Facilities Management is in a state of disrepair…
The facilities management industry is rife with operational inefficiencies and a widening skills gap which is resulting in an increasingly slow and more costly repair process.
Inefficiencies exist throughout the chain, from inaccuracies when reporting issues, to unclear work orders that lack the necessary context and guidance for technicians to efficiently resolve the issue. The result is an efficient system where fixing an issue involves multiple visits from technicians, resulting in repairs taking months to resolve, rather than days.
At the same time, the industry is struggling with a severe shortage of skilled technicians, as many experienced professionals retire and too few qualified workers enter the field. With an estimated 90,000 engineers and technicians retiring by 2026, there is a 60,000 shortfall of engineering graduates and technicians to fill the gap. This skills gap forces facilities management companies to send less-experienced workers to handle complex jobs, increasing the risk of misdiagnosis, repeat visits, and prolonged downtime.
Together, these issues lead to an inefficient system where repairs are taking months to resolve, rather than days. For facilities managers, these inefficiencies result in higher costs, operational delays, and growing dissatisfaction from building operators and service providers.
Fixo AI: Harnessing AI to upskill technicians and resolve issues quicker
Fixo is building an AI-powered platform to streamline the entire reporting and repair process, significantly improving efficiency for facilities management teams and effectively upskilling technicians.
For the end-user, Fixo’s solution uses AI to enhance work order creation, asking context-based follow-up questions to ensure that problem descriptions are accurate, actionable, and useful for technicians before they arrive on-site. For technicians, the Fixo app provides them with step-by-step diagnostic and repair guidance, giving them clarity on what tools are required, and exactly what the steps are to resolve the issue effectively.
By removing guesswork and reducing the need for multiple site visits, the platform dramatically improves first-time fix rates, minimizes downtime, and optimizes technician productivity. Instead of repairs taking weeks or even months due to miscommunication and inefficiencies, Fixo enables facilities management teams to resolve issues in days, making repairs up to 80% faster and helping companies deliver better service while reducing operational costs.
Experienced Founders in Proptech and AI solutions:
Between Vladimir, Sergey and Tom, the Fixo team combines expertise of building AI-driven solutions with the technical knowledge and commercial acumen to transform the facilities management industry.
Vladimir Pushmin, CEO: Vlad is an experienced AI entrepreneur with a track record in building commercial real estate technology. He was previously co-founder and CPO of a startup using AI to automate HVAC operations, helping building operators reduce energy consumption by up to 30%. During his time Vlad helped secure $17M in funding and contracts with Emaar, Hilton, and DHL, onboarding over 35 million sq. ft. of commercial real estate.
Sergey Nasonov, CTO: Sergey is a seasoned technologist with over 12 years of experience in AI, Big Data, and cloud infrastructure. He has built enterprise-grade software for companies such as Intel, BMW, and Scout24, developing award-winning AI and Machine learning solutions. Well experienced in improving operational efficiency, Sergey previously managed nine Heads of IT and over €1 million in operational savings as interim CIO. His technical expertise ensures that Fixo’s AI technology is robust, scalable, and commercially viable.
Tom Petrides, CCO: Tom brings a decade of experience in real estate and commercial deal-making, including Wates; a leading UL construction, development and property management company. With an MSc in Commercial Real Estate, he has led major land acquisitions, developing housing, workspaces, and renewable energy projects across the UK. Tom has negotiated property deals with a potential value of over £1 billion, building a strong network within the industry which has proved key to Fixo’s early traction. His expertise in business development and strategic partnerships help drive Fixo’s commercial growth.
Investment Thesis:
Working with the Fixo AI team has been a truly rewarding experience.
Vlad, Tom and Sergey form an incredibly strong complementary team with deep experience and network within the industry. They are obsessed with solving the inefficiencies that exist in the facilities management industry, and have demonstrated this obsession from the earliest days of the Residency. Since the beginning, the team has demonstrated a very strong bias for execution, with Vlad and Tom’s existing networks allowing them to get on the ground quickly, spending time with technicians and speaking to hundreds of facilities management companies and industry leaders to validate their solution. This tendency towards action was replicated on the product side, with Sergey building an MVP to get into the hands of users quickly to start testing and iterating.
As a previous founder in the space, Vlad has a deep understanding of the significant issues facing the facilities management industry, and how new technologies can help combat these challenges. With an estimated 40% of the existing workers expected to permanently exit the workforce by 2026, the industry in the UK represents a large market which is increasingly stretched and in desperate need of innovative solutions.
Since Antler’s investment, the team has continued to make compelling progress. Having shadowed technicians for over 300 hours, the team has established pilots with 6 companies, giving them access to 635 technicians and buildings such as Strand Palace, Nobu Hotel, and The Royal Exchange. These 6 pilots represent a potential £1.5M ARR, with other pilots currently in the works. Antler is proud to be Fixo’s day zero supporter, and we are extremely excited to see the impact they will continue to have on the facilities management industry.
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