Hubble: Enabling Australian homes to become carbon neutral
Get ready to be inspired by the passion, dedication, and innovation of Hubble as they work towards making homes more environmentally friendly, comfortable, and sustainable.
Tell us a bit about you and Hubble.
My name is Marco Salinas, and I am the co-founder and CEO of Hubble, a South Australian startup that aims to disrupt the property industry with energy efficiency. With over twenty years of experience in the tech industry and 6+ years in energy efficiency, I have developed a deep understanding of how technology can drive positive change for the environment. My passion for programming started at a young age, and I was deeply interested in artificial intelligence. I won my first award at the age of 21, where I won a national competition for Palm One by implementing an expert system in a handheld device for medical diagnosis.
To further my education, I enrolled in a Master's degree program at Carnegie Mellon University, one of the most prestigious universities for computer science. Before starting Hubble, I gained extensive experience developing software and managing teams locally and in the Philippines, specifically regarding the technical aspects of cloud computing at SUHO, an energy efficiency consultancy company. Before joining SUHO, I was involved in other startups as a software development manager in Australia. With my experience in the industry, I have a proven track record of meeting and exceeding business metrics and managing successful projects.
As an experienced entrepreneur, I deeply understand business requirements and strive to deliver the best products and services to my stakeholders while setting accurate expectations to build trust.
How did you get started?
Certainly! Hubble was born out of my passion for energy efficiency and technology. In 2017, I participated in the national GovHack hackathon. I represented the ACT and won first prize for digital identity and second prize for autonomous everything categories by building a passport using blockchain technology and a chatbot powered by Watson technology to explain the benefits of energy efficiency to homeowners. This win inspired me to pursue my passion for energy efficiency and technology, so I received support from Jim Woolcock and obtained initial funding to conduct market research across Australia to find existing gaps in the market.
After conducting market research and establishing a relationship with LeapSheep, a South Australian enterprise that helps early-stage companies, Jim and I co-founded Hubble. Our goal was to assist all homes in becoming carbon neutral by 2030. At a more granular level, this includes providing data-rich property insights for making homes more environmentally friendly, comfortable, and climate-resilient during the new home build and renovation process. We achieve this through our proprietary Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning algorithms that analyse trillions of different building materials and home design scenarios to provide accurate insights into a home's Energy Efficiency + Comfort, + Sustainability. Using our platform, homeowners, large building product manufacturers and suppliers, building companies and architects, building materials merchants, asset management companies, and governing bodies such as councils and industry organisations can optimise their products and services while reducing their impact on the Earth.
How has Stone & Chalk helped you grow your business?
Stone & Chalk has been instrumental in helping Hubble grow its business. Since starting operations at L14, Stone & Chalk has supported Hubble with growth programs, community networking, processes, and infrastructure. They have provided us with a wealth of resources, including access to mentors, investors, and customers, which has been critical in securing further funding, totalling 1.5 million dollars to date. The programs they offer, such as their incubator and accelerator programs, have helped us hone our business skills and sharpen our focus. At the same time, their community networking events have allowed us to connect with key stakeholders and partners within the building materials supply chain. Stone & Chalk has also provided us with operational support and access to essential infrastructure, such as office space and IT services, which has been critical in helping us scale our business. Overall, Stone & Chalk has played a vital role in helping us achieve our goals, and we are grateful for their continued support.
What are some of your recent accomplishments?
We are proud to have helped build the most energy-efficient home in Australia, a significant milestone for us. We have also been able to engage with local government and assist residents of three councils in South Australia in finding the best solutions to retrofit their homes in a sustainable and financially sensible way. We recently released a Hubble version for Australian Window Solutions, the best double-glazed windows provider in South Australia, and Thermawood, a retrofit company with twenty-two branches across Australia and New Zealand. This was also showcased at the Sydney Build Expo, where we released Hubble for Home Automation for our existing client ABB. We have also worked alongside insulation manufacturers to convey the benefits of our platform, building relationships with a wide range of stakeholders within the building materials supply chain and positively impacting the environment. We are very proud to have won 1st prize at the Proptech Awards for the most innovative startup of 2021. Additionally, we have been selected as a finalist for the "embracing innovation" category in SA at the Telstra Best of Business Awards 2023, which is a fantastic achievement for us and demonstrates that our efforts are being recognised.
Finally, we are thrilled to have expanded our services beyond Australia and are now working with homeowners, builders, and manufacturers in Australia and New Zealand. This expansion has enabled us to make an even more significant impact on the environment and raise awareness about the benefits of energy efficiency. We remain committed to making homes more environmentally friendly, comfortable, and climate-resilient during the new home build and renovation process.
What's next for Hubble?
Great question! At Hubble, we constantly seek to innovate and expand our offerings to serve our clients and the environment better. Moving forward, we plan to continue building relationships with key stakeholders in the building materials supply chain, expanding our services to other regions, and introducing new features to our platform to further streamline the home building and renovation process.
We are confident that with our strong team and cutting-edge technology, we can continue to positively impact the environment and help our clients achieve their sustainability goals.
Where can people learn more about Hubble and get in contact with you?
You can visit our website to learn more about our platform and services. For any inquiries, you can reach out at hello@hubble.sh. You can also connect with us on LinkedIn.
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