Next Sense secures €11.5M in Series A funding from ABP and ETF Partners to accelerate global expansion and AI impact innovation

This funding will empower Next Sense to accelerate its mission of decarbonizing the built environment by scaling its operations globally and enhancing its Smart Building Platform. The platform integrates real-time monitoring, AI-driven controls, advanced building simulations, and professional services to help clients optimize energy usage, meet ESG standards, and improve occupant experiences. It addresses a critical challenge in real estate: reducing buildings’ 40% share of global CO₂ emissions.

Key Highlights:

• €11.5M Series A Funding Round: Co-led by ABP and ETF Partners, with continued support
from Edge, SHAPE Capital, and Timeless Investments.
• AI-Powered Smart Building Platform: Leverages real-time monitoring and AI-driven controls
to optimize energy usage, enhance sustainability, and improve occupant experiences.
• Global Growth and Impact: With significant energy savings achieved across more than
150 projects for clients including CHANEL, AXA IM, Microsoft, and MERLIN Properties,
Next Sense is driving the decarbonization of the built environment while expanding its
reach across Europe and beyond.

Driving Growth through Innovation
Since the merger of EDGE Next and Sense by PHYSEE earlier this year, Next Sense has experienced exceptional growth – doubling its sales volume and significantly expanding its client base to include over 150 high-profile real estate assets for leading global clients such as CHANEL, AXA IM, Microsoft, and MERLIN Properties. The company’s platform consistently delivers substantial energy savings, reducing total building primary energy consumption by up to 40% per project. These achievements underscore its ability to drive meaningful change in the real estate sector while delivering measurable financial and environmental benefits to its clients.

Decarbonizing Real Estate
Recognized as a B Corporation, Next Sense enables clients to decarbonize their buildings across the entire lifecycle — leveraging simulations during pre-construction and redevelopment phases and optimizing operations through AI-powered monitoring and control solutions. These services are enriched by regular white-glove customer success sessions, ensuring each client meets sustainability regulations like the EU CSRD while achieving the energy goals of the Paris Agreement.

Investor Support
The Series A funding represents a strategic impact investment, aligning with ABP and ETF Partners’ commitment to generating measurable environmental benefits. By advancing Next Sense’s technology, this funding contributes directly to decarbonizing the built environment and achieving global sustainability targets.

Ferdinand Grapperhaus, CEO of Next Sense, expressed his enthusiasm about the funding: “We are incredibly proud to welcome ABP and ETF Partners to the Next Sense family. With their expertise, reach, and commitment to impact, we are even better equipped for further international expansion. Additionally, we are deeply grateful for the renewed trust from our existing shareholders: Edge, SHAPE Capital, and Timeless Investments. Together, we are driving innovation to reduce the footprint of the built environment. It’s a mission full of challenges, and this is the beginning of a breakthrough.”

Lodewijk Meens, senior portfolio manager at ABP Netherlands Energy Transition and Biodiversity Fund: “Next Sense’s smart software brings buildings to life to innovatively control and optimize all systems in a building, creating significant positive environmental impacts. We very much look forward to working with Next Sense to make the built environment more sustainable.”

Tomer Strikovsky, Partner, ETF Partners commented: “The built environment represents one of our biggest challenges in reaching net zero targets. Next Sense’s platform stands out for its proven ability to deliver measurable energy reductions at scale. What impressed us most was not just the technology, but how they’ve made complex building optimization accessible and actionable for property managers. With over 150 successful deployments showing consistent 20 -30% energy savings, they’ve demonstrated that smart building technology can drive both environmental impact and commercial returns. We believe Next Sense will play a crucial role in transforming how buildings operate globally.”

*End of Press Release*

About ETF Partners
Founded in 2005, ETF Partners (The Environmental Technologies Fund) is Europe’s original venture capital firm dedicated to sustainability and impact investing. For nearly twenty years, we have established a leading position in promoting sustainability through innovation. ETF Partners is founded on the conviction that entrepreneurship and innovation are critical in addressing the global challenges presented by the climate crisis. We are committed to fostering and supporting Europe’s ecosystem of pioneering entrepreneurs who are creating the innovative solutions capable of making a profound environmental impact.

We believe in the transformative power of aligning profit with purpose in order to build a more sustainable
future. For additional information about our investment thesis and approach, please visit our website.

About ABP
Stichting Pensioenfonds ABP (ABP) is the industry-wide pension fund for employers and employees of government and educational institutions in the Netherlands. ABP has 3.1 million members and 498 billion euros (as of March 31, 2024) in assets available. In 2019, ABP established the ABP Netherlands Energy Transition and Biodiversity Fund (ANEB) to invest in innovative projects and companies focused on technological solutions for the energy transition. More recently, ANEB expanded its scope to include the transitions in circularity, biodiversity and sustainable food & agriculture. The fund aims to support fast-growing companies and projects that contribute to these transitions, whilst optimizing long-term returns and maximizing impact.

About Edge
Edge puts people and the planet first when developing and redeveloping buildings for global companies. Our buildings are developed with the highest levels of sustainability, using the latest solutions offered by modern technology. With operations in the Netherlands, Germany and the United Kingdom, as well as joint ventures in the United States, Edge is currently developing around €5 billion of new office buildings. Edge continues to learn from the people who work in our buildings, ensuring the most healthy and productive work environments in today’s market.

About SHAPE Capital
SHAPE Capital B.V. is an investment company based in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The company was founded in 2019. One of SHAPE Capital’s key activities is property management and operations through its subsidiary, NEXT Real Estate B.V. NEXT manages a diverse portfolio of retail properties, hospitality spaces, residential units, offices, and public-use buildings. In addition, SHAPE Capital has invested in sustainable energy projects. For example, the company has provided growth capital to the start-up Solarge, which focuses on producing lightweight and circular solar panels. This investment supports the development of a 300-megawatt solar panel factory in the Netherlands, aimed at accelerating the energy transition. The company also invests in innovative software technologies within the staffing industry and cutting-edge isotope techniques for cancer treatment. SHAPE Capital is part of the VORM Group, founded in 1919, which is active in project development and construction. The company’s headquarters are located at Lloydstraat 198 in Rotterdam.

About Timeless Investments
Timeless Investments is a family owned and managed company based in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Timeless is predominately active in direct real estate development and investment through various affiliate companies in Europe and the US. In addition, direct and indirect private equity investment is an important part of the business. Timeless focuses on a generational strategy driven by dedicated entrepreneurship.

About Next Sense
Next Sense is a leading smart building platform provider on a mission to decarbonize commercial real estate and create climate-neutral, Paris-Proof buildings. By integrating data insights, simulations, and AI-powered control, Next Sense enables real estate owners, managers, and investors to optimize building performance in
real time, reducing energy consumption and aligning with ESG and sustainability benchmarks. By combining building physics expertise with cutting-edge technology Next Sense creates a future where buildings, people, and nature thrive in harmony.

For media inquiries, please contact:
Fabienne Cézanne
Head of Marketing & Branding
Next Sense
0615592887
[email protected]
www.next-sense.com