BIMData CEO and Co-Founder Stanislas Limouzi talks about his startup, BIM (Building Information Modeling), and the increased importance of digitization in real estate.
Could you give us a general overview of BIMData and its features? How does it work?
Basically, we provide BIM infrastructure for innovative projects. With BIMData, you can visualize, check, edit and share building information anytime, online.
Moreover, the API (Application Programming Interface) we promote in the market provides clients with great flexibility and many adaptable features.
So BIMData is an open and comprehensive platform with several services (BIM checker, BIM viewer, BIM platform and Information manager).
What’s the story behind it ? Why did you launch it?
We started in 2005 as a spin-off of Copromatic, a property management software. We wanted to tackle all tech aspects of software and we decided to share this work with other companies. Indeed, the API can be used by any software, which is very convenient.
So the underlying idea is to integrate BIM into existing environments.
What is your unique selling point, compared to other companies?
We are the only company providing such a product (the API). We have a very technical product which is very easy to integrate.
It is an added value for companies that often can’t do it, or don’t have the time / money to do so.
BIMData is a company that aims to teach and facilitate digitalization. You help customers in all its practical aspects. In this respect, in your opinion, what are the aspects to which people have the most difficulty adapting?
Well, with BIMData, we are offering a solution to one of the pain points people have in this business. Developing software with BIM technology is expensive and difficult. With BIMData, we can help companies innovate quickly. Often they don’t have the time or money to do it: this way, they make money, it’s easier, and we provide them with our expertise. Afterwards, they can adapt it, redo it, according to their needs: it’s flexible and with the API quite easy.
You recently worked with Socotec, Foncia and Untec. What can you tell us about these partnerships? Could you give us an overview of the work you have done with them ?
At BIMData, we essentially have 2 types of clients :
- Our main source of clients is software companies (doing property management, etc.).
- Then, we also work with larger companies, like Socotec. We help them build a new product that the team can easily use.
For example, with Socotec, we have redeveloped their internal software for control inspection within the building (control of accessibility for disabled people, fire safety system and acoustic regulations). We redid it from scratch. It now incorporates many new features (blockchain, augmented reality,…).
Then, Untec wanted a specific development in order to quantify according to their needs; we therefore automated the quantification of the BIM component. Thus we created a method to identify, sort and classify quickly and a new property set quantities.
As for Foncia, it is one of the largest European Proptech companies. They have many plans in many sectors. And they wanted to develop their BIM structure, so we helped them integrate it. It’s providing data to tenants and they can now easily manage jointly owned property with BIM and IoT. Practically, we started with a large building in Paris. Now we have expanded to various other places.
And finally, what are your medium and long-term plans?
As you know, BIMData is based in Lyon, and I myself am in Barcelona. But in the coming years, we want to develop in other markets in Europe: in Belgium, the Netherlands, the Nordic countries, Germany …
Our plan for the next few years is therefore to really focus on European expansion. We want to integrate BIM into these markets and grow from there.
Liuba Diederich