How Touchless Technology and Partnering is Future-Proofing the Built Environment

By Allegion Ventures President Rob Martens

When looking at recent trends in technology, it's clear that things were already moving towards hands-free. The rise in smart-home devices and voice-activated tech was trickling over into offices and commercial applications well before the beginning of 2020. As we look at the rapidly changing nature of the workplace moving forward, technology will continue to play a vital role in helping businesses and commercial property owners adapt. Touchless technology is changing the office landscape for the better, creating healthier workplace environments and making them more accessible.

As a strategic investor, Allegion Ventures sees its role is to open doors and build bridges for its investment portfolio companies. Allegion regularly works on proof of concepts and pilots. Recently, the corporate venture fund held a CEO Summit with Openpath, as well as Robin, VergeSense and HqO to talk about growth, partnering and common opportunities. Touchless technology is a prime example of where we see future opportunities to integrate and make a difference in a post-COVID world.

Touching less in the wake of the pandemic

While hands-free smart tech was a nice-to-have amenity going into last year, the pandemic accelerated the need for touchless technology. Companies that were already developing or implementing these features were ahead of the curve. Now, contactless office environments are becoming more and more necessary for people to feel confident that their workplaces are safe and healthy.