Preoptima Ltd

Problem Addressed
Achieving Net Zero targets requires the built environment to reduce both operational and embodied carbon in new builds and retrofits. However, the construction industry and local planning authorities face significant challenges in managing whole life carbon (WLC), including a lack of streamlined tools for assessing and enforcing carbon compliance. In the private sector, designing low-carbon projects needs to be intuitively integrated into the earliest design stages, while public sector planning authorities require robust tools to evaluate the carbon impact of project proposals and ensure compliance with evolving carbon policies.
Preoptima addresses these challenges through a suite of software solutions designed to enable both industry and local authorities to meet whole life carbon management goals efficiently.
Overview Of Start-up
Preoptima is a science-driven software provider focused on mitigating the WLC impact of the built environment. Using a strong academic foundation, Preoptima offers innovative solutions that address the critical need for both industry and local authorities to measure and manage embodied carbon of buildings effectively. The company’s two products, CONCEPT and PACER, work in synergy to support both the private and public sectors in their journey toward Net Zero.
CONCEPT enables building stakeholders, including architects, developers, and consultants, to accurately assess, model, and compare design options with a focus on reducing embodied carbon from the earliest design stages. The Planning Application Carbon Evaluation and Reduction (PACER) platform, developed in collaboration with Westminster City Council, empowers local planning authorities by automating the review of whole life carbon assessments in planning applications, ensuring alignment with carbon reduction policies.
Looking ahead, Preoptima’s tools will be integrated to create the first end-to-end solution for WLC compliance – providing seamless collaboration between design and policy, and offering comprehensive support for all stakeholders involved in reducing the carbon impact of the built environment.
What Makes The Start-up Innovative
Preoptima’s innovation is built on a strong foundation of academic research and industry expertise. With over 25 years of combined research experience, Preoptima’s founders have authored academic literature in the sector as well as played a key role in shaping international frameworks and national policies for whole life carbon management. This expertise has enabled the development of patented AI and generative design algorithms that underpin Preoptima’s software, driving smarter and more effective carbon assessments and reviews.
In addition to its technical advancements, Preoptima is uniquely positioned to serve a market that has been largely overlooked: the public sector. By creating PACER, the first platform designed to automate carbon compliance reviews for local planning authorities, Preoptima addresses a critical gap, ensuring that both design and policy work together to meet carbon reduction goals. This dual focus on industry and public sector needs sets Preoptima apart, offering holistic, scalable solutions for whole life carbon management.
How The Start-up Has Been Designed To Scale Up Quickly
Preoptima’s solutions are designed for scalability, leveraging cloud-based software that can be easily deployed across various organisations and regions. Its subscription-based model for CONCEPT ensures predictable, recurring revenue, while PACER’s initial rollout with Westminster City Council sets the stage for adoption by other local authorities. As regulatory requirements for WLC continue to evolve, Preoptima’s adaptable platform is poised to scale to meet the needs of both industry organisations and government authorities. The company’s partnerships with forward-thinking councils and a strong industry-ready toolset ensure that Preoptima is well-positioned for rapid growth in both sectors.
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