We’re thrilled to share the latest episode of Down Low With Joe, where Joseph Aamidor and Ben M. sat down with Darlene Pope, CEO of Brava Systems at Realcomm Events to trace her journey from commercial real estate and broadband to smart buildings and today’s AI frontier.

Some takeaways:

↳ People-First ROI : Why employee experience now drives tech spend far more than energy savings.

↳ AI-Powered Intuition : How true “intuitive” buildings emerge by layering AI on unified data, not by piling on more point solutions.

↳ Partnership Over Vendor : Why treating solution providers as co-innovators (not just suppliers) is the key to future-proof real estate.

Stay connected with us:

↳ Subscribe on YouTube: @lewismartinc

↳ Learn more at LMC: https://lewismartinc.com/

↳ Lewis Martin: linkedin.com/in/climatetechrecruiter

↳ Ben Muwoki: Ben Muwoki | LinkedIn

↳ Joseph Aamidor: linkedin.com/in/jaamidor

↳ Darlene Pope: Darlene Pope | LinkedIn

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In this episode, Lewis and Joe discuss the current state of the smart building market, focusing on recent trends, investment landscapes, and emerging technologies. They explore the fragmented nature of the market, the impact of capital efficiency on investment decisions, and the ongoing M&A activity shaping the industry. The conversation also delves into future predictions for the market, highlighting the potential for innovation and the integration of facility management with building automation.

Companies mentioned:

• Asuene acquiring nZero.
• TMA is acquiring Virtual Facility.
• Runwise's Series B raise.
• NRG acquiring CPower.
• Airthings LOI acquisition.
• Redaptive have raised additional capital.

Takeaways:

• The market remains fragmented with ongoing M&A activity.
• Investment in smart buildings is down, but some companies are thriving.
• Capital efficiency is becoming a key focus for investors.
• Acquisitions are often driven by the need for companies to scale and integrate technologies.
• Emerging technologies in demand response and energy management are gaining traction.
• Companies like Runwise are expanding their offerings beyond initial products.
• The demand response space is evolving with new players entering the market.
• Integration of facility management and building automation is becoming more common.
• Future predictions suggest a separation between leading companies and those struggling to grow.
• The market is expected to see continued innovation and new entrants.

Stay connected with us:

↳ Subscribe on YouTube: @lewismartinc

↳ Learn more at LMC: https://lewismartinc.com/

↳ Lewis Martin: linkedin.com/in/climatetechrecruiter

↳ Joseph Aamidor: linkedin.com/in/jaamidor

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What happens when a global architecture firm acquires a boutique smart building consultancy?

In this episode of The Down Low with Joe, we sit down with Eric Larsen (Cannon Design) and Owen Dalton (Clarient Group) to unpack their recent merger—and what it signals for the future of smart buildings, building lifecycle services, and integrated delivery models.

🎯 Topics covered:

↳ Why Cannon is expanding beyond architecture & engineering into full-lifecycle consulting

↳ Clarient’s “insights layer” approach to AV, IT, and integration

↳ The real blockers to smart building adoption (hint: it’s not the tech)

↳ How this merger enables earlier engagement, smarter visioning, and longer-term impact

↳ What healthcare, education, and commercial real estate can learn from each other

↳ A candid look at digital twins, AI, and what actually delivers value in 2025

This episode is a blueprint for firms navigating the growing complexity of the built world—and a lesson in what it really takes to scale innovation across design, construction, and operations.

Stay connected with us:

↳ Subscribe on YouTube: @lewismartinc

↳ Learn more at LMC: https://lewismartinc.com/

↳ Lewis Martin: linkedin.com/in/climatetechrecruiter

↳ Joseph Aamidor: linkedin.com/in/jaamidor

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Can software truly scale in construction, or is it time to invest beyond the app?

In this episode of The Down Low with Joe, Joe Aamidor is joined by Raja Ghawi, founding partner at Era Ventures, to break down what’s really needed to transform the built environment.

🔎 Topics Covered:

• Why construction and real estate are saturated with software fatigue
• The three real profit pools in the built world: labor, materials, financing
• Where robots like Viabot are already replacing human night jobs
• The hidden risk calculus that prevents material innovation
• How Era Ventures deploys capital across hard tech, fintech, and infrastructure
• The difference between replacing vs. enabling incumbents
• 2025 prediction: global supply chain reshuffling will define cost and innovation

📍 Whether you’re in real estate, climate tech, robotics, or SaaS - this episode will change how you think about impact and scale.

Stay connected with us:

↳ Subscribe on YouTube: @lewismartinc

↳ Learn more at LMC: https://lewismartinc.com/

↳ Lewis Martin: linkedin.com/in/climatetechrecruiter

↳ Joseph Aamidor: linkedin.com/in/jaamidor

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Most buildings still don’t know how much energy they’re wasting - or why.

In this episode of The Down Low with Joe Series, Brad Pilgrim, CEO of Parity, joins Joe Aamidor and Lewis Martin to break down why building decarbonization is stalling, and how AI-driven insights can flip the script.

Brad shares lessons from leading Parity through the messy middle of building operations – from HVAC failures to landlord pushback, and what it really takes to decarbonize a portfolio at scale.

🎯 What we cover:

• Why most energy audits don’t lead to real action
• How Parity built a scalable retrofit model using AI
• What building owners actually need to see in a decarb proposal
• Why incentives are broken – and how to align stakeholders
• Where the decarbonization market is headed next

🎬 Watch the full video on YouTube: The Climate Gap Podcast

↳ Follow us on LinkedIn: Lewis Martin | Joe Aamidor

↳ Join Tech Climate Spotlight: https://confirmsubscription.com/h/y/5D3982252AFCF0EE

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Why has there been so little consolidation in the energy management software space? Why do so many promising startups plateau at the same level? And how can investors or buyers tell which ones are built for the long haul?

In this episode of The Climate Gap Podcast, Joe Aamidor and Lewis Martin are joined by Shaun Stewart — formerly VP of Product at Noda and Dalos — to reveal the findings of a new industry-first analysis on capital efficiency across energy startups.

They analyzed over 20 energy management companies covering:

• 4.1 billion square feet of buildings
• $684 million in capital raised
• And a wide variance in outcomes…

The result? A 4-quadrant framework showing who’s scaling efficiently, who’s overspent, and who’s flying under the radar with lean growth.

Shaun and Joe explore:

• Why switching costs and vendor fragmentation create a growth ceiling
• What separates the “leaders” from the “sell-the-book” firms
• Why some high-performing tech won’t scale unless they rethink their strategy
• How large incumbents (OEMs) might spark the next wave of M&A
• What capital-efficient growth actually looks like in climate tech

Whether you’re an investor, founder, or energy buyer - this is a must-listen for understanding the future of smart building and climate tech startups.

🎬 Watch the full video on YouTube: The Climate Gap Podcast

↳ Follow us on LinkedIn: Lewis Martin | Joe Aamidor

↳ Join Tech Climate Spotlight: https://confirmsubscription.com/h/y/5D3982252AFCF0EE

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Too much time spent reporting carbon. Not enough spent reducing it.

In this episode, we sit down with Christopher Naismith, founder & CEO of Audette, to talk about decarbonizing real estate - at speed and scale.

Chris explains why:

• Energy audits alone can’t meet today’s climate deadlines
• Owners need capital planning, not just carbon reporting
• Smart software (and smarter data) can reveal the retrofit path
• Investors aren’t ditching ESG - they’re doubling down
• Every building needs a transition plan, starting now

🎬 Watch the full video on YouTube: The Climate Gap Podcast

↳ Follow us on LinkedIn: Lewis Martin | Joe Aamidor

↳ Join Tech Climate Spotlight: https://confirmsubscription.com/h/y/5D3982252AFCF0EE

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does it take to scale a smart building platform from 200,000 instances to 1.4 million?

In this episode of The Down Low with Joe, we sit down with Stephen Holake, Chief Product Officer at Tridium, to unpack the long game behind one of climate tech’s most important (but quietly dominant) platforms: the Niagara Framework.

Stephen shares how Tridium’s open architecture and channel-first approach allowed it to win over OEMs, system integrators, and contractors – all while giving building owners flexibility in a traditionally closed ecosystem. We dive into the Honeywell acquisition, the evolution of building controls, and why the product does “nothing out of the box” - by design.

From security-first development to the AI-enabled future of Niagara 5, this episode is packed with insights on product management, scale, and how to drive real-world climate outcomes in the built environment.

🎯 Topics include:

• The story behind Tridium’s growth to 1.4M building instances
• OEM partnerships and how to go from “one to all”
• Grid flexibility, AI control loops, and autonomous BAS
• Why empathy matters in climate tech product strategy
• What Niagara 5 will unlock for integrators and owners

🎬 Watch the full video on YouTube: The Climate Gap Podcast

↳ Follow us on LinkedIn: Lewis Martin | Joe Aamidor

↳ Join Tech Climate Spotlight: https://confirmsubscription.com/h/y/5D3982252AFCF0EE

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.