Real estate decision-intelligence platform Lookthrough and AI data platform BuildingMinds are joining forces to build what the companies call the leading AI platform for institutional real estate, according to a joint announcement on GlobeNewswire published Aug. 24, 2026. The combined company will serve institutional investors, governments and global technology companies with what the firms describe as one of the world’s largest institutional real estate datasets, covering more than 100,000 buildings across 64 countries on six continents.
Zurich-based Lookthrough focuses on decision-intelligence tools that help investors act on property data, while Berlin-based BuildingMinds has built its business around cleaning, structuring and reporting on real estate ESG and operational data. “BuildingMinds has solved the industry’s data problem. Together, we’re solving its decision problem,” said Marcel Staub, CEO and founder of Lookthrough. “By combining trusted ESG and operational data with AI-powered decision intelligence, we’re giving institutional investors the ability to decide where to invest next β faster and with greater confidence.”
A Profitable Combination in a Market Full of Cash-Burning Startups
BuildingMinds CEO Marek Sacha emphasized that the combined business is already profitable β a distinction he framed as increasingly important to institutional buyers evaluating long-term technology partners. “Together, we cover more than 100,000 buildings in a profitable company. That is rare in this market, and it matters to fund and asset managers choosing a long-term technology partner,” Sacha said. “Joining forces with Lookthrough allows us to move beyond reporting and to become the platform clients rely on to make better investment decisions every day.”
The deal is the latest in a wave of consolidation among real estate technology vendors racing to combine proprietary data with AI-driven analysis tools. RealtyWire has separately covered FirstTeam Real Estate’s adoption of an AI operating platform from Purlin and other proptech consolidation moves, as vendors on both the residential and institutional sides of the industry bet that owning both the underlying data and the AI layer built on top of it is more defensible than either piece alone.
BuildingMinds was spun out of Swiss elevator and escalator manufacturer Schindler, which built the platform internally before establishing it as a standalone company focused on real estate ESG and operational data management. The transaction announced Aug. 24 is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2026, subject to customary closing conditions; terms of the deal were not disclosed in the companies’ joint statement.
What It Means
For U.S. institutional investors, lenders and asset managers who increasingly rely on third-party platforms to track portfolio performance and ESG compliance across global holdings, the combination signals further consolidation among the small number of vendors capable of operating at true global scale. Fewer independent, well-capitalized data platforms serving cross-border institutional portfolios means fewer choices β but potentially more capable tools β for the largest funds operating in U.S. and international markets alike.
