Kestrix

High-Level Overview

Kestrix is a climate tech startup founded in 2022 that builds AI-powered, non-invasive energy efficiency solutions for buildings, using drones for thermal imaging and machine learning to map and quantify heat loss at city scale.[1][2][3][5] It serves housing providers, utilities, municipalities, and retrofit stakeholders by validating energy performance data, prioritizing homes for retrofits, estimating intervention costs, and verifying decarbonization progress—addressing the challenge of retrofitting millions of inefficient European homes to meet net-zero goals.[1][3][4][5] With $610K raised and selection into Google's AI First accelerator, Kestrix shows strong early momentum in a sector where buildings contribute 20% of Europe's CO2 emissions.[1][3][4]

The platform acts as "Google Maps for heat loss," automating what traditionally requires costly on-site surveys (£275+ per home) into seconds of drone scans and AI analysis, enabling scalable retrofit planning from neighborhoods to portfolios.[2][3][5]

Origin Story

Kestrix was founded in 2022 in Harpenden (now London), UK, by Oxford alumni Lucy Lyons (CEO, background in carbon accounting and ESG reporting) and Matt Goodridge (ex-Google product manager).[1][3][4] The idea emerged from Lyons' expertise in decarbonization, spotting a "climate blind spot" in energy-inefficient buildings—100 million European homes need retrofits for 2050 net-zero targets, but outdated EPC data overstates energy use by up to 300% and surveys are too slow and expensive.[3][5]

Formerly Thermap, early traction came from Innovate UK funding for patent-pending algorithms estimating heat loss without internal temperatures, plus investor backing from Carbon13 and Pi Labs.[1][2][4] A pivotal moment was joining Google's Startups Accelerator: AI First UK cohort in 2025, alongside scaling 3D reconstruction pipelines to remove processing limits.[1][4]

Core Differentiators

• Non-invasive, scalable tech stack: Drones at 30-60m capture thermal/visible images; AI (computer vision/ML) classifies materials by emissivity, detects anomalies, builds 3D heat loss models (kWh/m²/yr), and generates retrofit plans—reducing manual thermography from hours to seconds at city/portfolio scale.[1][2][3][4][5]
• Quantitative insights beyond visuals: Patent-pending RaThPAs (Rapid Thermal Performance Algorithms) validate EPCs, prioritize homes, blend heat data with geometry for per-home intervention pricing, and enable pre/post-retrofit verification for pay-for-performance.[4][5]
• Proven impact and edge: Projects 11Mt CO2e annual reduction by year 12 by doubling retrofit rates (2% to 4% of buildings/year); first-to-market 3D heat models unlock financing and stakeholder buy-in without site visits.[2][5]
• Team and ecosystem: Blends technical (state-of-the-art ML) and operational expertise; backed by accelerators like Google, positioning for rapid expansion.[1][3][4]

Role in the Broader Tech Landscape

Kestrix rides the climate tech wave of AI-driven decarbonization, targeting building heating/cooling (20% of EU CO2) amid net-zero mandates and energy crises—perfect timing as regulations demand retrofit data and aging housing stock (e.g., UK needs 1.8 homes/minute retrofitted).[3][4][5] Market forces like rising energy costs, EPC inaccuracies, and scaler needs (municipalities, housing providers) favor its low-cost automation over manual surveys.[1][5]

It influences the ecosystem by de-risking retrofits—unlocking private finance, accelerating from 2% to 4% annual rates, and spanning heating/cooling geographies—potentially becoming Europe's "thermal twin" for every building, boosting collective progress toward 2050 goals.[2][3]

Quick Take & Future Outlook

Kestrix is primed for breakout growth, with constraint-free scaling in 2026, deeper accelerator integrations, and pilots turning commercial amid EU retrofit urgency.[1][4] Trends like AI agents for climate, drone regs easing, and pay-for-performance financing will propel it; expect partnerships with utilities/governments and Series A to map entire cities.[2][3]

As the "automated energy surveyor from the sky," Kestrix could redefine building efficiency, turning heat loss pixels into net-zero progress at the pace Europe demands.[3][5]