In today’s volatile environment, industrials no longer have the luxury of moving slowly. From HVAC and roofing to permitting, procurement, and construction services, sectors that once waited for disruption are now being forced to plan for it. And as system failures become more frequent and severe, a new customer is emerging for climate software: the built environment.
In particular, the construction sector is undergoing a quiet transformation. Contractors and material suppliers are facing relentless margin pressure—from rising interest rates to a 30%+ increase in key material costs since 20201. At the same time, weather volatility and aging infrastructure are accelerating demand for retrofits and repairs. In the roofing market alone, approximately 80% of demand is now for replacements2, driven by storm damage, aging stock, and insurance-fueled reroofing cycles.
This backdrop is driving a new appetite for digitization. Where once spreadsheets and paper directories sufficed, today’s contractors, suppliers, and infrastructure providers are looking for software that can help them operate proactively—forecasting risks, managing supply disruptions, enabling community response, and navigating surge demand with limited labor.
In short: resilience is becoming a software category. And companies that recognize this shift are positioning themselves not just as tools for disaster response, but as essential platforms for day-to-day operations in high-friction, high-stakes industries.
While weather remains a key driver, the forces shaping industrial resiliency demand extend far beyond climate. We’re seeing the convergence of six structural tailwinds that are transforming how organizations operate:
These pressures are driving a new imperative: enabling faster, smarter, and more proactive systems to detect, communicate, and resolve disruption before it spirals into crisis.
Software companies are now critical infrastructure for resiliency efforts. The best platforms are moving industries from reactive to proactive—helping organizations not just survive emergencies but operate better in the day-to-day.
Here’s how we’re seeing that play out across key sectors:
Demand surges in extreme weather are overwhelming local contractors. AI-powered scheduling, predictive maintenance, and parts procurement tools are helping service providers stay ahead of breakdowns—and spread capacity across peak periods.
With 80% of U.S. roofing demand tied to replacements (not new builds), platforms that digitize inspections, material selection, and permitting are creating systems of record in a highly fragmented market. Players that start with workflow CRM are evolving into full platforms.
Satellite imagery and GIS tools are speeding up inspection, insurance assessments, and disaster zone analysis. Platforms like Felt and DroneDeploy have become vital to everything from wildfire risk mitigation to storm damage response.
Coordination challenges often compound physical damage during crises. Software platforms that digitize permitting, inspection routing, labor mobilization, and equipment tracking can significantly reduce response time and cost. These tools help agencies and enterprises develop centralized, flexible systems—cutting chaos and speeding recovery.
Both industries are seeing increasing disruption and rising expectations. In insurance, parametric platforms are accelerating claims by tying payouts to real-time weather and asset data. Meanwhile, water utilities are adopting monitoring and compliance tools to detect leaks, optimize maintenance, and meet tightening regulatory standards. In both cases, software creates transparency, reduces administrative overhead, and improves resilience against unpredictable inputs.
To be indispensable during high-demand periods, software companies must also be useful in the quiet ones.
The most successful resiliency platforms aren't just crisis responders—they're continuous operators. They stay relevant between storms, during code updates, and across procurement cycles. Their staying power comes from embedding deeply into workflows, evolving with customer needs, and serving as trusted partners through good times and bad.
Here are five strategies we’re seeing companies use to build staying power in the resiliency stack:
At Energize, we’ve seen this shift firsthand. Companies that once relied on “hair-on-fire” crisis sales are evolving toward repeatable, product-led revenue. They’re building tools that work on blue-sky days just as well as stormy ones—and that’s what makes them indispensable.
In a world shaped by volatility, resilience isn’t just a buzzword. It’s a business strategy—and an imperative. Software companies that understand this are poised to become the trusted platforms supporting the people and infrastructure that keep our communities running.
At Energize, we’re proud to back founders who are turning moments of chaos into systems of clarity—and building the tools that help industries not only bounce back, but bounce forward.
If you're building software that helps others endure, we’d love to hear from you. Reach out to me via LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/marktomasovic/.
