Real estate decision intelligence platform Lookthrough announced an agreement to acquire Schindler-owned real estate portfolio ESG data and reporting platform BuildingMinds, in a transaction described by the companies as aimed at creating an AI platform for institutional real estate, combining ESG and operational data serving institutional investors, governments and global technology companies.
Launched in 2018 by elevator and escalator manufacturer Schindler, BuildingMinds was initially founded to meet the company’s need for building data monitoring and management, and expanded to become an international provider of software as a service (SaaS) for real estate managers, targeting areas of reporting and ESG, portfolio management and digital building twins. BuildingMinds’ solutions automate ESG data collection, decarbonization planning and compliance reporting for frameworks including GRESB, SFDR and the EU Taxonomy.
Zurich-based Lookthrough, founded in 2017, offers a real estate decision intelligence platform for investors, managers, building consultants and public sector property owners, enabling enables forensic, preventive and predictive data insights, and with a mission, as described on its website “to accelerate CO2 reduction in the real estate sector.”
Following the transaction, Schindler will become the largest institutional shareholder of Lookthrough.
Marcel Staub, CEO and Founder of Lookthrough, said:
“BuildingMinds has solved the industry’ s data problem. Together, we’re solving its decision problem. By combining trusted ESG and operational data with AI-powered decision intelligence, we’re giving institutional investors the ability to decide where to invest next — faster and with greater confidence.”
According to the companies, the transaction comes as investors increasingly look beyond ESG reporting as a compliance exercise to understand how sustainability performance affects asset values and investment returns. The companies said that the combination will bring together the two complementary businesses into a single profitable AI software company serving institutional investors, governments and global technology companies, while strengthening the combined company’s position for further international growth.
Together, the companies cover more than 100,000 buildings across 64 countries on six continents and hold one of the world’s largest institutional real estate datasets, the companies added.
Under the agreement, BuildingMinds will retain its brand, Berlin base and client-facing teams, while contracts, service commitments and platform operations will continue unchanged. The company will also maintain EU hosting and its ISO 27001 and SOC 2 certifications.
Marek Sacha, CEO of BuildingMinds, said:
“Joining forces with Lookthrough allows us to move beyond reporting and to become the platform clients rely on to make better investment decisions every day.”
The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2026, subject to customary closing conditions.
