Sensorflow
Entrepreneur First '17Singapore, SG · Founded 2017 · 3 known investors
SensorFlow supplies wireless, room-level sensors that hotels retrofit to automate heating, cooling, and lighting controls without shutting down operations. Hotel operators use the resulting data to monitor consumption and reduce energy costs, with reported savings of up to 30%.
Also known as SensorFlow Pte Ltd.
Founders & leadership
Sensorflow was founded in 2017 by Sai Ranganathan and Max Nikolaus Pagel.
Investors · 3
Also in the syndicate · 2
Company profile
researched Aug 2026SensorFlow is a Singapore-based proptech company that sells a full-stack combination of wireless IoT hardware, connectivity and software to hotels and other properties for automating heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) and monitoring utility consumption. Battery-powered room sensors detect occupancy and room conditions, a room controller actuates the HVAC, and AI software learns usage patterns to reduce cooling when rooms are unoccupied while restoring comfort before guests return. The system also raises maintenance alerts when it detects faulty equipment and exposes occupancy data used to optimise housekeeping routes.
The product line is organised into modular offerings: SmartREM, a guest room energy management and operations system installable in under ten minutes per room; SmartGRD, real-time granular metering of electricity, water and gas across a property; SmartBEA, a free building efficiency analytics tool for uploading and visualising utility and waste data with outlier detection and trendlines; SmartARC, whole-room automation unifying HVAC, lighting, curtains and keyless entry over existing wiring for renovations; and a smart room allocation tool that assigns rooms to compound energy efficiency. The company reports roughly 30% reductions in HVAC energy cost, cumulative savings of 23,114,322 kWh and 11,636 tonnes of CO2 avoided, and states that its savings methodology is independently audited.
Earlier company materials describe a broader addressable set of buildings including offices and industrial spaces, though the current positioning and product marketing are concentrated on hospitality.
Founding story
Co-founders Saikrishnan (Sai) Ranganathan, CEO, and Max Pagel, CTO, met at the Entrepreneur First startup incubation programme in Singapore and set up SensorFlow with the aim of using data and AI to make buildings more energy-efficient, productive and sustainable. Sai's background is in energy management and smart home automation, including energy monitoring work for schools, data centres, homes, malls and factories. The team reportedly grew to 50 people in the Singapore office within a year, and the founders attribute rapid 2019 growth to establishing product-market fit.
Business model
SensorFlow blends recurring software and analytics subscription fees with IoT hardware, frequently packaged as energy-as-a-service. Hotels can adopt with zero upfront cost and pay out of the energy savings generated. During COVID-19 the company shifted from fixed monthly payments to a floating 'Pay-As-You-Save' model charging a fixed percentage of each month's measured savings, giving clients zero net cost. A free tier exists for the SmartBEA analytics tool.
Recurring subscription/analytics fees plus IoT hardware, commonly sold as energy-as-a-service or a shared-savings arrangement in which the hotel pays a percentage of realised energy savings rather than a capital purchase price.
Traction
About 10,000 hotel rooms signed on across Southeast Asia as of April 2020, after a reported 1,000% increase in installations during 2019; a later profile reports over 26,000 rooms deployed. Cumulative reported impact includes 23,114,322 kWh saved, 11,636 tonnes of CO2 avoided and over 10 million efficient guest nights. Named hotel brands in company and third-party materials include Dorsett Hospitality International, Hyatt, The Ascott Limited, Accor, Hilton and Shangri-La.
Latest developments
Current website marketing covers four product lines - SmartREM, SmartGRD, the free SmartBEA analytics tool and SmartARC whole-room automation over existing wiring - alongside a savings calculator. A third-party profile reports about 26,000 rooms deployed, roughly 45 staff, US$11.6M raised in total, and savings audited by EarthCheck and Aquila.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history, risks & controversies
Market position
Positioned between heavy traditional building management systems, which generally assume new construction or rewiring and were designed for offices, and consumer smart thermostats, which are not built for multi-key properties with housekeeping schedules and brand comfort standards. The company pursues a single-vertical strategy focused on hospitality, competing on speed of deployment, retrofit capability and independently verified outcomes rather than hardware alone.
Wireless retrofit installation in under ten minutes per room with no construction or downtime; an AI layer that automates rather than only reports; savings independently audited by third parties (EarthCheck and Aquila are named); and financing structures that remove upfront capital cost. SmartARC additionally reuses existing wiring for whole-room automation during renovations.
Technology
Wireless IoT sensors and room controllers paired with cloud software and AI. Sensors capture occupancy, guest behaviour and room conditions; the platform automates HVAC setpoints, tracks real-time energy, water and gas consumption at granular level, detects anomalies, triggers predictive/reactive maintenance alerts, and produces dashboards and ESG reporting. Earlier descriptions cite retrofit installation in under five minutes; current materials state under ten minutes.
Go-to-market
Direct sales to hotel operators and chains via demo bookings, savings calculators and a free analytics tool (SmartBEA) used as an entry point, supported by press coverage and third-party audit endorsements. Expansion has been pursued market by market from Southeast Asia, with stated targets of Japan, Australia, Europe and the US, and a planned Q4 2020 US launch focused on New York, Las Vegas, Washington and Los Angeles.
Hotels and hospitality groups, including large chains and resorts, plus co-living operators; earlier materials also cite commercial properties, offices and industrial spaces. Buyer personas span finance (utility cost), sustainability/ESG leads, engineering teams and general managers.
Geography
Headquartered in Singapore (1 Kallang Junction), with deployments concentrated in Southeast Asia and the wider Asia-Pacific, and stated expansion targets in the United States, Japan, Australia and Europe.
History
Sources in this set date the company's establishment to 2016. Following an earlier US$2.7M Series A, SensorFlow announced a US$8.3M Series A+ round in April 2020 co-led by Openspace Ventures and Gaw Capital Partners, with Aurum Investments and private investor Pierre Lorinet participating. At that point about 10,000 hotel rooms across Southeast Asia had been signed on, following a reported 1,000% increase in installations during 2019. The company set goals of 800,000 smart hotel rooms by 2022 and one million smart rooms by 2023, and planned a US launch by Q4 2020. A later third-party profile reports about 26,000 rooms deployed, roughly 45 staff and US$11.6M total funding.
Risks & controversies
Reported savings, kWh and CO2 figures are largely self-reported by the company, though it states third-party audit verification. Expansion and room-count ambitions stated in 2020-2021 (800,000 rooms by 2022; one million rooms by 2023) are far above the roughly 26,000 rooms reported deployed in a later profile. The business is concentrated in hospitality, a sector whose occupancy and capital spending were severely disrupted by COVID-19. Sources also conflict on founding year: internal records list 2017 while public sources state 2016.
Compiled by commissioned research from 8 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Timeline · 3
launches, deals, and filingsSeries A+ round co-led by Openspace Ventures and Gaw Capital Partners, with participation from Aurum Investments and private investor Pierre Lorinet (Trafigura). Funds earmarked for HVAC heating automation development, hiring in hardware and data science, and international expansion.
$8.3M source ↗
SensorFlow moved from fixed monthly payments to charging hotels a fixed percentage of each month's energy savings, giving clients zero net upfront cost during the pandemic.
Company announced plans to launch in the United States by Q4 2020, targeting hotels in New York, Las Vegas, Washington and Los Angeles, alongside stated interest in Japan, Australia and Europe.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
▸Research sources · 8
primary sources listed
- Sensorflowsensorflow.org · web
8 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Sensorflow do?
- Singapore proptech selling wireless retrofit IoT and AI software that automates hotel HVAC and tracks utility consumption.
- Who founded Sensorflow?
- Sensorflow was founded by Sai Ranganathan, Max Nikolaus Pagel in 2017.
- Who are Sensorflow's investors?
- Sensorflow's investors include Entrepreneur First.
- Where is Sensorflow headquartered?
- Sensorflow is headquartered in Singapore, SG.