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Essess, Inc has raised $17.0M across 2 funding rounds.
Key people at Essess, Inc.
Essess, Inc has raised $17.0M in total across 2 funding rounds.
Guided by executives Thomas Scaramellino and Storm Duncan, Essess is an energy efficiency company that utilizes vehicle-mounted imaging sensors to generate thermal heat maps identifying energy leaks in residential and commercial buildings. Founded in 2011 as a direct technology spin-out from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the organization operates as the first big data company focused exclusively on commercial and residential energy efficiency. The business processes this proprietary thermal information to assist power utilities and their customers in pinpointing specific structural envelope vulnerabilities within these targeted buildings. This diagnostic approach enables targeted remediation efforts and recommends structural fixes that yield significantly greater energy efficiency than simple consumer upgrades like LED bulb replacements. To support its hardware deployment and analytics development, the enterprise has successfully raised a total of $10,750,000 in venture capital funding since its inception.
Essess, Inc. is a privately-held technology company specializing in thermal imaging hardware and software for assessing building energy efficiency.[1][2][4] It offers a SaaS-based platform that collects and analyzes energy performance data across large geographies, such as entire cities or states, using drive-by thermal imaging to generate metrics, scores, and plain-English reports on energy loss in residential and commercial buildings.[2][3][4] The company serves utilities, governments, and property owners by solving the problem of inefficient energy use—spotting leaks and inefficiencies at scale without invasive inspections—while riding momentum from alternative and renewable energy trends, including recent venture funding rounds.[2][3]
Founded in 2011 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Essess emerged as a pioneer in scaling energy audits through innovative imaging tech.[1][4] Key figures include technologists like Phil S., a software engineer with a master's from the MIT Media Lab, who has contributed to the company's development.[2] The idea stemmed from recognizing the need for non-intrusive, big-data approaches to energy efficiency; early traction came from proving drive-by thermal scans could map inefficiencies across vast building portfolios, positioning Essess as the first company capable of city- and state-wide analysis.[3][4][6]
Essess rides the wave of energy transition and sustainability tech, where governments and utilities push for net-zero buildings amid climate regulations and rising energy costs.[2][6] Its timing aligns with big data's maturity and AI-driven analytics, enabling mass-scale efficiency audits that were previously cost-prohibitive. Market forces like renewable energy adoption and ESG investing favor it, as does the integration potential with tools like Google Street View for visual mapping.[4] By influencing policy through data on widespread inefficiencies, Essess shapes the ecosystem, helping prioritize retrofits and reduce urban carbon footprints.
Essess is poised for expansion as AI enhances its imaging analytics and global decarbonization accelerates demand for scalable audits. Trends like smart cities and utility-scale electrification will amplify its role, potentially through partnerships with tech giants or larger energy firms. Its influence could evolve from niche innovator to standard-setter in building intelligence, tying back to its core strength: transforming thermal data into city-wide energy savings.
Essess, Inc has raised $17.0M across 2 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $11.0M Series B in November 2014.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 1, 2014 | $11M Series B | — | Allegory | Announced |
| Apr 16, 2012 | $6M Series A | Vocap Investment Partners | Minder Cheng, Richard Tsai, Storm Duncan, DFJ Athena | Announced |
Essess, Inc has raised $17.0M in total across 2 funding rounds.
Essess, Inc's investors include Allegory, Vocap Investment Partners, Minder Cheng, Richard Tsai, Storm Duncan, DFJ Athena.
Key people at Essess, Inc.
