Building Passport Wins 'Most Innovative Startup' at the Housing Innovation Awards

We are proud to share that Building Passport has been named 'Most Innovative Startup' at the Housing Innovation Awards.

This recognition is particularly meaningful because it reflects not only the strength of our technology, but the clarity of the problem we are solving. The industry has been grappling with fragmented records, inconsistent documentation standards and increasing regulatory pressure under the Building Safety Act. Our mission has always been simple. To create a permanent digital home for every building and to bring order to Golden Thread chaos.

Why We Won

As part of the submission process, we were asked to demonstrate not just innovation, but measurable impact. Our application focused on five core areas:

1. Proven market validation

The judges highlighted that “the submission metrics show strong market validation”. Over the past year, adoption has accelerated across owners, operators and advisors who need structured, compliant, instantly accessible building information. This growth reflects a clear industry shift. Building data is no longer a back office issue. It is a board level risk.

2. AI driven compliance, aligned to legislation

A key differentiator in our platform is automated document categorisation aligned directly to Building Safety Act requirements. As one judge noted, “the AI driven autocategorisation aligned with Building Safety Act requirements provides immediate compliance value”.

Rather than storing files in generic folders, Building Passport automatically structures documents against a consistent, compliance ready framework. This transforms unstructured archives into organised, regulator ready records in minutes rather than weeks.

Another judge described the automated categorisation as “very impressive”, adding that the platform is “saving time and real headaches”.

3. Measurable efficiency and ROI

Innovation must deliver results. In our case study submission, clients demonstrated a one third reduction in time spent managing building information and a twenty times return on investment.

As the judging panel stated, “the case study with one third time reduction and 20x ROI provides compelling evidence of impact”.

Across our client base, property professionals typically save up to two hours per person per day by having structured, searchable, live building data. In transactions, we have helped accelerate sales processes by approximately 20 percent by virtue of having a live, secure data room.

4. Secure AI at scale

We also showcased our AI assistant, Guru, which allows users to query thousands of documents securely and receive instant, contextual answers.

The judges commented that “the ‘Guru’ AI assistant for querying thousands of documents while maintaining security shows some thoughtful implementation”. They also noted that; “named clients including Sainsbury’s and Croydon Council demonstrate the submission’s credibility beyond the social housing sector”.

Security is fundamental. Building Passport operates with an ISO27001 aligned backbone, granular access controls and clear audit trails, ensuring that intelligence does not compromise governance.

5. Data permanence, not licence dependence

Perhaps the most distinctive aspect of our model is that data is tied permanently to the building, not to a short term user licence.

One judge described this as “an intriguing shift in how building information is managed”. Another commented, “this is one of the clearest answers to Golden Thread chaos I’ve seen. The automation and permanence are genuinely impressive for a young company”.

Buildings outlive owners, managing agents and software contracts. Information should do the same.

A Collective Achievement

This award reflects the trust and direction provided by clients who have worked closely with us to shape the platform, including Romal Capital, ila, Sainsbury’s and CRM Students. Their willingness to innovate and challenge traditional information management has been instrumental.

Most importantly, it confirms what we have long believed. When building information is permanent, structured and instantly accessible, something powerful happens. Compliance becomes manageable. Transactions accelerate. Risk reduces. Time is given back to professionals who would rather focus on strategy than searching for files.

We are grateful to the judges and to Housing Innovation Awards for recognising the impact of our work. More than anything, this award strengthens our commitment to building the long term digital infrastructure that the built environment now requires.

The work continues...