KC’s Site 1001 eyes Raleigh as next smart city, opens innovation office

Following the firm’s $6 million raise earlier this month, Kansas City-based Site 1001 recently announced it selected the city of Raleigh, North Carolina, for a new office and innovation center.

A technology spin out from Kansas City construction giant JE Dunn Construction, the firm said in a release that it plans to work with Raleigh’s city and technology leaders to establish smart city infrastructure, using artificial intelligence.

The number of smart city projects taking place in the Raleigh area is exciting, Site 1001 CEO Cleve Adams said.

“Site 1001 is looking forward to helping Raleigh not only become a smart city, but a model for other smart cities as well,” Adams said in a release. “The region hosts a unique collaboration between private, public, and academic resources that are rapidly making it a leader in the development of the interconnected technologies defining the foundation of smarter, more efficient communities around the globe.”

Site 1001 began about a year ago as a facilities management platform that helped building owners and operators maintain their systems more efficiently.

As the firm grew, Site 1001 has enhanced its platform through machine learning tools that help to recognize building components in existing facilities and automate interactions between building sensors and systems. The technology aims to provide building managers with operational and maintenance information that they need to cut down on energy and water waste.

Derrick Minor, innovation and entrepreneurship manager at the City of Raleigh, believes Site 1001 is a perfect fit for Raleigh, he said.

“Site 1001 is exactly the type of company we want in Raleigh,” Minor said. “Raleigh is becoming an environment rich with high tech, entrepreneurial companies that not only build a cool and futuristic place to live, but create new jobs and improve the local economy.”

The firm has already partnered with such regional academic and business networks as NC RIoT, HQ Raleigh, and the Research Triangle Cleantech Cluster. Site 1001 plans to open its Raleigh innovation center to the public in October.

To boost its engineering, research and sales efforts, Site 1001 recently raised $6 million. The investment round was led by JE Dunn Construction and included participation from other Kansas City firms, including Flyover Capital, Tifec, Ward Ventures and the KC Rise fund, Site 1001 said in a release.

Site 1001 has quickly grown to 30 staffers since its founding in 2016, and features an executive team with decades of experience in technology, engineering, marketing and sales. The company has three offices, with headquarters in Kansas City, a west coast branch in San Clemente, California, and a research and development office in Bend, Oregon.