Construction technology startup BuildPass has raised $7.5 million in a Seed round as it makes a move on the US market.
The round was led by Sydney VC Carthona Capital , supported by Leigh Jasper’s Saniel Ventures, GitHub founder Tom Preston-Werner’s eponymous fund, Recursive Ventures, Horizon VC and Massive Tech Ventures.
The new funds are earmarked for AI product development to boost productivity across construction site operations, safety and quality assurance for building professionals.
The startup, founded previously raised $1 million in 2021.
BuildPass cofounder and CEO Matt Perrott said they’ll also use the cash to grow their local footprint, focussing on Australia’s small- to medium-sized business and mid-market construction verticals – around 98% of the sector.
“We are so proud of how the business has grown in just a few short years, and this latest financial milestone underscores the confidence investors have in the market,” he said.
“Much of the innovation we are seeing across construction AI locally is being driven by startups and smaller tech firms. This funding will help us further establish the AI-native construction technology class, which is bringing together key aspects of the fragmented construction software space into a more efficient, cost-effective and sustainable platform for organisations of all sizes.”
The BuildPass platform combines important safety, quality assurance, site management and equipment management initiatives into easy-to-use mobile and desktop interfaces for on-site construction workers.
Cofounder and chief technology officer, Aaron Vanston, said this year the startup has focused on AI tools for construction workers, rolling-out five new AI-driven modules that are help builders address productivity bottlenecks.
“One of the biggest productivity problems we are hoping to solve through intuitive design and AI is addressing digital literacy gaps among construction workers.,” he said.
“We are placing great emphasis on empowering current and future workers to have confidence in digital innovations like ours, which can be rolled-out quickly across a workforce without the need for extensive training.”
BuildPass uses artificial intelligence technologies from OpenAI and Anthropic to underpin aspects of its capability and intuitive user experience.
Since launching in late 2021, BuildPass has grown to 22 full-time Australian staff and is now utilised by over 400 companies nationally. It was also a joint-winner of the Best Newcomer category at the Governor of Victoria Start-Up Awards.
Saniel Ventures CEO, Leigh Jasper, cofounder of the construction software unicorn Aconex, said smaller construction businesses have long been underserved.
“Saniel has recognised this as a prime opportunity for disruption,” he said.
“The BuildPass team has shown impressive traction and product momentum, and we’re excited to support them in driving greater efficiency across the construction industry.”
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