UK proptech specialist Unifi.id is looking to expand its footprint in Asia, starting with its new regional headquarters in Hong Kong due to open in November.
“For the next one to two years, our focus is clear,” outlines Paul Sheedy, the company’s Founder and CEO.
“We are building out our Hong Kong business and the wider area around Hong Kong, where growth opportunities are vast.”
Unifi.id has developed a suite of building intelligence services that promises to make buildings safer, smarter and greener.
The firm’s sensors, smartcards and AI-driven analytical software are designed to be compatible with existing building management systems, combining real-time insights on occupancy rates with datasets on energy use, fire safety and security.
This modular, subscription-based platform can help rein in energy costs and generate audit-ready ESG reporting data, while improving safety procedures and risk profiles for insurance companies.
“The problem we set out to solve is easy to say, but hard to do: make occupancy and life safety visible, verifiable and useful in the moment,” Mr Sheedy explains.
The company is currently focusing on five sectors, in which its solutions can deliver a sizeable impact: education, high-rise public housing, hospitality, corporate real estate and industrial sites.
Some well-known organisations are already on board in the UK, including Canary Wharf, Chubb, Deloitte and more.
Asian expansion
Now, Mr Sheedy is looking to seize more opportunities in Asia after connecting with the London office of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC).
Through its network, the HKTDC helped Unifi.id become part of the UK Pavilion at this year’s InnoEX, a major platform for smart city innovation and technology commercialisation staged every April in Hong Kong by the Council.
Mr Sheedy made many valuable connections at InnoEX. He also signed a distribution agreement with the International Digital Economies Association (IDEA) to support Unifi.id’s market entry, strategy and business growth in the Philippines.
IDEA, a consortium that aims to drive inclusive growth in emerging digital economies, was launched in Hong Kong in 2024 at the Business of Innovation and Technology Week, a joint initiative driven by the Hong Kong SAR Government and the HKTDC.
To further accelerate Unifi.id’s goals in Asia, the HKTDC also provided targeted introductions to major landlords, system integrators and insurers.
In addition, we supplied guidance on market entry and procurement norms, together with marketing opportunities to potential buyers.
“I have always found the staff at HKTDC to be outstanding in their organisation and focus on enabling growth for companies like ourselves,” Mr Sheedy remarks.
A robust ecosystem
At the same time, Hong Kong is an ideal launchpad to help a proptech company scale up in Asia, he notes.
Hong Kong’s connected ecosystem – strengthened by the close collaboration between owners, integrators, insurers and public bodies – helps shorten the path from pilot to scale.
Meanwhile, energy optimisation and evacuation planning are especially complex in the city’s densely packed high rises, offering good showcases for Unifi.id’s capabilities.
The firm aims to get two to three flagship pilots up and running in Hong Kong. These can show how Unifi.id’s tools can deliver results in complex, multi-tower estates in conjunction with existing systems, while standing up to board and regulatory scrutiny.
Proven deployments from Hong Kong can help accelerate rollout across two of Asia’s most dynamic regions and key target markets for the proptech company: the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and ASEAN trading bloc.
Mr Sheedy is also leveraging Hong Kong’s expertise in innovation and technology via an R&D collaboration with the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation, facilitated by the HKTDC.
This research will focus on two areas: passive energy harvesting to make it cheaper to run Unifi.id’s sensors, removing a major barrier to widescale uptake, and more AI predictive software models, to further empower building owners and managers.
“Customers don’t just want dashboards, they want outcomes. Safer evacuations, lower bills, credible net zero reporting and proof that their risk profile is improving.”