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Venture Capitalists
Focus on PropTech & ConTech VC and large big picture VC concerns
Fifth Wall PropTech VC
Real world technology
Fifth Wall is the largest venture capital firm focused on technology for the global real estate industry. We invest in technology companies tackling some of the most pressing, real world problems, be it climate change, aging buildings and infrastructure, inaccessible housing markets, unreliable supply chains, or the future of work, to name a few.
Our platform is designed to technologize the spaces around us in order to optimize for a better, more sustainable future. Whether that means making buildings smarter, safer, more energy efficient, or all of the above, the outcome is the same – we fund cutting edge technology companies that are committed to future-proofing the spaces in which we live, work, and play.
Why Tech That Improves The Real World Is More Important Than Ever | Fifth Wall
“You have to start talking about atoms if you’re going to truly decarbonize the built environment"
BuildTech VC
Unlocking possibilities in ConTech & RealTech
We are a Silicon Valley-based investment group that specializes in investing in PropTech, ConTech, and RealTech companies that are transforming the industry
Focus
We believe that ambitious and creative construction endeavors can go hand-in-hand with responsible and sustainable building practices, ensuring maximum impact while minimizing ecological footprints. By leveraging our vast global network of building industry contacts and decades of experience, we at BuildTech are uniquely equipped to help startups in the construction sector rapidly validate and commercialize their projects.
Environment
CO2 Tracking and Management
Waste Management
Recycling Methods
New Materials
Alternative Materials, Supply Chain
Production Methods
CO2 Reduction
Software-enabled Hardware
lloT, Sensors, CV
Robotics, Automation
Prefabrication Methods
Software
Data Insights
and AI/ML
Marketplaces
Automated Workflows
Pegasus Capital Advisors
25 years of pioneering
investment work
Craig Cogut founded Pegasus Capital in 1996 with the vision to change private equity investing by integrating social and environmental factors into the investment process. For 25 years, sustainability and health have been at the heart of Pegasus’ investment strategies with numerous award-winning portfolio companies creating lasting positive impact. As the first U.S. private equity investment firm having obtained the landmark accreditation of the Green Climate Fund, Pegasus continues to build on its two and a half decades of experience with new and exciting initiatives that create value beyond returns.
Impact Sectors and Themes
We focus on solutions related to sustainability and health. From green infrastructure to improved health and well-being, our investment themes and strategies are based on the long-term value creation that offer scale and depth of environmental and social impact. Examples of areas we are interested in include:
Sustainability
Renewable energy & energy efficiency, waste & water management, nature-based solutions, food & agriculture
Health
Smart healthcare, brain health, microbiome, nutrition, sleep & mind-body, lighting & circadian rhythm, wellness
Our investee companies generate lasting impact towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We seek to make a strong contribution in particular to SDG 3 (health and well-being), SDG 7 (access to clean energy, SDG 8 (job creation), and SDG 11 (sustainable communities), and SDG 13 (climate action).
Pegasus Investments
SleepScore Labs
SleepScore Labs was formed in 2016 in partnership with Resmed, Inc. (NYSE: RMD), a world leader in the manufacturing of sleep-related medical devices, and Dr. Oz, one of the most prominent advocates for consumer health, to license, develop, and utilize technology that will assess and stratify consumer sleep issues, and connect consumers with solutions to improve their sleep. The Company’s vision is to redefine how we view sleep and allow users to take control and achieve the best possible sleep through data-driven solutions. The Company’s flagship product is the SleepScore Max, a non-contact sleep improvement system that measures both the quantity and quality of your sleep. The measurements captured by the Company’s products seek to inform its users with meaningful quality scores, personalized insights, and actionable advice.
SectorHealth
Headquarters
San Diego, California
HealthE
HealthE is the technology leader in developing and deploying commercial and consumer solutions for UV air and surface sanitization and LED circadian lighting. These products inactivate viruses and bacteria in the air and on surfaces, improve air quality, regulate the body’s internal clock, boost performance and enhance sleep. HealthE’s heritage lies in Lighting Science and NASA scientists who spent decades developing LED lighting technology for biological applications. This technology is now being adopted as part of the standard for the modern, human-centric built environment in a variety of applications including homes, schools, offices, hotels, senior communities and healthcare facilities.
Sector-Sustainability / Health
Headquarters
Melbourne, FL
Lighting Science Group
Established in 2001, Lighting Science Group (LSG) is an award-winning leader in innovative LED lighting solutions that designs, manufactures and brings to market advanced products for consumer and commercial applications. LSG’s mission is to create healthier environments with lighting products that are thoughtful, simple to use, and focus exclusively on health, wellness and the biological impacts of light. Products designed by the Company include the GoodNight®, GoodDay®, and Sleepy Baby® LED bulbs and a horticulture light, the GroBar™. Lighting Science has been awarded Popular Science Magazine’s 2016 Best of What New Award, Architect’s Newspaper’s 2016 Product of the Year, several Business Intelligence Group (BIG) Awards, Edison Awards, Sapphire Awards, and the IES Illumination Award. The Company holds over 400 patents to date, and is continually experimenting with new uses for LEDs that focus on the intersection of biological science and light.
Sector-Sustainability / Health
Headquarters
West Warwick, RI
February 13, 2019
Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG®) has today announced the acquisition of Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas, one of the world’s leading operators of luxury hotels, resorts and spas. The $300 million cash acquisition from Pegasus Capital Advisors includes all of Six Senses’ brands and operating companies and does not include any real estate assets.
David Cogut, Principal, Pegasus Capital Advisors, commented: “Six Senses fit well with our core themes of investing in sustainability and wellness with a focus on ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) integration, and we’re proud of the work we have done to build it into one of the world’s best luxury hotel brands. Since acquiring the brand in 2012, we have taken the Six Senses experience to some of the world’s most select locations. IHG shares many of our values and will protect what’s special about the brand as it drives Six Senses’ next phase of growth.”
Six Senses Cerro Verde
Six Senses Cerro Verde aims to demonstrate how exceptional ecotourism can contribute to the protection and restoration in the Galapagos. The project seeks to offer an alternative to carbon intensive tourism development and unsustainable consumption patterns, increase ecosystem resilience in high-value biodiverse areas, and engage local communities and island inhabitants on climate mitigation and adaptation, all while offering a best-in-class traveler experience. By placing the reduction of invasive species and protection of endangered species at the core of value creation, the holistic ecotourism model serves as a new region-wide approach.
Builders VC
While VCs seek the next hot thing, great returns will be realized from the revolution of existing industries.
How to win
Winning in the Evolution of Industries takes different forms. But an analysis of winning companies show a few key ingredients around founders, timing, and operational execution. As with all forms of innovation, the hero is the entrepreneur. But founders in the Evolution of Industries have particular traits that set them apart: they are valiant operators as opposed to ardent technologists. And they are obsessed with mass adoption over a particular product vision. It’s no surprise that Microsoft won over Apple in the PC battle of the 1980s because Bill Gates was obsessed with cost, which drove mass adoption, while Steve Jobs was obsessed with perfection. Similarly, Tony Fadell became obsessed with developing the most usable thermostat for energy savings, which led to mass adoption and ultimately a home automation ecosystem.
Being a “first mover” is also not a requirement for companies focusing on the Evolution of Industries, in fact it can be a hindrance. Founders need to time the market, waiting on the technology to not only be available, but also widespread and cost effective. New technologies are frequently utilized as a solution looking for a problem to solve, but the best founders focus on applying existing and well understood technology to markets that have been underserved by prior advancements. Climate Corporation, for example, wasn’t the first company to use historical weather data to inform growing behavior - since 1818 the Farmer’s Almanac has a storied place on the bookshelves of growers. However, Climate was able to apply data analytics to better leverage soil and field data in assisting farmers with improving crop yields while also providing downside risk mitigation.
Bringing disruptive technology to antiquated industries will also require entrepreneurs with strong operational backgrounds. Successful founders need to combine industry knowledge with a focus on execution and scaling the product. In the case of Square, accepting credit cards was not the challenge, instead it was scaling up their product and getting it into the hands of small merchants across the country. Their operational excellence allowed them to build valuable partnerships and distribute their product through high volume retail channels such as the Apple Store.
Mark got his start as a full-time operator – co-founding and selling a dozen fintech, SaaS, e-commerce, retail, green tech, online gaming, and music ventures over the past 30 years. More recently he shifted from being an entrepreneur or more of a coach to other entrepreneurs and focusing more on investing and advising. Also, he has made over 125 angel and institutional investments, either personally, via his Advisors Fund LLC, or via Efficient Capacity LLC, where he was Managing Partner.
Mark is also the Founder and Chairman of The Digital Health Hub Foundation, a not-for-profit healthcare and wellness innovation hub that helps healthcare companies scale and grow and produces the annual Digital Health Hub Foundation Awards at the HLTH Conference. It's now in its fifth year it's the world's biggest awards event in healthcare.
Mark also previously was an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Softbank and then at NEA and is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and where he has served on its Board of Overseers.
Mark is a current Director of Neuroflow, Sewer AI, and many of Builder's seed investments where his primary investment focus is on health, wellness, and food.
Mark Goldstein
GENERAL PARTNER - SEED
Builders Companies
We believe it takes more than great technology to fix an antiquated industry. To truly make lasting and impactful change, Builders partners with entrepreneurs who combine courage, technical acumen and operational expertise.
Healthcare
We invest across the healthcare ecosystem as we see the move in the locus of care and the uptick in digital health and telemedicine offerings. We back companies that see that gap and opportunity at the intersection between health and software
Builders is a proud platinum sponsor of UCSF Health Awards.
Industrials
From autonomous operations to new material design in industrial settings, Builders back companies that seek bold applications and see the major intersection in applied information technology to solve some of the world's biggest challenges in heavy industry
Real Estate & Construction
We invest across the construction and real estate lifecycle with an emphasis on applying technology to solve major challenges in worker safety, logistics, and cost efficiency to improve the way we operate with our built environments
Agriculture
From animal health to new forms of alternative proteins and precision agriculture, Builders backs companies that strive to make our food system more resilient