A plea for startups – why they are revolutionizing the construction industry.
Together with Immobilienmanager, we at Ambivation want to give startups a stage to showcase their innovation potential with our PropTech / ConTech video interviews. At the same time, we want to show real estate industry new solutions to existing challenges and problems as well as culturally methodically build bridges between companies and startups. Today we talk to Jordan Hills from PropTech / ConTech startup RYSTA about the future of construction, tips in collaboration between startups and companies and about their partnership with TM Ausbau about construction site monitoring. Here you can watch the video interview in full length.
Christoph: Today I would like to welcome Jordan Hills from RYSTA. Jordan, who are you and what do you do with RYSTA?
Jordan: Good Morning, thanks for having me! My Name is Jordan Hills, and I’m the market development manager for RYSTA. So, I reach out to new international markets and help bring new technologies into construction and real estate. And what RYSTA is; we are an IoT PropTech Startup based in Berlin, IoT meaning Internet of things. Primarily we are focused on monitoring of construction environments remotely. The way we do that is we place sensors around the construction site,and these collect environmental site data. We take that data and send it straight into the construction diaries of the project managers and to whoever else needs that information. Some of the things we measure include temperature, humidity, volatile organic compounds, dust; all of these are environmental factors from across a site. By bringing that data directly to the people who need it they know what is happening on the site at all times and do not need to be there.
Analytics is a big part of what we do as well. Using the data collected from construction sites we generate actionable insights and risk alerts. If we recognize problems on the site, we can automate an alert, and that problem can be looked into and resolved straight away. Essentially what that means is quicker decision making, which is coming from more information and right and timely data. It means saving time not having to walk the site all the time and manually checkup on things, as well as quality assurance, which is really important, especially when handing buildings or the site over to the customers. And also, in general, risk alerts, understanding what is happening and keeping historical data from the site. Aside from this it’s about safety and sustainability which we can a improve through data.
One of the big use cases as an example is the drying process on construction sites. Appartements can absorb a lot of water during construction. If that water is not dried out properly, it can turn into things like mold or dampness. While the building is being built its really important to monitor the rooms to make sure they are drying correctly. We solve this problem using our sensors, collecting temperature and humidity data 24/7, so the project managers know at all times whether the rooms are drying and if there are problems. And if there are, they can take action to solve these quickly. So that’s a broad overview of what we do.
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Christoph: Great thank you! I especially agree on the construction site monitoring. I think it is a very growing topic on demand and it is a big trend. Coming to the next question, can you give us an example of a collaboration with a company from the real estate or construction industry?
Jordan: Of course! A good example of a company we have been collaborating with is TM Ausbau. They are a general contractor based in Germany who work on larger commercial construction sites, like appartement blocks and other commercial buildings. We met some time ago and have been piloting our sensors on one of their sites. It was a large site which had about 260 appartements on it. They were really excited about the potential of the technology to help them monitor this site, and other sites as well. We started the collaboration with identifying the problem, which was around the drying process, and then set up a series of sensors on the site. So, we worked really closely with them to test that and to deliver the site data to their project manager who was working on the site. One of the big things for him is that everyday he had to go around and manually measure the temperature and humidity data from the rooms, because it is his responsibility to make sure these appartements are dry. Working with him and TM Ausbau we collected that data and sent it to them, so they can see if there is a problem in one of those appartements without having to walk the site.
Part of that collaboration was this pilot phase. What we are also doing is tailoring the solution to TM Ausbau and their needs. That is about the dashboards and the data. So what is an effective dashboard for them, what does it have to look like, what is the important information they want to see, all those sort of things. We are really happy to be working with a company like that, who was really excited about innovation and what technology can bring to them. And that is really active and hands on with making sure that it is a success.
Christoph: You already talked about the next question I wanted to ask you, which is how the company benefits from you. Can you summarize in two or three points, what the most important benefit for your client is?
Jordan: Absolutely. Going into a bit more detail a big benefit for the project manager is the time saved throughout the day, everyday. He is saving about 1,5 hours not having to walk the site and look at the rooms, collect the data, upload it to their report and also calculate how the rooms are drying. That is a big saving of time and they can focus on other important things. With the RYSTA sensors, we are able to collect that data automatically for them and send it straight to the dashboards. The data is available to do what they need to do with it. And it gives them peace of mind to know that the rooms and the site are drying correctly when they are not there, even if it is on a weekend. I think that is a really big benefit.
Besides the tighter monitoring that also means quality assurance. It is really important for companies, when they hand over buildings to customers, to be able to assure the quality to a certain level. Monitoring the drying process and making sure the rooms are drying correctly, that absolutely helps in that quality assurance phase. At the end of the day assuring quality leads to customer retention and it is good for everybody involved. So those are the big things that we are solving for them.
One thing I forgot to mention is the sustainability side, that is a big focus too. If there is too much dampness or mold that needs to be rectified. That will delay the construction process as well. From the sustainability side, we are cutting down on rework, so less material is used, and less building needs to be done. But also, it’s about not delaying projects. There are a lot of delays that happen at construction sites, so being able to reduce the delays that happen is also a really big factor.
Christoph: Great, thank you! Talking about the collaboration of companies and startups, like ConTech and companies from the construction site sector, do you have some tips and tricks for the collaboration between companies and startups, how to work better together?
Jordan: A big thing from my experience is finding a company that is the right match. And being patient to do that, rather than rushing in the first opportunity that comes up. It is important that both, the startup and the corporate are well aligned. You want excitement, for them to be excited about the potential. They are excited about the problem and the challenge that you are trying to solve. I think that is really important.
And also, for both parties to be open minded. Startups and corporates work in quite different ways. I have found startups move very fast, while corporates need a bit more time to sign off on things or to move things forward. It is important to be mindful of that. Also being open minded about where the collaboration could lead. Because sometimes you start at one point and you end up in a completely different place that you didn’t even expect. And for these collaborations to work, it is also important to recognize that.
But for me it’s about having that shared vision, that really positive engagement and excitement about the project. That is a big one. And it is important to remember as well what both parties can bring to the table. Startups are very innovative and focused on solving problems in new and innovative ways. Corporates do not always have the ability to do that within themselves, but the corporates bring a lot of industry expertise and opportunity, the ability to try something new, get feedback and scale. I think it’s a really nice match to have startups and corporates working together. And it is very important as well, if we want to make changes in the industry.
The other thing that has worked very well for us as a startup, is having experienced and well connected investors. That is essential, because having a strong network who is well experienced in the industry brings a lot of opportunities, advice and insights. And in times when you are a startup, you are just learning, it is a lot of trial and error. And having these investors or networks setting you on the right direction and guiding you along the way, that really helps. Also, finding these opportunities and making friendly introductions, and kind of facilitating that whole process, that is really crucial.
Christoph: Thank you for sharing these insights! I think one of the investors that is supporting you is also Highrise Ventures from Claudia Nagel, so it is good to hear about your experience there.
Jordan: Yes, they have been fantastic! We have been working with them for some years now and it is great working with them, because we get a lot of valuable insights, advice and valuable connections. It is a great relationship.
Christoph: Great! Talking about the next few years, what is going to move you there?
Jordan: We’re really excited about the construction industry and where it’s going. In ConTech there is a huge explosion of data and technology in the industry. And we have always seen, that when data has been added to an industry there is a huge jump in productivity. A great example of this is in manufacturing. Construction is a bit behind the curve on that, but things are heating up now. There are lots of Startups creating some amazing innovations and resolving really specific problems on construction sites. We are really excited to be a part of it. And what we are focusing on, room drying, the technology can be applied to improving efficiency, improving sustainability, improving safety. That is a really exciting process and that is what is driving us. We are really keen to disrupt the industry and to make it easier for all people involved to work and get construction done. It is really exciting and a great industry to be a part of. It’s also the right timing. So we are looking forward to the coming years and how things are going to develop.
Christoph: That sounds very promising, from several aspects! Talking about the next question, what is the best way to reach out to you?
Jordan: If you want a better overview of what we are doing and our technology, you can go to our website https://www.rysta.io/. There is a great introduction about our construction monitoring and drying process. And you can easily reach us through that website as well. We are available on LinkedIn, and also people can contact myself directly or anyone of the other team members. Feel free to reach out, even if you are interested and want to find out a little bit more. We would love to talk and meet!
Christoph: Great! From my side, I want to thank you for your time and for the introduction, your cooperation example and also the tips and tricks. I wish you continued success, and all the best for the future!
Jordan: Thank you very much Christoph! We appreciate it, and always great talking. Thanks and all the best for you as well!
Link to RYSTA: https://www.rysta.io
Link to TM Ausbau: https://www.tm-ausbau.eu/
Link to immobilienmanager: https://www.immobilienmanager.de
You can finde more PropTech/ ConTech startup collaboration-interviews on our YouTube-channel. For more insights about the PropTech world, read our PropTech Startup Guide or talk to us.
About Ambivation
Ambivation connects innovative companies and startups for cooperation and innovation partnerships. As an innovation consultancy and matchmaker, Ambivation promotes cooperation between established companies and startups within the framework of concrete customer, supplier and research partnerships. We support companies in the identification of needs, startup identification, startup evaluation and cooperation initiation with startups. Formats such as research on relevant startups, startup monitoring, strategic cooperation consulting or event formats such as startup tours serve this purpose. Our monthly newsletter also provides information on current examples of cooperation and events.
