In Provence, Ubigreen offers a way to save square footage and kWh

A location focused on business growth

Ubigreen, a company committed to reducing the energy footprint of buildings and optimizing office use, set up in southeastern France in September 2021 with the support of Provence Promotion. Originally from Île-de-France and Occitanie, the firm employs around 50 people. Its goal is to convince the owners and operators of Provencal tertiary sector buildings to attain 10% to 30% energy savings.

Between the widespread adoption of teleworking and the requirement created by the Elan Act to begin reporting the energy consumption of each building from 2022, office owners are facing major upheavals in their business.

Ubigreen, a software publisher dedicated to the world of eco-responsible buildings, is perfectly positioned on these two markets to provide these property owners with the best possible support. “Our business is optimizing works paces, offices, meeting rooms and so on. Our platform is connected to sensors to closely analyze site occupancy data. Based on this information, we suggest avenues for optimizing and reorganizing the employees' time on site to better distribute the staff. This drill-down approach is made possible by the management tool provided on our mobile app 'MyWorkSpace'", explains Julien Meriaudeau, chairman and co-founder of Ubigreen along with Pierre-Olivier Bessol.

From the company's inception in 2012, the two partners have also developed an energy performance management offer to identify, then reduce the energy consumption of buildings, via a platform connected to a building's energy and other utility networks. "We recommend corrective actions to our customers," notes Julien Meriaudeau. Its target market: facility managers, developers (Icade, Eiffage Construction, BNP Paribas, Societe Generale, Groupe BPCE), the healthcare sector (Ramsay) and local authorities. 

Growth in France and abroad

According to France's National Association of General Service Directors (ARSEG), the annual cost to a company of one workstation is €11,000. Therefore, it is essential to optimize its use! “Our solution guarantees rapid profitability and saves money,” says Julien Meriaudeau. Ubigreen, which has 150 clients, saw its total sales rise 35% in 2021. A quarter of its business is carried out abroad where the company supports major development projects, in Asia in particular.

On the domestic market, its arrival in the Aix-Marseille-Provence metropolis in 2021 should allow it to pursue its ambitions. With the support of Provence Promotion, the SME wishes to anchor its sales unit in the area. Based at the Les Paluds industrial park in Aubagne, Ubigreen already employs six employees and plans to hire three more staff members in the first half of 2022.

"Here, we benefit from the sun, great accessibility to Paris and Toulouse by train and a robust array of international flights", the head of Ubigreen notes. "Since our arrival, Provence Promotion has been proactive and has offered us new partnership possibilities that enable us to establish ourselves and continue growing our company under the best conditions."

In light of the new regulatory provisions that are taking effect, the firm may enter a new decisive stage in its growth as early as next year. Investors are in the starting blocks to join the SME.

Ubigreen received the "Invest in Provence" label in recognition of its investment in the Aix-Marseille-Provence metropolis.