Ampotech Co-Founders William Temple (L) and Zhou Ziling
(This article was first published on February 27, 2023)
William Temple and Zhou Ziling researched wireless sensor networks, energy management, and industrial cybersecurity at Singapore’s Advanced Digital Sciences Center from 2012 to 2013.
They both had a commercial mindset and saw an opportunity to leverage their experience with emerging digital technologies to be an early mover in Asia’s smart building market, valued at US$20 billion in 2021 and projected to reach US$91 billion by 2031.
That was the beginning of Ampotech in 2014.
The company was started by Temple (CEO) and Ziling (CTO) as a spin-off of A*STAR and the University of Illinois research institute.
Temple has a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Tufts University and a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Cornell University. His business partner Ziling has a Master’s in Electrical Engineering from the National University of Singapore (NUS) and a Bachelor’s degree from Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU). He was pursuing a PhD in Computer Science at NUS before joining Ampotech.
Based in Singapore, Ampotech uses the Internet of Things (IoT) and edge computing technology to help energy, operations, and facilities managers improve the performance of their buildings.
Also Read: Building energy management startup Ampotech raises US$1.3M led by Earth VC
Its proprietary device AmpoHub becomes the brain of an electrical panel, logging usage data and detecting anomalies for specific equipment like air conditioners and motors. The data are transmitted securely to AmpoCloud over a WiFi network, where they can be analysed, downloaded, or shared via API.
From solar inverters to HVAC, refrigeration and lighting systems, the AmpoHub and AmpoCloud can deliver real-time insight that is easy to integrate with third-party software like enterprise IoT data platforms or cloud-based building management systems.
“We help businesses collect, analyse, and integrate building and machine electricity usage data for sustainability reporting, benchmarking automation, and facilities management,” Temple explained.
From a customer perspective, the startup helps smart building solution vendors reduce project delivery time and cost with its wireless devices and edge computing.
For building owners, Ampotech breaks down data siloes to integrate their building or process energy consumption with carbon accounting software, facility management software, or other software tools and platforms they may be using.
“We have a full technology stack approach — from electronics design and firmware development to the cloud platform and AI applications for equipment identification and state detection. This helps us deliver better data quality and security than off-the-shelf systems while providing a single point of contact for support,” Temple claims.
Ampotech follows a B2B model, typically selling to energy services or energy solution companies, such as solar developers, utility companies, or system integrators that implement building management systems or industrial IoT projects.
It also sells to industrial companies that are owners/operators. “Our products can be applied in any building, so we have worked with office buildings, shopping malls, factories, and residential developments.”
AmpoCloud
The firm has three revenue streams: selling connected devices, SaaS, and engineering services related to solution delivery.
“Globally, the built environment is responsible for around 37 per cent of carbon emissions. If you look only at the operation of buildings for things like air conditioning, lighting and plug loads, the figure is around 27 per cent. So this is a sizeable global problem, and our products can be applied worldwide,” Temple says.
The startup focuses on Southeast Asia, an underserved market with high growth potential.
Excluding the customers of its distributors and resellers, Ampotech works with over 60 organisations, including MNCs — all in Asia.
The startup plans to open an office in Vietnam, its first location outside its Singapore headquarters. It will also look to expand into Indonesia, where its existing investor Prasetia Dwidharma is based.
“Now that we have established ourselves in Singapore, our challenge is international growth. We will tap into the network of customers and partners we have established in Singapore and market our business more actively abroad,” Temple shares.
Early this month, the energy management company secured S$1.78 (US$1.3) million in pre-Series A funding led by Earth VC, with participation from KSL Maritime Ventures, the VC arm of The Kuok Maritime Group, and Silicon Solution Ventures and SEEDS Capital.
Ampotech plans to raise a larger Series A round in H2 this year. “We are looking for investors that can bring us into new markets or, in the case of a corporate VC, bring an existing customer base or complementary solution capabilities,” Temple says.
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