But a new venture capital firm, funded by some heavyweight legacy construction companies, is out to change that.
Zacua Ventures has launched its inaugural $56 million fund targeting early-stage construction technology startups, backed by 19 of the construction sector’s biggest corporations.
Vivin Hegde, Mauricio Tessi Weiss and Juan Nieto started San Francisco-based Zacua in 2022.
Hegde was previously with construction tool maker Hilti Corp, while Tessi Weiss and Nieto were at Cemex Ventures.
Since the launch of its fund, Zacua Ventures has invested in over a dozen startups across the construction technology ecosystem.
This YC alum just raised $31M to build the ‘TurboTax for construction permitting’ Kleiner Perkins led the Series A, which came just over a year after seed roundAnyone who has ever tried to build or renovate a house knows the pain of obtaining construction permits.
It’s no surprise then that the startup world has seen a flurry of startups focused on streamlining the permitting process.
Today the company is announcing it has raised $31 million in Series A funding led by Kleiner Perkins, TechCrunch has learned exclusively.
More affordable housingPermitFlow primarily works with general contractors to help make the permitting process less painful.
“A municipality today will have a digital permitting process.
The U.S. firm specializes in building structures out of large concrete masonry blocks.
Amsterdam-based Monumental, meanwhile, specializes in the more familiar red clay variety.
Monumental has already been doing limited pilots in its native Netherlands, including the 15-meter exterior of an office building.
“At Monumental, we’re working to help the industry meet these challenges,” says co-founder and CEO Salar al Khafaji.
Funding will go toward hiring, scaling manufacturing and diversifying the manner of bricks/blocks its robots are capable of handling.
When it launched in 2019, Dusty’s FieldPrinter added a clever new dimension to the world of construction automation.
The little robot is smaller than the first gen, thus allowing it to better move around obstacles.
The 23-pound robot sports a wider print head and a bevy of on-board sensors for improved navigation.
Today’s news also marks the arrival of FieldPrint Platform, which is centered around BIM-to-field — that’s effectively bringing digital information into real-world construction sites.
“Our new FieldPrint Platform supports the seamless flow of data from the design phase, to the field, and back to the trailer,” cofounder and CEO Tessa Lau notes.
Bulk Exchange, a startup building a marketplace that lets construction companies and contractors buy and dispose materials in bulk, has raised $4.5 million in seed funding.
If Bulk Exchange can get enough providers on to its platform, estimators may be able to execute their work more quickly.
Second, once contracts are signed, Bulk Exchange can convert estimates into sales by linking buyers and sellers on the platform.
Instead, Bulk Exchange intends to charge for its services similar to a SaaS model.
If Bulk Exchange can scale and collect lots of data, it could have a second business and revenue stream in time.
Briq, a startup that uses AI to automate finances in construction, brings in $8M extension at a $150M valuationAt a time where many startups are struggling to raise funding, or are raising – but at lower valuations, it’s notable when companies raise at flat or higher valuations.
The startup last announced a fundraise in June of 2021 – a $30 million Series B financing led by Tiger Global Management.
Customers include Briq Choate Construction, Catamount Construction, Fessler and Bowman, and Elder Construction, among others.
Briq deploys that across two products: Briq AutoPilot and Briq CoPilot.
“Usually when we think about robots in construction, we think about machines on a jobsite.
Fortunately, NASA (as as always) is thinking ahead, and has just shown off a self-assembling robotic structure that might just be a crucial part of moving off-planet.
“We think this type of construction technology can serve a lot of very general applications,” said lead author Christine Gregg.
“In the near term, the robust autonomy and lightweight structures of our approach strongly benefit applications in austere environments, like the lunar surface or space.
“For us, the structures and all of the robotic systems are resources that can be optimized over space and time.
Versions of the robot have already flown in space and done work in microgravity, so no worries on that score.
Here in the States, the $2 trillion industry employs around eight million people — that’s nearly one New York City.
Even in financial boom times, however, these jobs can be difficult to keep filled, owing to physical demands and other potential dangers.
As evidenced from videos released by PaintJet, those sorts of older technologies remain intact here — albeit with an automated twist.
CEO Nick Hegeman tells TechCrunch, that in spit of looking like a fairly standard piece of heavy machine, “We have created 100% of the robotic system.
Of course, PaintJet is far from the only company vying to introduce robots to the world of industrial painting.
Graneet is a software-as-a-service company that focuses on helping small construction companies grow their businesses. Over the past six months, the company has tripled its revenue and continues to add…
Construction insurance company Billy announced today that it has secured an additional $6.7 million in funding, bringing its total investment to $12.9 million. This new infusion of capital will be…
