Poppy
Poppy Health is a private building science company that measures and optimizes ventilation in commercial real estate using patented aerosol tracer testing and continuous zone-level outdoor-air monitoring. It serves enterprise property owners and operators with outcome-based performance contracts, and runs a federal ARPA-H program to detect airborne pathogens in U.S. schools.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersWinter Park, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Poppy does
Poppy Health, Inc. is a private, venture-backed building science company founded in 2019 by Sam Molyneux and Elizabeth Caley, the original team behind the early AI company Meta (acquired by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative in 2017). The company measures and optimizes outdoor-air ventilation in commercial real estate using its proprietary Real-Time Air Tracing methodology — an on-site aerosol tracer test that releases food-grade saltwater particles via nebulizer and measures their decay rate per zone to compute Equivalent Clean Airflow (ECAi) per ASHRAE Standard 241 Normative Appendix C. Poppy is a primary author of that standard and is led by ASHRAE 62.1 and 241 committee chairs. The newer Direct Ventilation Monitoring (DVM) product adds continuous zone-level outdoor-air intake measurement using outdoor-versus-indoor atmospheric gas concentration cycle differencing, with hourly updates and no BMS or Wi-Fi dependency. Together, the technology stack is supported by 18+ patents and a proprietary dataset of 15,000+ measured locations across 50M+ square feet in 5+ countries.
The company sells a continuous retro-commissioning service branded Poppy Certify (a five-step Select-Assess-Report-Optimize-Maintain cycle) to enterprise commercial building owners and operators, alongside the DVM continuous monitoring module and a customer dashboard. Go-to-market is direct enterprise field sales (free on-site assessment, no-obligation savings report, multi-year performance contract) supplemented by a channel program with global property operators (JLL, Cushman & Wakefield, CBRE, BGIS, Colliers, Oxford Properties, Spinoso) and engineering, commissioning, and controls partners. Revenue is primarily outcome-based: Poppy shares in verified utility-bill savings (typically 10-30% HVAC bill reduction, verified to IPMVP Option B) with no upfront cost, complemented by an annual subscription re-testing layer. A second business line — Poppy for Health, anchored on the up-to-$39M ARPA-H BREATHE SCALE federal contract — deploys real-time genetic biosensors for airborne pathogen and allergen detection across 60 U.S. schools with a target 25% reduction in respiratory illness. The company operates through U.S., Canadian, and Qatari (MENA) entities, and was recognized as the #5 Most Innovative Company in the World by Fast Company in 2026.
Poppy firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Poppy
- Legal name
- Poppy Health, Inc.
- Website
- https://poppy.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Poppy Health is a private building science company that measures and optimizes ventilation in commercial real estate using patented aerosol tracer testing and continuous zone-level outdoor-air monitoring. It serves enterprise property owners and operators with outcome-based performance contracts, and runs a federal ARPA-H program to detect airborne pathogens in U.S. schools.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Poppy industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Building Ventilation Optimization Services
- SIC
- Air-Cond & Warm Air Heatg Equip & Comm & Indl Refrig Equip (3585)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Airborne Chemical Exposure Monitoring (VOCs, Solvents, Gases) (EUAHAGAA)
Keywords
Where Poppy is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Winter Park
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices4 records
Markets served
Poppy business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Performance-based ventilation optimization contract (shared savings): No upfront cost to qualifying buildings. Poppy tunes outdoor-air rates, schedules and filtration using its aerosol-tracer measurement, then earns a portion of the verified utility-bill savings the customer realizes — typically 10-30% HVAC bill reduction. Savings are verified per IPMVP Option B (weather-normalized baseline vs. actual); customers owe nothing if savings aren't delivered.
- Ongoing retro-commissioning & re-verification subscription: Recurring annual re-testing at 6, 12 months and every year after, with continuous dashboard monitoring of CO2e reduction, energy savings, and building performance. Drift alerts and free re-adjustments if system changes (retrofit, tenant change, etc.).
- Federal contract — ARPA-H BREATHE SCALE (up to $39M): Government contract awarded by ARPA-H to develop real-time indoor air hazard detection system targeting schools across four climate zones. Program-level ARPA-H BREATHE funding up to $156 million across multiple awardees.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Outcome Based/ Performance | Multi-year contract | Performance contract — shared verified savings (no upfront cost) |
Go-to-market motion4 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels7 records
Poppy product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Poppy measures actual clean-air delivery per zone in commercial buildings using proprietary aerosol tracer testing and Direct Ventilation Monitoring (DVM) per ASHRAE Standard 241, then tunes outdoor-air damper setpoints to cut HVAC energy waste by 10–30% on a performance-based, shared-savings contract with no upfront cost to building owners. Through the ARPA-H BREATHE SCALE program, Poppy also deploys a real-time indoor air hazard detection system (genetic biosensors) for U.S. schools, targeting a 25% reduction in respiratory illness.
Product overview
Poppy offers a single integrated product platform for healthy-sustainable building ventilation optimization, anchored on its patented Real-Time Air Tracing measurement technology. The platform combines the Poppy Certify continuous retro-commissioning service (a five-step process: Select, Assess, Report, Optimize, Maintain), the newly introduced Direct Ventilation Monitoring (DVM) technology for zone-level continuous outdoor-air measurement, the Poppy Dashboard (web portal for building performance and verified savings tracking), and the Poppy Testing App used by field engineers. These sit alongside named program offerings and verticals: Poppy for Health / BREATHE SCALE (ARPA-H-funded pathogen detection for schools), Poppy for Partners (operator, engineering, sustainability, and analytics integrations), and Poppy for MENA (Middle East regional delivery). Standards alignment with ASHRAE 62.1, ASHRAE 241, WELL, LEED v5, WiredScore, Fitwel, and IPMVP Option B is built into product measurement, reporting, and verification workflows.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Poppy for Health: Occupant-health-oriented offering for schools and buildings focused on airborne risk, aligned with ARPA-H BREATHE SCALE and ASHRAE 241.
- Poppy for Partners
- Poppy for MENA
- Direct Ventilation Monitoring (DVM)
- Poppy Certify
Products and services
- Poppy Certify Five-step continuous retro-commissioning service (Select, Assess, Report, Optimize, Maintain) using on-site aerosol tracer testing against ASHRAE Standard 241. Targets Class A/B offices, retail/malls, arenas/venues, and university campuses of 100,000+ sq ft with shared-savings pricing.
- Direct Ventilation Monitoring (DVM) Continuous zone-level outdoor-air intake measurement technology that compares outdoor and indoor atmospheric tracer concentration cycles to compute CFM and CFM/SF per zone against ASHRAE 62.1 Table 6-1 targets, with cellular uplink and no BMS dependency.
- ARPA-H BREATHE SCALE Indoor Air Hazard Detection System Federal-program offering for K-12 schools that integrates genetic biosensors and IoT air-quality monitoring to detect airborne allergens, bacteria, viruses, mold and bioaerosols in real time, connected to automated building responses. Targets a 25% reduction in respiratory illness over the 5-year project.
- 241 Toolkit (with CerroZone) Joint product offering combining Poppy's measurement with CerroZone's mitigation technology to help commercial buildings meet ASHRAE Standard 241-2023 clean-air requirements.
- IAQ Test Kit and Training Program (with Ainsworth) Portable IAQ test kit with training and accreditation program for building owners and HVAC teams, rolled out across Canada in partnership with Ainsworth.
Quantifiable outcome
- 10-30% HVAC bill reduction with no upfront cost
- +6 more outcomes
Companies that use Poppy
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Poppy technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability5 records
Feature6 records
Poppy partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
18 partnerships are on record, tiered major, flagship, mid-tier and minor.
- Penn State UniversitymajorPenn State University highlighted its $2.3M role in Poppy's ARPA-H SCALE project, developing amplification-free genetic biosensors to detect airborne pathogens across 40 schools nationwide.
- DraperflagshipDraper joined the SCALE team working on Poppy's ARPA-H BREATHE-funded project to develop a real-time indoor air quality monitoring system for schools. Draper contributes microfluidic pathogen isolation and lysis expertise to the first real-time building-integrated system to detect indoor air hazards.
- University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) — Dr. Josh SantarpiamajorUNMC's Josh Santarpia joined Poppy's ARPA-H-funded SCALE effort as a lead investigator, contributing smart-building bioaerosol detection expertise to reduce airborne disease transmission in U.S. schools.
- Primary.HealthflagshipPrimary.Health supports Poppy Health, Inc. on the ARPA-H BREATHE-SCALE 5-year project to deploy pathogen-detecting sensors across 60 U.S. schools, with the goal of reducing respiratory illness by 25%. Primary.Health provides diagnostic testing, health management software, and data analytics; Poppy provides pathogen-detecting sensors. Builds on prior school air-quality pilots in California schools (2022 pilot across four schools) and Head Start centers in Oakland (2023 pilot, 13 centers).
- AttunemajorAttune supports Poppy Health in the ARPA-H BREATHE program (up to $39M contract) by providing IoT sensor-based air quality and energy monitoring technology in U.S. schools. Attune's monitoring devices integrate with Poppy Health's genetically-based sensor technology to develop next-generation indoor air quality standards and improve occupant health.
- CerroZonemid-tierCerroZone and Poppy forged an alliance and launched their first joint offering — a toolkit that combines Poppy's aerosol tracer measurement with CerroZone's mitigation technology to help buildings meet ASHRAE Standard 241-2023. Announced via Business Wire/P Calgary Herald syndication.
- Ainsworthmid-tierPoppy partnered with Ainsworth to roll out its IAQ test kit and training/accreditation program for building owners and HVAC teams across Canada.
- JLLflagshipJLL is a global property management operator and named Poppy customer/partner logo. Poppy works alongside JLL and similar operators to bring verified ventilation optimization to managed portfolios. Listed as a current operator partner on the Partners page.
- CBREflagshipGlobal property operator and current Poppy partner. Poppy supports CBRE-managed portfolios with measurable energy performance and verified ventilation outcomes.
- ColliersmajorProperty operator and named Poppy partner logo. Poppy's partner channel serves Colliers-managed buildings with verified ventilation outcomes.
- BGISmajorGlobal integrated real estate services firm and named Poppy partner logo on both poppy.com homepage and Partners page. Poppy delivers verified ventilation optimization alongside BGIS facility operations.
- Cushman & WakefieldflagshipGlobal property management operator and named Poppy partner logo. Poppy works alongside Cushman & Wakefield to bring verified ventilation optimization to managed commercial portfolios.
- Spinoso Real Estate Groupmid-tierReal estate operator named as a customer/partner logo on Poppy's homepage. Poppy delivers verified ventilation optimization alongside Spinoso-managed properties.
- Oxford PropertiesmajorGlobal real estate investor/operator named as a customer/partner logo on Poppy's homepage. Poppy delivers verified ventilation optimization across Oxford Properties' managed commercial portfolio.
- BreatheEasyTOminorBreatheEasyTO program measured the indoor air safety of 100+ public spaces in Toronto using technology tied to Poppy. Poppy supported COVID-19 detection coverage in Toronto.
- Empire CommunitiesminorEmpire Communities became the first residential builder in North America to achieve ASHRAE 241 clean-air requirements, with Poppy referenced in coverage of the achievement.
- SafeTracesmid-tierSafeTraces is identified alongside Poppy as one of multiple teams building different airborne-pathogen detection technologies as part of ARPA-H's BREATHE program ($150M federal program). Both companies are working on sensors/software to detect airborne pathogens in buildings.
- ARPA-H (BREATHE program)flagshipARPA-H's BREATHE program is a $150M federal initiative (program-wide funding up to $156M) creating 'an immune system for every building.' Poppy is a named BREATHE awardee via its SCALE project ($39M contract). Real-world testing planned in hospitals and day care centers in California, Michigan, North Carolina, and Walter Reed National Military Medical Center by 2028.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights7 records
Poppy competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Carbon Lighthouse: Carbon Lighthouse delivers building energy and carbon optimization with a no-upfront-cost, outcome-based model similar to Poppy Certify, targeting commercial real estate portfolios with measured and verified savings.
- BuildingIQ: BuildingIQ is a cloud-based HVAC optimization platform for commercial buildings that continuously tunes outdoor-air and equipment setpoints to reduce energy use, overlapping directly with Poppy's ventilation optimization proposition.
- BrainBox AI: BrainBox AI applies AI to HVAC control in commercial buildings, automatically optimizing setpoints to cut energy costs — a software-only competitor to Poppy's measurement-and-tuning service.
- 75F: 75F provides smart HVAC controls and zoning solutions for commercial buildings, addressing outdoor-air and comfort optimization that overlaps with Poppy Certify's scope.
Emerging players
- Enverid: Enverid sells indoor air quality hardware and clean-air technology for commercial buildings, addressing over-ventilation from the equipment-mitigation side rather than the measurement-and-tuning side Poppy occupies.
- Kaiterra: Kaiterra provides indoor air quality monitoring sensors and enterprise dashboards, adjacent to Poppy's DVM continuous monitoring product but without the aerosol tracer testing service.
- SafeTraces: SafeTraces is a fellow ARPA-H BREATHE awardee developing airborne-pathogen detection technology for indoor spaces, directly competing with Poppy's SCALE pathogen detection offering for schools and buildings.
Broad incumbents
- Trane Technologies: Trane Technologies is a global HVAC OEM with a broad commercial building services portfolio that could embed ventilation measurement and optimization capabilities that overlap with Poppy's offer.
- Carrier Global: Carrier is a global HVAC manufacturer and building services provider whose installed controls base could be extended with competing ventilation-measurement and optimization features.
- Johnson Controls: Johnson Controls provides building management systems and HVAC services for large commercial portfolios, with capabilities adjacent to Poppy's continuous retro-commissioning and ventilation tuning service.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Poppy social profiles
Digital presencePoppy compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance10 records
Poppy financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Poppy leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Poppy subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
Poppy funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Poppy M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Poppy
What does Poppy do?
Poppy measures actual clean-air delivery per zone in commercial buildings using proprietary aerosol tracer testing and Direct Ventilation Monitoring (DVM) per ASHRAE Standard 241, then tunes outdoor-air damper setpoints to cut HVAC energy waste by 10–30% on a performance-based, shared-savings contract with no upfront cost to building owners. Through the ARPA-H BREATHE SCALE program, Poppy also deploys a real-time indoor air hazard detection system (genetic biosensors) for U.S. schools, targeting a 25% reduction in respiratory illness.
Is Poppy a public or private company?
Poppy is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Poppy founded?
Poppy was founded in 2019. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Poppy based?
Poppy is headquartered in Winter Park, United States, in the North America region.
How does Poppy make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Performance-based ventilation optimization contract (shared savings) is the primary driver. The others are ongoing retro-commissioning & re-verification subscription and federal contract — ARPA-H BREATHE SCALE (up to $39M).
Who are Poppy's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Carbon Lighthouse, BuildingIQ, BrainBox AI and 75F. Emerging players are Enverid, Kaiterra and SafeTraces. Broad incumbents are Trane Technologies, Carrier Global and Johnson Controls.
Does Poppy have an API?
No public API is recorded for Poppy.
What industry is Poppy in?
Poppy's product category is Building Ventilation Optimization Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUAHAGAA, Airborne Chemical Exposure Monitoring (VOCs, Solvents, Gases). Its SIC code is 3585.