Today we met with Roee Reshef, GreenVibe’s Co-Founder & CEO and Oran Weisz, GreenVibe’s Co-Founder & CPO
The Climate Journey:
Roee is an entrepreneur with a strong background in technology. Having worked in several global companies related to software and 3D printing, Roee has developed a deep understanding of technological innovation and its potential to revolutionize traditional industries. His interest in improving outdated processes and methods led him to explore the construction industry. Roee's firsthand experience building two houses gave him insights into the inefficiencies and illogical practices that prevail in the construction sector. Motivated by the opportunity to introduce modernization and innovation, Roee sees enormous potential in revolutionizing the construction industry.
Oran, an electrical engineer with a passion for entrepreneurship, founded GreenVibe based on an innovative technology developed for security purposes at Elbit. He recognized the potential of this technology in the construction industry and decided to found a company that would bring a new wave of "green" solutions to the sector. Oran's love for nature and commitment to environmental sustainability influenced GreenVibe's mission to reduce the need for excessive cement and concrete while creating economic value as well as reducing GHG emissions.
Roee Reshef, Oran Weisz
The Startup:
GreenVibe, a startup established in 2020, specializes in designing cutting-edge sensors for concrete. As the world's population continues to grow and construction projects become more frequent, the demand for concrete also rises. However, construction materials are costly and construction schedules are often tight. To address this, GreenVibe has created an innovative sensor with intellectual property protection that can continuously and accurately monitor the concrete curing process in real-time. This allows for optimization of concrete formulations for manufacturers and helps constructors reduce delivery time by closely monitoring the curing process. GreenVibe's comprehensive system includes sensing units, hardware, communication equipment, and a user interface application.
We asked Roee and Oran a series of questions:
Q: What’s the story behind Greenvibe?
Roee: Cement and concrete are responsible for 8% of global carbon emissions, and when considering indirect factors such as transportation, the impact is even greater. GreenVibe was created due to a need for the construction industry and a focus on improving processes and reducing costs. The lack of data in the construction industry leads to excessive use of cement, which has negative environmental consequences. GreenVibe's technology can help reduce material usage by up to 30%, which is significant for the environment. In the long term, the lack of data will have catastrophic effects on the environment, but with GreenVibe's technology, it is possible to reduce global emissions by around 2%.
Oran: GreenVibe's technology was originally developed for security purposes within Elbit, but was then adapted for the concrete industry to address the inefficient practice of concrete tests. GreenVibe's solution involves placing sensors in the concrete casting, which monitor the hardening process of the concrete and transmit the data to the user in real-time, providing a more accurate and continuous representation of the concrete's condition. In the future, GreenVibe plans to expand their technology to monitor building conditions for many years and provide predictive maintenance. This type of monitoring could have prevented disasters such as the poor condition of buildings constructed between World War I and II in the US.
GreenVibe's Sensors
Q: Can you tell me about the difficulties you have had so far?
Roee: There are difficulties of making the right decisions on both the technological and business sides of GreenVibe. Our competitors have already launched products that do not bring the value the market needs, whereas GreenVibe is holding back and only becoming commercial now because we are staying true to the industry’s needs.
Oran: We see that investors find it difficult to grasp our product's potential for profits and income because our profits are long term, especially as a hardware company, but we see this as a competitive advantage since not many companies are active in the field for those reasons and those who are choose the easy way which doesn’t address the real issue here.
Q: What stage are you at now?
Oran: GreenVibe has been receiving positive feedback and interest from customers due to the clear need for their technology in the construction industry. However, as with any startup, there are challenges to overcome, especially given the complexity of their technology which requires expertise in multiple disciplines. Despite this, GreenVibe is confident in their mission and is seeing success in their pilots and customer feedback.
Q: Where will you be 10 years from now?
Roee: Someone told us that "Concrete is a jungle and you are making it science" and that’s pretty much our goal. within the next decade, the concrete testing market will likely disappear in many parts of the world as the industry shifts from being approximate to being precise. This shift is akin to turning construction into a science, which will allow for more accurate monitoring and maintenance of buildings, both in their early stages and even after a hundred years. This transformation will revolutionize the industry, transforming concrete from a jungle to a science, and enabling buildings to communicate with us and be treated accordingly.
Oran: GreenVibe aims to become the center of the world of concrete by providing a comprehensive solution that covers the entire value chain. We plan to address issues such as material fatigue, damage from natural disasters, and structural effects. Our vision is to create a holistic solution that spans from the concrete manufacturer to the building planner, providing a customized recommendation system for the contractor and concrete supplier during both the initial planning phase and after the building has been delivered.
We are currently working on a large project where the manager requested an explanation on how much load the building is expected to experience for the next building so they can optimize processes. The goal is to increase security factors at each link in the value chain, which will ultimately reduce economic and environmental damage. In the event of an earthquake or security incident, knowledge of building conditions will enable prioritization of responses and actions.
Q: What are the motivations of your customers?
Oran: Optimizing the existing situation and finding alternatives to the existing methods. The motivation is always the economic one, but we see more and more customers looking at the environmental aspect.
Q: What makes your team a super team?
Roee: What makes our team amazing is our shared understanding of GreenVibe’s goals and ambitions, that keeps us focused and efficient. We are also motivated by our mission to create a positive impact, which adds value beyond the typical goals of a company. This shared purpose and sense of social responsibility makes the work more fulfilling and engaging for the team.
The Super Team
Q: If you have one tip to give to climate tech entrepreneurs, what would it be?
Roee: As James Carville put it: “It’s the economy, stupid", when building a startup, you have to think about the economic aspect and you have to make a profit for your investors, it’s not enough to do something that’s good for the world.