Smart Buildings Academy
Smart Buildings Academy is a private, Arizona-based online training company founded in 2017 that delivers vendor-agnostic building automation education to controls contractors, facilities professionals, building owners, and sector-specific verticals via a Moodle LMS and a 550-episode podcast.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersRochester, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Smart Buildings Academy does
Smart Buildings Academy (SBA) is a private, Arizona-domiciled online training company founded in 2017 by Phil Zito that delivers vendor-agnostic building automation (BAS) education to controls contractors, facilities professionals, and building owners, with additional vertical coverage in healthcare, higher education, and K-12. The company has trained 13,000+ students across 2,000+ companies since founding and self-describes as one of the fastest-growing BAS training providers in the world.
The core product is a Moodle-based learning management system at learn.smartbuildingsacademy.com offering an always-on catalog of minicourses (BAS Fundamentals, HVAC 101, IT Fundamentals, BAS Installer, BAS Operator), a BAS Bootcamp, a Manager's Workshop, a Soft Skills for BAS Techs program, an 11-week Workforce Development Program for entry-level technicians, and online skills assessments. Content is hosted in-house and structured around vendor-agnostic principles, core skill execution, and profitable execution. The Smart Buildings Academy Podcast (formerly Building Automation Monthly Podcast), with 550+ episodes, functions as the primary community-building and top-of-funnel content channel.
SBA operates a hybrid go-to-market combining a product-led self-serve channel for individual learners, a community-led podcast funnel, and a sales-led enterprise motion for corporate training accounts. Revenue is generated primarily through B2B corporate training programs and individual course subscriptions, with a freemium podcast supporting demand generation. Named enterprise customers include Trane, Johnson Controls, Schneider Electric, Honeywell, CBRE ESI, Climatec, Hoffman Building Technologies, and Sunbelt Controls. The company is founder-owned (Phil Zito as CEO, Rachel Zito as Chief Talent Officer), operates as a remote-first organization, has no disclosed outside funding, and has not published pricing, revenue, or headcount data.
Smart Buildings Academy firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Smart Buildings Academy
- Legal name
- Smart Buildings Academy
- Website
- https://smartbuildingsacademy.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Smart Buildings Academy is a private, Arizona-based online training company founded in 2017 that delivers vendor-agnostic building automation education to controls contractors, facilities professionals, building owners, and sector-specific verticals via a Moodle LMS and a 550-episode podcast.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Smart Buildings Academy industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Building Automation Training
- NAICS
- Professional and Management Development Training (61143), Computer Training (611420)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Corporate Learning & Training Content Development (EDAGAKAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Digital Learning Content Development (eLearning, Labs, Simulations) (BPAEANAD)
Keywords
Where Smart Buildings Academy is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Rochester
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Smart Buildings Academy business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations
Revenue model
- Corporate Training Programs: B2B training programs sold to companies for workforce development of their BAS professionals. Companies pay for their employees to receive structured training, workforce development programs, and skills assessments.
- Individual Online Course Access: Self-serve online courses and mini-courses available to individual professionals. Courses include BAS Fundamentals, HVAC 101, IT Fundamentals, BAS Installer, BAS Operator, and Manager's Workshop programs.
- Podcast Content: Free podcast content providing technical education and industry insights. Serves as both community engagement and top-of-funnel for course enrollment.
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Smart Buildings Academy product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Smart Buildings Academy provides vendor-agnostic online training and skill assessment solutions for the building automation industry. The company sells structured courses, minicourses, bootcamps, workshops, and an 11-week Workforce Development Program covering BAS, HVAC, IT, and electrical domains. Delivery is through a Moodle-based learning management system with both self-serve individual enrollment and corporate workforce development programs.
Product overview
Smart Buildings Academy operates as a vendor-agnostic online training platform offering comprehensive building automation education. The portfolio consists of multiple course formats including minicourses (BAS Fundamentals, HVAC 101, IT Fundamentals, BAS Installer, BAS Operator), the BAS Bootcamp, Manager's Workshop, and a Workforce Development Program designed to train entry-level technicians in 11 weeks. The company also produces the Smart Buildings Academy Podcast (formerly Building Automation Monthly Podcast), which delivers weekly educational content on technical, management, and career topics. Training is delivered through an online, always-on format with assessments and is accessible via their learning management system. The platform serves diverse markets including Higher Education, Healthcare, K-12, and Contractors, with corporate training solutions available for organizations seeking team skill development.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Training Course Catalog
Companies that use Smart Buildings Academy
Customer profileNamed customers11 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Smart Buildings Academy technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Smart Buildings Academy partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Smart Buildings Academy competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Association of Energy Engineers (AEE): Certification body offering energy management and BAS-related credentials — overlapping professional-development/training positioning for the same buyer persona.
- Skillwell (formerly Breadwinner): Vocational/skilled-trades training platform — adjacent business model and customer base (employers upskilling technicians) with overlap in workforce-development positioning.
- Pluralsight: Online technology skills training platform with some IT/networking content overlap (relevant to SBA's IT Fundamentals curriculum) and a comparable self-serve subscription model.
- HVAC.com / Cengage HVAC Training: HVAC vocational training provider — partial overlap on the HVAC 101 curriculum SBA sells and serves a similar technician-student persona.
Direct peers
- BACnet Institute: Provides BACnet protocol and BAS-focused technical training and certification, directly overlapping SBA's protocol/IT fundamentals curriculum.
- LonMark International: Industry organization offering LonWorks/BAS training and certification programs — overlapping the building automation and controls curriculum SBA sells.
- Tridium University: Tridium's training arm for the Niagara framework — the most direct competitor in vendor-aligned BAS software training, and also a customer of SBA given Trane's overlapping ownership.
Others
- AutomatedBuildings.com: Long-running smart buildings industry resource and editorial site — comparable as a content/knowledge hub for the same BAS professional audience SBA targets.
- CABA - Continental Automated Buildings Association: Industry consortium producing research and educational programs for intelligent buildings — an adjacent ecosystem player reaching the same BAS decision-makers.
Broad incumbents
- Belimo Academy: OEM training for HVAC actuators and controls — broader incumbent with overlapping BAS content but anchored to one manufacturer's product line.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Smart Buildings Academy social profiles
Digital presenceSmart Buildings Academy financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Smart Buildings Academy leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Smart Buildings Academy funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Smart Buildings Academy 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 Smart Buildings Academy
What does Smart Buildings Academy do?
Smart Buildings Academy provides vendor-agnostic online training and skill assessment solutions for the building automation industry. The company sells structured courses, minicourses, bootcamps, workshops, and an 11-week Workforce Development Program covering BAS, HVAC, IT, and electrical domains. Delivery is through a Moodle-based learning management system with both self-serve individual enrollment and corporate workforce development programs.
Is Smart Buildings Academy a public or private company?
Smart Buildings Academy is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Smart Buildings Academy founded?
Smart Buildings Academy was founded in 2017. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Smart Buildings Academy based?
Smart Buildings Academy is headquartered in Rochester, United States, in the North America region.
How does Smart Buildings Academy make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Corporate Training Programs are the primary driver. The others are individual Online Course Access and podcast Content.
Who are Smart Buildings Academy's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Association of Energy Engineers (AEE), Skillwell (formerly Breadwinner), Pluralsight and HVAC.com / Cengage HVAC Training. Direct peers are BACnet Institute, LonMark International and Tridium University. Others are AutomatedBuildings.com and CABA - Continental Automated Buildings Association. Belimo Academy is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Smart Buildings Academy have an API?
No public API is recorded for Smart Buildings Academy.
What industry is Smart Buildings Academy in?
Smart Buildings Academy's product category is Building Automation Training. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAGAKAC, Corporate Learning & Training Content Development, with a secondary code of BPAEANAD, Digital Learning Content Development (eLearning, Labs, Simulations). Its NAICS code is 61143 and its SIC code is 8200.