B2B SaaS

Q4 202306.11.2023

Construction Tech

Picture of Éanna Kelly

Éanna Kelly

at Sifted

The lack of technological sophistication in construction — a €1.7tn industry in Europe — is no secret, nor should it be of great surprise: with operational profitability hovering around 5% among Europe’s construction giants, it leaves little room for error when experimenting with new tech.

And yet: something’s stirring in the industry. Globally, late-stage VC’s proportion of total investment for the industry has risen in the last three years, while post-money valuations and the median deal size have more than doubled since 2017, according to McKinsey. Investors clearly want to be part of the big building rethink, set in train by a recent EU law mandating all buildings be net-zero by 2050.

All the things you associate with construction — cement, steel, concrete, heating, cooling and lighting — add up to a huge climate footprint. Startups are helping to give all these elements a green makeover. It’ll take longer than Rome to build, but the prize on offer for decarbonising the entire lifecycle of a building is huge for the innovators and investors who can seize it.

20 most promising early-stage startups

Sifted score
8.68
-
XYZ Reality
3D modeling for more accurate construction
Strong investor(s)
Hiring
- Year founded
  2017
- HQ
  London, United Kingdom
- Latest round
  Series A
  €24.6m / Jun 2021
- Total funding
  €24.6m
View company profile
Sifted score
7.62
-
011h
Uses prefabricated components and digital approach to cut cost/carbon footprint
Strong investor(s)
Serial founder(s)
Hiring
- Year founded
  2020
- HQ
  Barcelona, Spain
- Latest round
  Series A
  €25m / Jul 2022
- Total funding
  €33m
View company profile
Sifted score
7.3
-
Haiper AI
AI-powered content creation for creators
Serial founder(s)
Hiring
- Year founded
  2021
- HQ
  London, United Kingdom
- Latest round
  Seed
  €12.6m / Mar 2023
- Total funding
  €17.4m
View company profile
Sifted score
6.82
-
Materrup
Low-carbon cement production tech
Strong investor(s)
Hiring
- Year founded
  2018
- HQ
  Saint-Geours-de-Maremne, France
- Latest round
  Grant
  €2.4m / Jun 2022
- Total funding
  €3.9m
View company profile
Sifted score
6.4
-
Aeditive
3D printing for mouldless precast manufacturing
Hiring
- Year founded
  2019
- HQ
  Hamburg, Germany
- Latest round
  Seed
  €7.5m / Oct 2021
- Total funding
  €9.5m
View company profile

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