The connectivity and integration provided by Smart Cities is one of the major factors to be taken into account in the proliferation of technology companies focused on systems integration, resource management and energy saving at national and international level.
There are already fully integrated cities in the United States such as New York, Boston and Washington, and in Europe, Berlin and Amsterdam have been the first to invest in this technology. In the near future, it is expected that the rest of the cities of the old continent will take a step forward and begin to bet on this integration.
The connectivity and integration provided by Smart Cities is one of the major factors to be taken into account in the proliferation of technology companies focused on systems integration, resource management and energy saving at national and international level.
There are already fully integrated cities in the United States such as New York, Boston and Washington, and in Europe, Berlin and Amsterdam have been the first to invest in this technology. In the near future, it is expected that the rest of the cities of the old continent will take a step forward and begin to bet on this integration.
UVAX business model
Uvax is a Spanish technology company founded in 1992, with experience in the development of advanced technological solutions in the fields of Smart Cities, Smart Grid and Internet of Things (IoT).
The company offers software for the provision of services to citizens and intelligent control of cities. That is to say, it allows, among other functions, the remote management of light points such as streetlights, their automatic switching on and off, regulation of light intensity, etc., all of this reducing costs, improving the quality of the service offered, optimising electricity expenditure and reducing pollution.
In addition, the provision of an intelligent, real-time system makes it easier to locate damaged or malfunctioning light points, speeding up repairs and thus providing a better service to end consumers.
These services are contracted by municipalities, communication operators, maintenance companies or energy service companies, which can access them remotely thanks to a cloud platform that enables intelligent management in real time and from any location.
UVAX receives an investment of 0.95M€.
Taking into account that the Smart Cities sector is expected to grow at an annualised rate of 18.4% until 2025, according to the market research company GrandViewResearch, UVAX decided to issue a capital increase to accommodate new investors and to be able to grow in size to face the growth of the sector with guarantees.
This growth potential has not gone unnoticed by the Gimeno Group, which has decided to subscribe the entire capital increase launched by UVAX.
On 2 October, the Gimeno Group subscribed €0.19m in the capital increase of UVAX, obtaining 20% of the equity value of €0.95m after the capital increase, a move that allows the group to enter a sector with great potential that is expected to revalue highly in the short term.
International industry figures
The following are the most important investments in the Smart Cities sector in recent years.
| Company | Country | Description | Total amount of investment | Date of the last round |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bowery Farming | United States | Bowery Farming's software system uses vision systems, automation technology and machine learning to monitor plants and all the variables that drive their growth. They control the entire process, from seed to shop, with 95% less water usage. | $51M | 01/01/2018 |
| CropX | Israel | CropX is an analytics company that develops cloud-based software solutions integrated with wireless sensors that increase crop yields and save water and energy. | €10,4M | 01/05/2018 |
| GreenSight | United States | GreenSight develops second-generation commercial drone platform. In golf, the technology can save the industry more than $1 billion a year by reducing water consumption. | $3,7M | 30/10/2017 |