Acuity Acquires Rockpile Ventures, Names Peter Han President of Intelligent Spaces Group

CEW LDS Acuity logo 400

May 26, 2021

Acuity Brands, Inc. has announced the acquisition of Rockpile Ventures, a Seattle-based accelerator of early-stage artificial intelligence (AI) companies.

Peter Han, co-founder of Rockpile Ventures, has been named President of Acuity’s newly-named Intelligent Spaces Group (ISG). Formerly referred to as Acuity’s Intelligent Buildings business, ISG includes Atrius® and Distech Controls™. Rockpile co-founder Dinesh Narayanan is now Vice President of Business Development of ISG. The addition of these leaders and the acquisition of Rockpile Ventures better positions Acuity for growth in solutions, software, and cloud application development.

“Attracting talented leaders is at the heart of our ability to continue delivering on our growth strategy,” said Neil Ashe, CEO, Acuity Brands. “We are thrilled to welcome Peter Han, Dinesh Narayanan and Rockpile Ventures to Acuity. Peter is well-known for driving business transformation with hardware and software solutions across verticals, and Dinesh along with the Rockpile team have supported that direction by building stakes in leading edge AI startups.”

Acuity now holds Rockpile’s equity interests in AI startups. Rockpile’s portfolio technologies have been deployed at leading enterprises across the energy, manufacturing, and retail verticals.

“We see great opportunities at Acuity to combine our existing footprint of sensors and back-office infrastructure with new AI models in the cloud,” said Han. “We are building systems to sense, think, and act at scale and to use Acuity’s reach and capability to deploy those systems to make spaces smarter, safer, and greener.”

E1rJC4VXEAE9qhfHan has a track record of delivering change and revenue growth through 25 years in the technology industry. He will lead ISG teams based in Atlanta, Montreal, San Francisco, and Seattle. Before Rockpile, he worked as Chief Marketing Officer of Supermicro, a $3.5 billion revenue server manufacturer in the San Francisco Bay area. He also spent 15 years at Microsoft managing teams that shipped hundreds of millions of Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) and Original Design Manufacturer (ODM) devices annually, including desktops, notebooks, servers, and commercial IoT devices infused with software solutions. His team coordinated ecosystem strategies for diverse partners and channels, both in commercial distribution and consumer retail.

Narayanan was formerly head of Microsoft’s devices incubation group, where he partnered with Azure and AI engineering, marketing, and business development teams to build out edge solutions. He worked with cross-functional groups creating the markets for autonomous systems and ambient sensors.

 

Source

Related Articles


Changing Scene

  • LEDVANCE Expands Ontario Presence with New Specification Agent

    LEDVANCE Expands Ontario Presence with New Specification Agent

    LEDVANCE is pleased to announce the appointment of Sterling Architectural Products Ltd. (Sterling Lights) as their new specification agent in Ontario. This partnership strengthens LEDVANCE’s presence in the region and reinforces their commitment to serving the professional lighting design and specification community with innovative, reliable lighting solutions. With decades of experience and a service-driven mindset,… Read More…

  • May 29, 2025 - Eureka Wins Three 2025 Red Dot Awards for Product Design

    Eureka Wins Three 2025 Red Dot Awards for Product Design

    Eureka is pleased to announce that its Velia, Cirra, and Junction luminaires have each received a 2025 Red Dot Design Award for Product Design. It is the 11th consecutive year that Eureka products have been honored with this prestigious award, which is a testament to the company’s consistency and relentless drive to design exceptional luminaires.… Read More…


Design

  • The Difference Between Accent, Ambient & Task Lighting: Ultimate Guide

    The Difference Between Accent, Ambient & Task Lighting: Ultimate Guide

    In interior design, lighting is not just about brightening the room. Sensitive lighting layout is the key in the whole aesthetic atmosphere. An outstanding lighting solution will not rely on one type of fixture. Rather, it is through the combination of different types of lighting. Accent, ambient, and task lighting are three basic types of… Read More…

  • Graphic Office Interiors Enhance Their Office Space, Incorporating State-Of-The-Art Lighting Solutions

    Graphic Office Interiors Enhance Their Office Space, Incorporating State-Of-The-Art Lighting Solutions

    Graphic Office Interiors, a renowned office design and furnishings company serving Vancouver Island since 1966, embarked on a unique lighting project for their personal office in Saanichton, BC. This project marked the first collaboration between Kelly Inglis of Mac’s II Agencies and Graphic Office Interiors’ in-house registered interior designer, Laura Harlos. Known for their exclusive Steelcase furniture line, modular moveable… Read More…


New Products

  • Eureka Announces New Accessories for Scout Luminaire

    Eureka Announces New Accessories for Scout Luminaire

    Eureka has announced the enhancement of its Scout luminaire family with the introduction of new accessories and a new color palette. Three new diffusers have been introduced. Bell is minimalist, translucent and cloche-shaped. Pebble introduces a soft touch and an ambient glow in a distinct, oval-shaped diffuser. Orb is sleek and dome-shaped, adding a touch… Read More…

  • Amico: SOLAR ECLIPSE – 2X4 Multi-Functional Luminaire

    Amico: SOLAR ECLIPSE – 2X4 Multi-Functional Luminaire

    The Solar Eclipse Series provides a multi-functional luminaire that supports the demands of the hospital environment. The sleek and modern design merges architectural aesthetics with exceptional lighting performance to improve patient comfort while maximizing clinical efficiencies. This architectural patient room fixture offers reading, ambient, and exam functionalities and an optional night light. Multi-functional capabilities provide… Read More…