Data-driven climate risk assessments for builders

San Francisco just dropped another signal flare in the climate tech skyline. Class 3 Technologies, the spin-out from Arup that's redefining how we measure #climaterisk in the #builtworld, has officially stepped out of stealth and into the spotlight with a $3.5M seed round led by Powerhouse Ventures, joined by Sustainable Future Ventures and Tailwind Futures. It's not just another funding headline, it's the story of engineers who refused to keep modeling tomorrow's risks with yesterday's math. Founded in 2023, Class 3 Technologies was built by people who've lived on the frontlines of #structuraluncertainty. CEO Ibbi Almufti, a licensed structural engineer and former head of Arup's Risk & Resilience practice, didn't just theorize about climate risk, he engineered around it. What started as deep R&D inside Arup's global network became Iris, a modeling engine that treats buildings like living systems, not static spreadsheets. It quantifies how #storms, #floods, and #heatwaves hit each component, and it translates those hits into the language execs actually understand: financial losses, downtime, and safety metrics. The Iris platform is what happens when #precisionengineering meets predictive intelligence. Instead of broad-stroke "climate dashboards," Iris drills down to the bolts and beams, delivering engineering-grade accuracy that #CFOs, #developers, and #insurers can actually bet on. The team didn't just want to make #climatedata look good, they wanted to make it useful. Real #resilience means knowing how much risk you carry before the world tests it for you. The investors backing this round know the stakes. Powerhouse Ventures saw the potential for a scalable, engineering-first SaaS in a trillion-dollar adaptation market. Sustainable Future Ventures and Tailwind Futures recognized that resilience isn't a side project, it's infrastructure's next operating system. With support from Arup Ventures and industry leaders like Ilana Judah -., this isn't a startup guessing its way into climate tech. It's a team bringing enterprise-grade modeling to a world that desperately needs clarity before the next storm. Class 3 Technologies is now scaling Iris globally, building out #hazard modules for wildfire, flood, and #seismicrisk, expanding data integration, and hiring #engineering, #datascience, and enterprise #sales talent to match their ambition. They're not chasing hype cycles, they're building the frameworks that will keep cities standing and businesses solvent when climate volatility isn't a headline but a baseline. The next generation of risk modeling won't come from insurance averages. It'll come from Class 3 accuracy. #Startups #StartupFunding #EarlyStage #VentureCapital #SeedRound #ClimateTech #Sustainability #Safety #Data #DataDriven #SaaS #Infrastructure #Technology #Innovation #TechEcosystem #StartupEcosystem #Hiring #TechHiring If software engineering peace of mind is what you crave, Vention is your zen.

𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐚 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐑𝐢𝐬𝐤 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐓𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐬 – Deep Dive Last week, I shared a post on open data tools for climate risk assessment and their role in climate adaptation. Since it sparked some interest, here’s a follow-up: a closer look at some of the best tools out there. 🦍 UN Biodiversity Lab 🦍 Hosts an amazing 269 datasets on biodiversity, from habitat intactness and ecosystem resilience to socio-economic indicators. – Great extra: national biodiversity statistics for 193 countries. – One highlight (which is integrated into many tools): The „GLC_FCS30“ land-cover map with an incredible 30x30m resolution. ⛈️ WESR Climate ⛈️ I like the tool by the UN Environment Programme because it offers a great framework for analyzing climate change variables: “Drivers” and “Pressures” (what drives climate change), “States” (how it alters Earth's systems), “Impacts” (resulting societal risks) and even “Responses” (what do we do to mitigate them). 🏭 Global Infrastructure Risk Model and Resilience Index (GIRI) 🏭 A collection by the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure of an incredible 113 up-to-date and granular datasets on climate risks to buildings and infrastructures. – Great extra: Country-level statistics on average annual losses by climate hazards and infrastructure category. 🏚️ GIS-ImmoRisk 🏚️ Not flashy, but the only tool I know that lets you export building-specific climate risk PDF reports. It even factors in asset details (size, roof shape, windows, …) to assess likely damages by climate hazards. (Covers only Germany.) ❗ Where can you find these and other open climate and nature risk tools? – Click "resources" on the UN Environment Programme's World Environment Situation Room’s website. – Have a look at the MapX tool examples by UNEP/GRID-Geneva. – See the partially free KanataQ tool list. (Thank you, Nawar!) – Check out the tools and resources list of the NOAA. (Thank you, Douglas!) ❗ I’d appreciate hearing your opinion on the tools in this post, which tools you'd recommend, and where to find more. Link to last week's post: https://lnkd.in/dv_GKW83

Smart consultants are using Beehive Climate to deliver SB 261 climate risk assessments in days, not months. Here's what they figured out: Traditional approach: License expensive data. Build custom models. Charge per asset analyzed. Deliver static PDF after 3 months. Compete on offering the lowest price. The Beehive approach: Global risk models ready to go. Unlimited assets. AI-powered reports. Deliver in first client meeting. Focus on strategic advice, not data wrangling. One consulting firm told me last week: "We used to spend 80% of our time building risk models. Now we spend 80% helping clients actually use the insights." That's the shift. Why consultants are choosing Beehive for SB 261: Coverage everywhere: Our models work globally. Your client has operations in Thailand? Covered. Supply chain in Eastern Europe? We map that too. No asset limits: Analyze 10 locations or 10,000. Same price. No awkward conversations about budget overruns. AI that actually helps: Draft reports in minutes. But here's the key — your expertise makes them valuable. We handle the heavy lifting. You add the strategic insight. Built for compliance: SB 261 requires specific disclosures. Our reports map directly to requirements. No guessing what regulators want to see. A midsized consultanting firm using Beehive expects 50 SB 261 engagements this year. Their secret? They're showing live risk data in the pitch meeting. Here's what I'm seeing: The consultants who win in 2025 won't be the ones with the biggest data sets. They'll be the ones who deliver the fastest insights. Because every company with $500M in revenue needs SB 261 compliance by year-end. And they needed it yesterday. If you're a consultant scaling your climate risk practice, let's talk. We've built the infrastructure so you can focus on what you do best — advising clients. Not competing with consultants. Empowering them. DM me if you want to see how we're helping consultants deliver 10x faster. What's stopping you from scaling your climate risk offering?

Navigating 2025 Building Code Changes: Why Property Owners Need RiskFootprint™ The International Code Council (ICC) 2025 building codes and the ASCE 24-24 flood-resistant design standards are ushering in a new era of flood resilience. These updates expand flood hazard areas, adjust elevation requirements, and integrate climate change considerations and dry-floodproofing requirements, particularly for critical and community-serving buildings. For building owners, property managers, and developers, navigating these changes is crucial. Understanding your flood and climate risk isn’t just about compliance—it’s about protecting investments, ensuring long-term resilience, and mitigating future losses. That’s where RiskFootprint™ comes in. RiskFootprint™ is the Gold Standard for Flood & Climate Risk Assessments. RiskFootprint™ provides the most comprehensive hazard and climate risk insights available, helping real estate professionals prepare for evolving standards. Our reports include: ✅ Fathom/Swiss Re flood maps for 500-year and 1,000-year pluvial, fluvial, and coastal flooding ✅ FEMA flood maps for regulatory compliance ✅ NOAA storm surge flood maps, tsunami flood maps, and King Tide flood maps with future sea level rise projections Aligning with ASTM Property Resilience Assessments (E3429-24). Beyond flood assessments, RiskFootprint™ also helps with compliance under the new ASTM International Property Resilience Assessments (E3429-24), which evaluate building vulnerability and values-at-risk using the Hazus model. This provides: 📊 Building-specific resilience insights that help owners reduce financial and operational risks ⚡ Decision-making support for climate adaptation and insurance requirements 🏢 Confidence in compliance with new ICC and ASCE flood design standards Stay Ahead of the Curve With flood resilience standards evolving and climate risks accelerating, investors and developers need tools that offer real, actionable risk intelligence. RiskFootprint™ ensures you’re not just meeting today’s regulations, but future-proofing your assets against tomorrow’s challenges. 🔹 Are your properties prepared for the 2025 flood resilience standards? 🔹 Have you assessed long-term risks beyond regulatory flood zones? 🔹 Is your real estate portfolio aligned with ASTM’s Property Resilience Assessments? It’s time to take proactive steps with RiskFootprint™. Let’s build a safer, more resilient future together! 💬 Let’s connect—drop a comment or message if you’d like to learn more! International Code Council American Society of Civil Engineers ASTM International Urban Land Institute USGBC - LEED Green Associate (GA) and LEED AP #flood #resilience #riskfootprint #propertyresilienceassessment #ESAPhase1 #PropertyConditionAssessment