Nov 20, 2024

BrightAI Raises $15M to Advance Physical AI

BrightAI has raised a $15M Series Seed round to scale its Physical AI platform — a breakthrough in AI-powered infrastructure that helps operators shift from reactive fixes to proactive, autonomous operations. By embedding intelligence into the physical world, BrightAI’s technology is transforming how critical infrastructure is inspected, maintained, and optimized.

A Mission to Modernize Infrastructure

Our mission is to modernize infrastructure management by using multimodal AI to anticipate and prevent failures before they happen. With $15 million in new funding led by Upfront Ventures, we’re unveiling the potential of our Stateful platform — read more on Upfront’s investment in BrightAI.

Today, 50% to 80% of infrastructure operating costs are tied to labor and truck rolls just to assess conditions. Without a clear picture of asset health, operators are often left scrambling to respond to power outages, water main breaks, bridge collapses, gas leaks, and even food contamination. These events can be avoided with access to real-time insights.

That data already exists — and now, Stateful puts it directly in the hands of field teams. Our platform turns fragmented infrastructure data into actionable intelligence that supports faster, smarter decisions.

Meet Stateful: BrightAI’s Physical AI Platform

Purpose-built for industries like water, energy, pest control, and manufacturing, our platform is already at work in the field. We’ve deployed over 250,000 active AI endpoints and 25,000 AI-powered locations — more than Starbucks stores in the U.S. BrightAI reached $80 million in revenue while operating in stealth mode and without raising outside capital. Until now.

Stateful captures exclusive, real-time data that no other system can access. This data powers multimodal AI models that detect issues before they escalate. As a result, teams can make confident dispatch decisions and prevent unnecessary delays. With BrightAI, workers show up equipped with insights equivalent to 30 years of experience on day one. That means fewer failures, lower costs, and stronger infrastructure resilience.

Infographic with four sections: Asset & Site Visibility, Inspection Autonomy, Workforce Wearables & Copilots, and Stateful OS & Software Suite. Each section highlights specific AI-driven capabilities with related monochrome illustrations.

What the BrightAI Physical AI Platform Delivers

The BrightAI Physical AI platform, known as Stateful, includes three core offerings:

1️⃣ Asset & Site Visibility

Imagine having 24/7 monitoring, diagnostics, and automated dispatch at your fingertips. Stateful provides continuous visibility into infrastructure conditions, empowering teams with real-time insights to anticipate and resolve issues before they escalate.

2️⃣ Workforce Wearables & Copilots

With our AI-powered wearable solution, field workers receive real-time guidance and reporting. They’re also supported by a comprehensive knowledge graph. These tools help crews make faster decisions and stay fully informed in the field.

3️⃣ Autonomous Inspection

Using autonomous robotics and drone systems, Stateful automates complex, repetitive, and risky tasks. It increases inspection accuracy and frequency while reducing operational risk.

A New Era of Resilient Infrastructure

For leaders of critical infrastructure, these capabilities unlock the ability to:

Move from reactive to proactive management
Empower field teams with data-driven tools
Scale inspections with greater safety and lower costs

Already deployed across water, power, energy, transportation, pest control, HVAC, and critical home services, BrightAI is transforming how major industries manage and maintain infrastructure. Today, large, traditional businesses can evolve into data-driven operating systems of their own. They now have access to tools that were once reserved for billion-dollar tech companies.

Our technology is leading this shift. It replaces outdated, reactive methods with proactive, AI-powered precision. With this $15M seed round, we’re scaling the BrightAI Physical AI platform to serve new industries, expand into more regions, and support businesses of all sizes.

Together with our partners and investors, we’re building a future where resilient, efficient infrastructure is within reach for everyone.

Nov 12, 2024

How ComfortAI Helps HVAC Companies Like Horizon Cut Costs and Improve Service

Tackling HVAC Maintenance Challenges with AI

ComfortAI was developed by BrightAI in partnership with Horizon Group Holding to address persistent challenges in the HVAC industry: labor shortages, increased competition, and costly reactive repairs.

This AI-powered solution combines advanced multimodal sensors and real-time data collection with secure Edge AI processing. The result is a system that delivers actionable insights and proactive alerts to HVAC companies before breakdowns occur.

Built on BrightAI’s Stateful Platform

ComfortAI runs on BrightAI’s Stateful platform—designed to provide real-time site and asset visibility in the field. At its core is the HVAC AI Foundation Model, which continuously learns from system performance data to detect patterns, predict failures, and surface diagnostics.

The system includes:

A compact hardware module installed on each HVAC unit to serve as the “brains” of the system
A technician app for real-time monitoring, guided onboarding, and smart diagnostics
A homeowner app that provides updates on system health and alerts users to potential issues

Smarter Service, Happier Customers

With 24/7 autonomous monitoring and AI-powered diagnostics, ComfortAI enables HVAC companies to:

Reduce truck rolls and repeat visits
Speed up diagnosis and repairs
Improve technician productivity
Enhance transparency and trust with customers

As a result, companies like Horizon are delivering faster, more reliable service while reducing operational costs and improving customer satisfaction.

Hear From the Horizon Team

Want to see how ComfortAI performs in the field?

Watch this short video to hear directly from the Horizon team about how they’re using ComfortAI to stay ahead, save time, and deliver exceptional service.

Aug 13, 2024

BrightAI Pilots Autonomous Robotics for Water Pipeline Rehabilitation

BrightAI is excited to share the success of our recent demo of the Digital Water Portal for Azuria Water Solutions, held on June 25, 2024. This event, the result of two years of focused development, was a true celebration for both teams. It marks a pivotal milestone in our collaboration and demonstrates the impact of bringing autonomy to critical water infrastructure operations. The Digital Water solution is software-defined and hardware-enabled. It automates data collection, pipe coding, and precise measurement. By leveraging the BrightAI platform, the solution addresses major industry challenges, including workforce constraints, increasing competition, and the demand for greater accuracy and efficiency.

Successful Demo in Chesterfield, MO

Held at Azuria’s headquarters in Chesterfield, MO, the full-day demo simulated a typical water pipeline rehabilitation project. Executives from both BrightAI and Azuria attended the event, which showcased the platform’s capabilities and intuitive interface. Azuria expressed strong enthusiasm about the results and is preparing for field deployments in the coming months.

Key Advantages Highlighted

Full Digital Twin Implementation: Provides easy visualization of scan status, enhancing project oversight.
Improved User Interface: A customizable video review screen enhances usability.
Instant Post Sync Videos: Immediate sync ensures fast and reliable data transfer to Azuria’s proprietary back end.
Regional Data Access: Projects with multiple regions can access data from any location, on any truck, at any time.
High-Speed Robotics: The robot’s speed stays within PACP code requirements (30 feet per second).
Unified Software Package: All data lives in one software package, allowing Azuria to review footage without downloading files.
Report Generation: Direct client reporting streamlines communication and project management.
Precision & Reliability: Seamless robot switchover increases reliability and improves pipe geometry visualization, reducing errors and improving planning.
Enhanced Cutting Technology: Electric cutter and augmented cutting features improve performance, reduce costs, and improve precision when locating and cutting laterals.

Looking Ahead

With this successful pilot demo, BrightAI is positioned to transform wastewater infrastructure rehabilitation. Our AI-powered solutions will increase efficiency, reduce costs, and raise the bar for project quality. We look forward to rolling out these advanced capabilities nationwide—setting a new standard for the industry.

Jul 3, 2024

BrightAI’s Autonomous Pipeline Inspection System Achieves NASSCO PACP Certification

BrightAI is excited to announce that our Autonomous Pipeline Inspection System has achieved NASSCO PACP certification, marking a significant milestone in our digital water initiatives. This certification underscores our commitment to delivering cutting-edge solutions for sewer infrastructure rehabilitation.

Revolutionizing Sewer Infrastructure with AI-Powered Inspection

Our autonomous robotics capabilities, powered by the BrightAI Platform, bring automation to critical water infrastructure operations. By automating data collection, pipe coding, and precise measurements, our AI foundation model enhances operational efficiency and accuracy. Notably, it reduces over 90% of human reviews while achieving higher accuracy in defect recognition.

NASSCO PACP Certification: A Gateway to Nationwide Deployment

The National Association of Sewer Service Companies (NASSCO) Pipeline Assessment Certification Program (PACP) provides a standardized system for consistent coding of sewer pipe inspection footage. Earning this certification validates the robustness and reliability of our technology, allowing us to deploy our software for municipalities nationwide, many of which require NASSCO PACP certification for their projects. Achieving this milestone involved meeting NASSCO’s stringent requirements, ensuring our tools provide validated and accurate data for quality asset management.

Versatility Across Pipeline Industries

Initially developed for wastewater pipelines, our autonomous inspection and rehabilitation system can be adapted for oil, gas, and chemical pipeline inspections, demonstrating its wide applicability. The system features rapid CCTV inspections and instant creation of real-time digital twins of pipelines. This capability eliminates delays in inspection reporting that previously occurred when video files required human review, a process that could take weeks. Now, our platform delivers immediate and dependable data, revolutionizing the inspection process.

With NASSCO PACP certification, BrightAI is set to transform sewer infrastructure rehabilitation. We look forward to deploying our advanced capabilities to municipalities nationwide, setting new industry standards.

Jun 27, 2024

Executive Spotlight: Brett Worthington on Commercialization and Growth at BrightAI

With over 25 years of experience as a strategic business leader and Army Combat Veteran, Brett has honed his ability to work across disciplines and with diverse clients to drive channel and commercialization growth. His career spans large corporations, startups, and mid-sized companies, consistently focusing on technology and its transformative potential.

Now, Brett is preparing BrightAI for its next phase of growth. He believes that BrightAI excels at demonstrating to traditional companies how technology can revolutionize their industries, address global infrastructure challenges, and deliver new value.

Why did you decide to join BrightAI?

BrightAI is truly solving real world problems. Everyone needs drinking water. Infrastructure is aging. You need safer environments. The labor force is aging. How are we inspiring younger generations to come into any industry that doesn’t necessarily have technology? They will be excited to enter into that space because of technology. That’s a pretty cool intersection.

I’ve always been a technologist, even before the buzzwords of AI and the Internet of Things (IoT). My love and passions in my career have been around commercialization, partnerships, and driving scale and growth with revenue and BrightAI was at that phase of maturity and ready for the next chapter.

BrightAI has evolved to address aging infrastructure globally, showcasing how technology can offer operational efficiencies. In many of the verticals we operate in today, such as HVAC systems and pest environments, we focus on understanding the real-time state of machines. Traditionally, these tasks required a human to drive to each site for monitoring. Now, with edge computing, we can monitor, understand, and obtain real-time data and analytics remotely. The ability to detect, predict, and understand problems remotely is transformational for any company.

What are your roles and responsibilities?

My role is building out commercialization with the customer. That can mean scaling a product post-pilot and development, to global expansion. We have a great customer that is now looking to extend the next generation of technology and AI to the 26 countries they operate in today. That’s a massive plan of ongoing commercialization. You have to think about how you execute and deploy the technology at scale and make it repeatable.

It’s pretty exciting. We’re going to start to see that flywheel effect of commercialization and helping our customers. This is new for them, and so we must be patient, but at the same time push them and drive them. We want massive adoption of those products.

I work closely with Nancy Li, our EVP of Strategy & Growth. She’s building our funnel of new customers. I think about what it is we’re trying to build, and what is the ideal transition period when we do a proof of concept. We will execute a pilot with a customer where later in the process I become involved to get to know the customer because we know it’s going to move to a commercialization opportunity and we make sure there is a beautiful transition between that phase of development and proof points to take it to market and deploy it.

What do you enjoy most about the work you are doing?

BrightAI has so many talented people! It’s fun to learn about our customers’ products, how they built them, and about the next iteration. When you bring the right collaboration of people with business and technical acumen to data and science, you’re going to be smarter, and you’re all going to learn along the way.

I’ve always had a fierce appetite to learn. I’m not an engineer by trade, but I enjoy working with engineers because of how much I learn. I also love bringing the insights of the customer into the business so that it doesn’t get lost in the new product development cycle.

I love interfacing with the customers and building long term partnerships. I want to plan and know where we’re going to be in 3 to 5 years together. I view these partnerships as long-term with tremendous growth and enterprise value creation for our customers as well as BrightAI.

How do you make sure that all the verticals get the attention they need from you when you move between them with your skills?

I’ve just always had a natural ability to compartmentalize. We’re all grinding, and especially in my daily world, I’m pivoting to probably 10 to 12 different things per day and need fierce prioritization. You must have ‘think time’, and you have to be highly organized. That probably comes from being in the military for a long time. I’m very structured that way.

I block time for each vertical and understand where they are, and what’s needed, constantly thinking about what’s next and where we’re at. We have a lot of great tools that enable efficiency and productivity. You must carve out time and block out your calendar.

What milestones speak to the success of BrightAI’s collaboration with traditional industries?

With pest control, we’ve moved into trials (tests) with very large customers like Nestlé, Rentokil, and Ecolab, brands that people know. It’s testing environments such as food processing plants, medical equipment, or medical test labs where safety is critical.

In food processing that means trying to produce quality food without any opportunity for pest intrusion such as insects or flies that increase likelihood of bacteria or any type of virus that could impact the health of the manufacturing process. High-level traffic can shut down an operation. We’re seeing some great early results with trials on our Gen I flylight product.

We had a pest control operator who installed one of the digital flylights in a test lab for a customer. They couldn’t believe the number of recorded flies because previous reports were so low. There are so many possibilities for error with manual touch. We’ve applied technology to a product that looks very similar to what they’ve been buying for years but AI and data processing are identifying the count digitally. Then you have a proof point to say, here’s what a traditional flylight does, now look at the digital application. That’s a very powerful case study. Now we have that huge manufacturer saying this type of flylight will be the spec on all their buildings. It’s going to be super exciting.

The results we are getting give us the ability to speak to people at a much higher level with proof points where we can say, “Let us show you the difference.” That’s an absolute no-brainer for any type of customer.

What does BrightAI do in terms of commercialization that is unique, that you’re bringing to customers?

We’re anchored with the right partners that we can scale with and continue to drive new growth over time. To commercialize correctly you have to have those anchor partners, market leaders. Then, you build the tools to commercialize that product and take it to other companies. It’s a lot of work, a lot of development, building a playbook along the way. How does that go to customer two, customer three, customer four, customer five. And more rapidly, it’s not going to be as high touch. But you have to successfully commercialize one first.

As you think about BrightAI in the future, what does that look like?

It’s a larger go-to-market engine, which includes people who are passionate about customers and the success of a product. They’re passionate about taking that customer to the next level. It’s a very exciting journey because that’s where BrightAI starts to think “How do we scale even beyond that?” And building tools that customers can build against that, whether it’s APIs or SDKs, etc. Those are exciting because that’s what makes a company just a huge multiplier of success when you can commercialize using the right tools and with a team that’s passionate about success and putting our customer first.

What are your hobbies outside of work?

I love being off the grid with no phone. I think we have to be more conscious of that in the world that we live in, especially with human connectivity, and what we’ve all been through globally with the pandemic. Technology is incredible but we, as humans, have to strike a balance of interaction and human touch versus just a pure digital environment.

I’m very active. I’m not one to sit around much. I’m very passionate about coaching. I’ve coached my son’s baseball team and all stars and football since he started playing. I love developing young players not just as athletes, but also as human beings. I think it teaches incredible things about teamwork, respect, and diversity. I love the outdoors and mountain biking, running, skiing and hiking with my family.

Feb 4, 2024

Executive Spotlight: Kiran Bharwani Joins BrightAI to Lead Engineering and Product Innovation

After an impressive 25-year track record in autonomous driving, Kiran Bharwani has joined BrightAI as Executive VP of Engineering and Product. He explains why it’s not a giant leap to move to this innovative start-up. BrightAI’s whole ethos excited him at a time when he was ready for a new challenge.

Why did you decide to join BrightAI?

I am inherently driven by a disruptive spirit, a quality ingrained in my very essence, as evidenced by my transformative experiences at Caterpillar, and Rivian. The excitement of collaborating with like-minded individuals, passionate about rewriting the rules, fuels my professional journey. I thrive on reimagining possibilities and tackling challenges from unconventional angles.

The prospect of aligning with an organization committed to consistently pushing boundaries and nurturing disruptive thinking is what excites me. Joining this extraordinary team at BrightAI is a thrilling opportunity. BrightAI stands at the forefront of digitizing the physical world, unleashing unprecedented potential for business growth and societal betterment. My pursuit was not just a job; it was about finding a company with a visionary mission and a profound purpose. BrightAI’s commitment to challenging the norm and driving innovation with enduring impact resonates deeply with my aspirations.

Knowing what you do about BrightAI’s mission to disrupt and innovate, has anything surprised you about the innovation you have found now that you are part of the team?

The remarkable diversity of verticals that the company is actively engaged with. This presents an exciting opportunity to delve into how our technology can create a significant impact across a broad spectrum of domains.

One of the other things that motivates me is the enthusiasm of our customers in their pursuit of innovation and bringing these ground-breaking ideas to the market. Talk to any customer and you can see their excitement: “When can I have this?” Imagine the potential this can bring about in our business!

What else do you enjoy about working for an innovative start-up like BrightAI?

One very exciting thing is the pace we move at. I enjoy the agility to implement ideas quickly, the opportunity to directly shape the company’s direction, and the close-knit community of brilliant minds. Being part of a startup allows for rapid decision-making and experimentation, which is essential in such a rapidly evolving industry.

Do you have a typical working day at BrightAI?

A typical working day for me at BrightAI involves a blend of strategic planning and hands-on involvement. Mornings are usually dedicated to team meetings and strategic discussions, while afternoons often involve diving into the technical details of our projects. I also make it a point to engage with team members to ensure a cohesive and motivated workforce.

What do you think is important as a leader?

As a leader, I value strong communication, adaptability, and a results-driven approach. Effective communication ensures my team understands our goals, fosters transparency, and promotes collaboration. My adaptability helps me respond to changing circumstances and encourages innovation by being open to new ideas.

I balance being ‘hands-on’ and maintaining a high-level overview by setting clear expectations and delegating responsibilities to capable team members. This empowers them to make decisions within their expertise, allowing me to focus on the broader vision. Regular check-ins and feedback loops keep me informed without micromanaging, ensuring alignment with our goals. This approach empowers my team to take ownership of their work and excel.

You’re known for assembling high-performing teams. Have you found there’s a particular type of person who is drawn to a company like BrightAI?

Definitely. While I believe that individuals with diverse backgrounds and skills can thrive at BrightAI, there are certain qualities that tend to draw people to our company. Many are attracted to BrightAI’s commitment to innovation and its mission to disrupt the status quo. Those who value the opportunity to work on cutting-edge technologies and have a passion for driving meaningful change are often particularly drawn to our organization. We also tend to attract individuals who are collaborative, adaptable, and have a strong desire to make a lasting impact in their respective fields.

You have had great success in getting products to market. What do you see as the crucial winning ingredients for managing this successfully?

There are several crucial ingredients. The first one–and most important–is a deep understanding of the target market. What problem are we trying to solve by bringing this product into the market? This knowledge informs the product’s design and features.

Once you have clarity around that, then the next key thing is effective project management. This includes setting clear objectives, timelines, resource allocation, and having the right resources on the project.

You also need to foster a culture of innovation within the team, and continuous feedback from users. Doing that drives product refinement and improvement.

Ultimately, successful products are the result of a combination of market insight, effective execution, and a commitment to ongoing improvements.

BrightAI is a remote-first company. Do you find certain strategies more useful when working remotely with a team?

When working remotely, clear communication, effective time management, and organized schedules are important for both personal and team productivity. Using digital tools for collaboration and maintaining a sense of team spirit through virtual activities and recognition also play a key role. Don’t forget to take breaks, stay active, and unwind after work for your well-being.

I like taking breaks in between meetings or relaxing at the end of the day because sometimes remote work doesn’t have a well-defined start or end of the day. Meetings just come up at any time. Slack messages are there all the time. You need to make sure you take breaks to stay healthy.

What are your favorite ways to relax?

I find relaxation in a variety of activities. One of my favorite ways to unwind is by immersing myself in a good book. I also enjoy taking long walks or hikes, connecting with nature, and letting go of the day’s stresses. Additionally, I find solace in practicing mindfulness through meditation, which helps me maintain a sense of balance. Spending quality time with loved ones, whether it’s through engaging conversations or shared activities, is another cherished way for me to relax. Ultimately, I believe in the importance of finding a blend of activities that cater to both mental and physical well-being.

Where do you see BrightAI in 5 years?

I envision BrightAI becoming a leader in AIoT. We will continue to innovate and disrupt the industry by introducing groundbreaking solutions. Our goal is to expand our reach into new markets and continue to attract the best talent. We see BrightAI at the forefront of making AIoT more efficient but also a ubiquitous reality in various industries. Our commitment to innovation and excellence will drive our success in the coming years.

Dec 18, 2023

BrightAI and Pelsis Launch Next-Gen AI Flylights Revolutionizing Pest Control

BrightAI and Pelsis joined forces in a multi-year partnership to infuse artificial intelligence into Pelsis’s highly successful flylight product lines, beginning with the popular Cobra LED model previewed in October 2023 at PestWorld in Honolulu, Hawaii. This launch represents a giant leap forward for intelligent pest control, especially for pest control operator sustainability and food & pharmaceutical safety. Powered by BrightAI’s infrastructure AI platform, the new AI flylights have advanced multimodal AI models for automated insect counting, size classification, real-time alerts, and audit analytics.

BrightAI, a trailblazing Infrastructure AI platform innovator, launched its strategic partnership with Pelsis, leading global pest control manufacturer and distributor, at the PestWorld conference. This partnership debuts the next-gen flying insect monitoring technology, combining the market leading Cobra LED insect flylight with automated insect counting and size classification insights through Pelsis’s intelligent pest platform powered by BrightAI’s “virtual master tech” platform. The fusion of cutting-edge AI technology and industry expertise promises to redefine the way we approach pest management, emphasizing early detection, real-time monitoring, and a proactive, sustainable strategy towards less chemical usage. Stay tuned as we usher in a new era in intelligent pest control.

A New Era in AI-Powered Pest Control

“Our partnership with Pelsis marks a significant turning point in the world of pest control. Traditionally, insect monitoring is a manual process, demanding valuable time and effort. Technicians climb up ladders and manually inspect from 25-250 flylights at each site, tallying the number of insects and assessing glueboard conditions. However, with routine service visits, often the discoveries come too late, resulting in costly infestations, factory shutdowns and increased chemical usage”, explained Nancy Li, EVP Growth & Strategy at BrightAI. “Pelsis Digital brings AI into the mix, transforming this process, reducing safety risks in the food and pharmaceutical industries, minimizing damage to brand reputation, and empowering pest management professionals to provide a more efficient, data-driven service.”

24/7 Pest Monitoring with Virtual Master Tech

Imagine having a virtual master technician at every food and pharma location, tirelessly working around the clock. The new AI insect flylight does just that. It acts as an ever-vigilant monitor, sending alerts when insect counts hit a customizable threshold. This not only gives customers peace of mind but also allows pest management professionals to intervene early, preventing pest activity from turning into full-blown infestations.

Leading Flylight Product, Upgraded with AI: Equipped with a high-res camera and AI sensors, this flylight provides 24/7 real-time monitoring of flying insect activity. Routine insect counting truck rolls become a thing of the past, as notifications guide technicians to the exact time and place for glue board checks.
Better-than-Human AI Models: The new AI flylights incorporate advanced multimodal AI models with extensive training and testing and proven to perform better-than-human automatic insect counting and size classification, which provides a good signal for potential root causes and remediations. BrightAI’s advanced multimodal AI technology delivers time-sequenced algorithms to increase counting accuracy particularly on crowded glue boards.

Early Infestation Detection & Proactive Service Alerts: The Pelsis Digital mobile app and online portal, included with the monitoring subscription, provide real-time reporting of flying insect activity while delivering insect count and size categorization, UV source replacement analysis, and temperature and humidity monitoring.
Digital Audit Reporting & Analytics: The Pelsis Digital portal provides immediate and accurate data for trend analysis and auditing needs, effectively reducing the amount of paperwork. The data can seamlessly integrate into existing pest management systems through Pelsis Integration APIs.

The Future of Pest Control

Commenting on the new product launch in their recent press release, Alex Ashmore, Pelsis Group CEO, said: “We’re delighted to showcase Pelsis’ commitment to driving new standards in pest management best practice, by launching our market leading digital insect light trap. The benefits of this intelligent product fit squarely within Pelsis’ vision to help move the sector to a more sustainable way of working alongside nature and our environment, while protecting public health.”

About Pelsis

Pelsis’ vision is to develop sustainable and innovative solutions, providing peace of mind and protecting public health, while working in harmony with nature. Their leading commercial and retail brands deliver innovative pest management and garden care products to a global customer base of more than 4,500. Pelsis employs more than 650 people across 14 sites in the UK, mainland Europe, USA and India, and their international team offers customer service, sales, technical and account support in more than 14 languages.
To learn more about Pelsis, visit pelsis.com.

About BrightAI

BrightAI is transforming essential services with Physical AI, enabling proactive, AI-powered operations. Built on our Stateful platform, BrightAI empowers operators of critical infrastructure to collect and connect data in real time, uncovering hidden insights and enabling smarter, faster decision-making. Stateful integrates multimodal data from sensors, wearables, and autonomous systems to deliver predictive diagnostics, automated workflows, and intelligent operational support. Our solutions serve industries such as water, power, gas compression, pest control, HVAC, and manufacturing—helping service providers and asset owners boost efficiency, minimize downtime, and anticipate emerging challenges. By transforming complex data into actionable intelligence, BrightAI is redefining how essential services are delivered and evolved.

Jul 12, 2023

Inside BrightAI’s Minneapolis Micro-Tech Hub: Culture, Innovation, and AI Roots in the Midwest

Minneapolis: A Thriving Center for Innovation and Culture

BrightAI’s roots run deep in the Minneapolis tech hub, a growing center of innovation in the Midwest. While our team is spread across the U.S.—from California to Florida—nearly half of us, including one of our founders, proudly call Minnesota home.

Over the last decade, we’ve built more than a company. We’ve built a micro-IoT hub in a city known for its balance of nature, culture, and cutting-edge engineering.

From SmartThings to BrightAI: A City for Builders

BrightAI was founded in 2019 by leaders from previous startups, including SmartThings. What brought them together? A shared drive to solve big problems with the fusion of AI and IoT, or what we now call AIoT.

It’s a little bit infectious when you have a group of people who really like getting stuff done and working on interesting problems,” says co-founder Doug Burman.

That same spirit has shaped our Minneapolis presence—and continues to attract top talent.

Why Minneapolis Works for Tech Talent

Doug calls it a “micro-tech hub,” and that’s exactly what’s formed within the city. As more engineers joined BrightAI, a local network of cross-disciplinary collaboration took root.

Senior Engineer Barry Andersen agrees.

When I was looking for a new engineering job, there was no other place in the Midwest like Minneapolis. You just can’t find these kinds of opportunities elsewhere.

With its strong university system, diverse industry base, and vibrant startup scene, Minneapolis offers what many larger cities promise—with more livability.

A City That Feeds Innovation

Our lab in Northeast Minneapolis is home to 18 of our 45 team members. Located near Jackson Square Park, the area blends city energy with a neighborhood feel. Walkability, bike paths, and beloved local spots like Young Joni and Dangerous Man Brewing are just part of what keeps the team energized.

Many BrightAI team members commute by bike—even in the snow. Minneapolis regularly ranks as one of the top U.S. cities for bikeability and green space, with 95% of residents living within a 10-minute walk of a park.

This mix of access to nature, arts, and industry makes the Minneapolis tech hub a magnet for creative thinkers and builders alike.

A Unique Culture, A Shared Purpose

BrightAI’s team culture reflects the character of the city. We’re engineers, product designers, technologists—and curious learners. Many of us pick up hobbies like woodworking, gardening, or music in our free time. And we bring that same curiosity to how we solve problems for customers.

We planted the seed with some really good people,” Burman says. “Now we’re attracting elite talent from different backgrounds to do more together.

That culture of learning and collaboration fuels our work in AIoT, where solving tough infrastructure problems takes both technical range and human empathy.

BrightAI in Minneapolis: Small Hub, Big Impact

From summer lake days to winters filled with snowmobiling, skiing, and cozy creativity, Minneapolis offers variety that keeps life interesting. The local arts scene is thriving—from world-class museums to indie theaters and live music venues.

Our Minneapolis tech hub is more than just a location—it’s where ideas come to life. The city continues to shape how we think, build, and collaborate.

Apr 5, 2023

Curiosity & Connection: The BrightAI Team Takes On Tampa

At BrightAI, it’s no secret our people are our best assets, and our teamwork produces truly extraordinary innovations.

However, in-person collaborations have been few and far between for several years due to the coronavirus pandemic.

That’s what makes our recent company-wide outing to Tampa, Florida even more special and meaningful. We are confident that there will be a lasting “Tampa influence” on BrightAI’s future.

More than three dozen team members from across the country traveled to Florida for this incredible, multi-day opportunity to meet and connect with each other face to face, experience the local culture, workshop new ideas and much more.

Day 1: Historic Ybor City & Bowling

While January is typically the coldest month of the year in Tampa, temperatures hovered in the 60s and 70s for most of our trip—which is prime shorts weather for a large group of team members who came from shoveling snow in Minnesota the day before!

After checking into our hotel, we made our way to historic Ybor City—a vibrant Latin district known for its boutiques, vintage shops, Cuban restaurants and, yes, cigars!

We took in our first sightseeing adventure aboard Tampa’s streetcar system from Whiting Station to Centennial Park Station. Then we had a fantastic team feast at Columbia Restaurant—the oldest Spanish restaurant in the United States, in operation for more than 117 years, and largest in the world with a whopping 15 dining rooms!

From empanadas and crab croquettes to an eclectic cocktail selection and flamenco dancing, our meal was delicious and our time here together was nothing short of spectacular.

Afterward, we boarded a private bus and continued our adventure to Pin Chasers in midtown—with 50 lanes, it’s a serious location for bowlers! We shared some unforgettable bonding—and just a little mischief—before calling it a night.

Day 2: Bright Ideas & Escape Rooms

Some of our early birds kicked off our first full day together in the city with breakfast at the hotel before heading to The Tampa Club for some business.

This 42-floor premier private event venue and lounge features breathtaking views of downtown—from City Hall to the Hillsborough River—Tampa Bay, and much more.

We spent the day brainstorming, discussing and goal setting. We couldn’t miss the opportunity for people to win some BrightAI merch—from frisbees to beanies! Bright Bingo got us up and moving around, and the puzzle break was highly competitive. The M&Ms on every table with our co-founders faces on them were definitely a talking point!

Workshops focused on what we are doing across the business, including operational plans and—importantly—thoughts from our customers.

The corporate yearbook was a highlight of the trip. This snapshot of BrightAI history will be incredible to look back on as the company grows. The book highlighted our team’s favorite snacks, sayings and TV shows, plus broke down what we all really do. We featured our families, our pets, spotlighted a few engineers and—of course—there were awards. (Some particularly amusing categories raised a smile!) There is already talk about this becoming an annual Bright tradition.

The offsite event gave everyone the chance to consider the exciting prospects for the year ahead. This is the point at which the foundation work starts to bear fruit, so commercialization featured strongly in discussions—getting things into the field, out ‘to the world’ and sharing what we do is an exciting prospect for 2023.

By the time 5 p.m. rolled around, we were ready to make our way to Tampa Pizza Company for a very casual family-style meal. Pass the pepperoni!

Afterward, we put our team-building to the test at The Great Escape Room Tampa.

With themes such as “poker night at the president’s bunker” and Houdini-esque seances, these rooms gave us a chance to do what we do best at BrightAI: think critically, work efficiently and shine a light on innovation where there otherwise hadn’t been.

It was also the perfect ending to a brief but enriching time together.

Powered by an Unmatched Team

The feedback from our team had one unequivocal conclusion—they want to do it again! More often. And for longer. In particular, with an extra full day to have even more time for functional teams to meet.

Every day, our BrightAI team leads AIoT innovations that revolutionize industries. What made this conference truly special was experiencing this reality alongside other team members, in person.

Our exceptional team fuels every single facet of what we do at BrightAI—helping a wide range of diverse industries revolutionize processes and unlock unimagined potential as never before.

Optimistic, curious, ingenious, passionate and relentless—we imagine new solutions to old problems, uncover dormant efficiencies and create a truly innovative future for our clients, and the world.

BrightAI is a platform powered by experienced minds with unparalleled knowledge of AI and AIoT. To disrupt your industry and unlock unimagined potential, contact us today.

Mar 1, 2023

AIoT for Dummies

While still in its nascent stages, the myriad uses of Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT) technology are vast and constantly evolving—even across industries that have traditionally relied upon manual processes with seemingly few data points to leverage.

With a few simple tweaks, for example, existing coin-operated laundry facilities can be monitored by AI to improve efficiency, and downtime at manufacturing plants can be reimagined with just a few well-placed cameras and sensors.

The possibilities are truly endless.

As ever more data becomes available for industries to interpret and identify improvements, the potential increases for this technology to likewise optimize business processes.

Despite these tremendous opportunities and proven impacts of AIoT technology, however, the term and concept is still somewhat of a buzzword.

To shed more light on its fundamentals, here’s a brief explainer regarding its uses, benefits, and transformative capabilities.

What Is AIoT?

To understand AIoT, let’s first explain IoT—and the connection between the two.

The Internet of Things (IoT) encompasses every device, everywhere connected to the internet and transmitting data to a network. Commercial laundry machines, exercise equipment, HVAC systems, refrigerators, and lights are all encompassed within this—constantly sending signals about their operations via sensors, take-over boards, or laser measuring systems.

However collected, such information isn’t useful to businesses until interpreted.

This is where yet another key concept comes in.

Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT) pertains to the application and utilization of AI technology to attain these critical insights from voluminous, often labor-driven data sets.

If they sound like broad definitions, that’s because they are.

AIoT’s uses are incredibly all-encompassing and transformative when properly leveraged across a wide variety of industries.

The Transformative Potential of AIoT Across Industries

AIoT helps industries streamline efficiencies, optimize processes, and harness unprecedented potential for growth and social good.

For one, AI pipeline monitoring helps technicians maintain and plan infrastructure more accurately based on 3D pipe data. Close loop curing and augmented cutting capabilities are also welcome alternatives to relying on hard-to-hire, highly skilled CCTV cutting operators and manual analog curing processes, respectively. All of these help technicians mitigate poor-quality and high-failure costs for damaging laterals during cutting.

This is just one possible solution of the transformative impact AIoT can have in maximizing efficiencies and profitability across industries.

In fact, global market intelligence provider the International Data Corporation (IDC) forecasts the worldwide AI software market will reach $596 billion in revenue by 2025, and anticipates $437 billion from the IoT market. Of the two billion frontline workers around the globe, 63% are excited about the new jobs technology creates, finds a 2022 Work Trend Index Special Report from Microsoft.

With 30.9 billion IoT-connected devices projected globally by 2025—nearly double the 16.4 billion in 2022—organizations that capitalize on such underutilized data hold the keys to myriad advantages, helping them stand out and become leaders within their industries.

AIoT: Industry-Specific Use Cases

The number of industries that can leverage AIoT technology verges on limitless.

Here are some contextual examples of how AIoT might be effectively applied:

Commercial Laundry

While coin payments and analog machines are standard in laundromats, AIoT technology enables property managers to oversee machines remotely, and even accept digital payments.

Connected machines and vision AI monitoring technology can send notifications to customers’ smartphones when loads are completed, or opt to add more with just a few clicks.

These real-time visibility, diagnostic, and predictive services yield greater efficiencies and revenues in a sector that previously had very little data to leverage.

Pool Manufacturing

Pool measurement, quoting, ordering, and manufacturing are somewhat arduous processes—typically requiring two professionals up to five hours to manually measure pools, and months to receive the manufactured product. With minimal direct consumer relationships and the need to rely on dealers in many cases, they are also extremely error-prone.

Such a need for accuracy and efficiency is the perfect use case for AIoT.

Using a LiDAR-based scanning device with on-demand AI point cloud, it only takes about 10 minutes to generate digital measurements, create a quote, and place an order to manufacturing—with 99% accuracy.

Businesses leveraging this can bypass competitors by additionally creating direct relationships with consumers for renewal, up-sale, and cross-sale.

HVAC Services

In commercial and residential contexts, the HVAC industry offers minimal visibility into machine issues before technicians arrive on site. A largely reactive service, repairs are further constrained during peak season—worsened by the market’s lack of remote recovery options.

With full-spectrum sensor data, HVAC AIoT monitoring devices provide predictive maintenance and high-priority service alerts—facilitating more proactive service planning and work, for two to three times as many customers.

By predicting new unit sales and leads, commercial businesses can stay ahead of trends, and make informed decisions.

Pest Control

The pest control industry is currently highly reliant on operator labor, which requires technicians to manually count the bugs on hundreds of thousands of fly lights for hours every few weeks. The industry is also facing regulation pressure to ban rodenticide, which has been shown to notably disrupt the food chain.

With multimodal pest monitoring utilizing infrared, visual, motion, olfactory, and connected traps, AIoT technology provides early detection alerts, continuous monitoring, reliable connectivity, low false positives, and long battery life.

This full visibility helps enterprise customers predict intrusions and points for prevention, and assists the evolution of the pest control industry to 100% prevention and zero toxins.

Benefits of AIoT

By mapping relationships based on collected data, AIoT enables organizations to automate, optimize, and refine processes to completely transform operations—shining a light on efficiencies too often overlooked by manual processes.

These capabilities empower businesses to optimize operational efficiencies, improve service, drive revenue growth, fuel new product experiences, reduce capital expenditures, and create greater free cash flow.

Let’s revisit some of these advantages within industry-specific use cases:

Mitigates Frontline Workforce Shortage

Advancements in AIoT help fill blue-collar staff deficits and augment the frontline workforce.

Example: For every 1.8 frontline job opening in the United States, there is one frontline worker willing to work. Further, Generation Z employees quit jobs every six months on average. These trends, among others, have yielded a deficit in the frontline workforce across industries—pressuring CEOs to maintain current topline revenue with half the staff. AIoT supplements these blue-collar deficits and augments the frontline workforce of two billion.

Productivity

Automation empowers organizations to reach desired outputs faster, and without the hurdles and errors associated with manual operations.

Example: Autonomous HVAC anomaly detection, lifespan prediction, and new-install identifications enable service professionals to detect issues with heating, ventilation, and air conditioning proactively, rather than calling after it’s already broken. These capabilities help companies to work with two to three times as many customers and stay ahead of industry trends by predicting new unit sales and leads.

Efficiency

Leveraging data patterns to shine a light on where business operations could be improved revolutionizes efficiencies—empowering industries to function in the most optimized way.

Example: While previously requiring two people to manually measure a pool, it takes one person only 10 minutes when utilizing a LiDAR-based autonomous scanner. Staff can also maintain direct digital relationships with end customers, rather than experience the former slow processing and delays.

Sustainability

Automated functioning streamlines once manual processes—only utilizing the energy needed while minimizing chemical and toxin output.

Example: Multimodal pest monitoring and early detection alerts predict pest intrusion and points of prevention, while helping enterprise customers migrate to a 100% preventative, zero-toxin pest control industry.

Profitability

By saving time, energy, and resources, industries can ultimately save in their bottom lines.

For Example: Real-time visibility, diagnostic, and predictive services of AIoT in commercial laundromats enable property managers to oversee machines remotely and accept digital payments to maximize efficiencies and revenues.

Challenges Facing AIoT

Knowing what data to measure can be a challenge for many companies, even if they have the technology and devices in place to do so—which, oftentimes, many do not.

Even when companies have measured data, there still comes the challenge of leveraging this into actionable insights.

In other words, a key challenge is knowing how this well of untapped data can reimagine processes and unlock value.

The solution: Leading platforms such as BrightAI disrupt sectors with transformational insights that help them optimize essential business processes and become leaders within their industries.

BrightAI’s AIoT platform creates transformational value for traditional companies.

By enabling industries to transform their relationship with people and machines, enterprise customers create better products and customer experiences, and sustainably accelerate growth, profit, and value.

Our unique partnering model makes it possible for any company to adopt and fully leverage AIoT, overcoming the challenges of expertise, cost, and complexity.

BrightAI: Disrupting Industries by Unlocking Unimagined Potential

With so much collected data unutilized, there exists an unprecedented opportunity for businesses and industries to leverage AIoT to unlock unimagined potential and disrupt their industries.

Our BrightAI team has created billions of dollars in enterprise value for our customers by illuminating transformative insights that optimize business operations. We are the minds behind Amazon Alexa, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and Samsung SmartThings platforms, among many other revolutionary concepts and technologies.

Leveraging AIoT, our end-to-end turnkey customer solutions generate real-time insights that automate and improve business outcomes, differentiate products and services, optimize operations, and pioneer more sustainable alternatives.

With proven results in months, not years, capitalizing on these transformative insights empowers your organization to optimize processes in unimagined ways, maximize efficiencies, and establish yourself as a forerunner of innovation within your industry.

To disrupt your industry and illuminate unimagined potential with AIoT, contact us today.

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