-country competition winners from the first phase of ULI PIC all participated in the European final, including Rebench (CEE), ISOL’ en Paille (France), Voltfang (Germany), CoCircular (Iberia – Spain & Portugal), Net Zero Build (Nordics), Optiml (Switzerland), and Symphony Energy (UK & Ireland).

The PIC leads are Thibault Weston-Smith, co-founder, Crayon Partners; Susse Schaumann, investment analyst, NREP; and Simon Abboud, programme director, Hines Europe.

Simon Abboud comments, “The response to PIC has been really inspiring. We’ve received more than 70 applications, and the process has involved more than 70 subject matter experts engaging our local juries across seven ULI National Councils. This second year attracted wide variety of transformative solutions that are positively impacting the reduction of scope 3 emissions, ranging from hardware to software and high to low-tech.”

“Leveraging the ULI brand and community of practitioners allowed us to create a meaningful platform bridging the communication gap between innovators with the industry, and education gap by informing our peers on the most transformational ways to tackle some of the biggest challenges of our time. It is all about inspiring by connecting the dots; we only played the role of facilitators. A shoutout to all our great finalists and our overall winner.”

The PIC European jury comprised Nicolas Bearelle, Executive Chairman, Revive World BV; Marta Cladera de Codina, Managing Director, Head of Portfolio Management Housing and Alternatives, Continental Europe, Nuveen Real Estate; Grigor Hadjiev, Global Head of Innovation & European Sustainability, PIMCO Prime Real Estate; Sharla Halvorson, Head of Sustainability, Ingka Centres;  Anne Kavanagh, Chair, ULI Europe, Non-Executive Director & former CEO Telford Homes; Hagen Knaupp, European NZC Implementation Lead, LaSalle Investment Management; Franc Mouwen, EIC Programme Manager for Architecture Engineering Construction, European Innovation Council; Lisette van Doorn, Chief Executive Officer, Urban Land Institute – Europe; and Thibault Weston Smith, Co-Founder, Crayon Partners.

Anne Kavanagh, Chair, ULI Europe, said, “As a first-time PIC jury member, I thoroughly enjoyed participating and interacting with the finalists, and I thought that the quality of all this year’s submissions, and our overall winner’s solution, were all inspiring. It gives me great hope that innovation will solve many of the issues our industry faces. My thanks go to our Young Leaders for their creativity and leadership in driving this great initiative, and to everyone who has supported the delivery of this year’s competition.”

Lisette van Doorn, CEO, ULI Europe, comments, “We still see a significant gap between the traditional real estate industry and the startup community, but it very is clear that we all depend on each other to succeed in tackling some of the biggest challenges our industry faces. That is why our PIC programme is so important. This programme, driven by our Young Leader members in Europe, has built up an incredible momentum in just two years and has mobilised so many members from all across the ULI network. This clearly shows the need and opportunity to better connect the real estate industry with innovative high- and low-tech solutions to improve the places where we live, work and play.”

“This year PIC has enabled us to shine the spotlight on several truly inspirational, innovative, and tangible solutions to address how we can reduce scope 3 carbon emissions for real estate investors. Congratulations go to Optiml for their success, and to all of our country finalists in this year’s challenge.”

In addition to unrivalled industry exposure through the ULI international network, all finalists will benefit from a one-year ULI membership including full access to our research and programmes, and opportunities to join our local and European events.

Please visit: https://europe.uli.org/young-leaders-proptech-innovation-challenge-pic/.

Ends

For more information, email [email protected]

Notes to Editors:

• The Urban Land Institute is a non-profit education and research institute supported by its members. Its mission is to shape the future of the built environment for transformative impact in communities worldwide. Established in 1936, the institute has over 48,000 members worldwide representing all aspects of land use and development disciplines.
• ULI Europe has around 5,500 members across 15 National Council country networks. Visit https://europe.uli.org

PIC 2024 Finalists:

• CoCircular (Iberia): https://cocircular.es/
• ISOL’ en Paille (France): https://www.isolenpaille.com/
• Net Zero Build (Nordics): https://netzerobuild.ai/
• Optiml (Switzerland): https://optiml.com/
• Rebench (CEE): https://www.rebench.io/
• Symphony Energy (UK & Ireland): https://www.symphonyenergy.com/
• Voltfang (Germany): https://voltfang.de/en/