This year, we launched a call for the most innovative startups to make a difference and shape the industry’s future with their breakthrough business models to Build Something Bigger Together.  

Construction Startup Competition 2024 called on startups worldwide to submit solutions that make construction more sustainable, efficient, on time, and disruptive.    

The competition’s 8th edition – hosted this year by Cemex Ventures, Caterpillar, Dysruptek by Haskell, Ferrovial, Hilti, VINCI Group’s Leonard, NOVA by Saint-Gobain, Trimble, and Zacua Ventures – saw an impressive response with hundreds of applications from impressive technology startups worldwide. Selecting only 8 winners was definitely a challenge. 

Finally, after months of intense evaluation, we’re thrilled to unveil the 8 winning startups! 

The Winners

Green Construction – Sustainable:

• MIXTERESTING (Austria): Mixteresting’s software enables its customers to develop CO2-efficient concrete by digitally simulating the mixing process, accelerating the development cycle by up to 10 times. This allows them to achieve 5-7% higher margins through more efficient and innovative concrete mixes and reduce CO2 emissions by up to 20% through performance-based optimization: http://www.mixteresting.com
• revitalyze (Austria): The Austria-based startup provides a solution to reduce waste in the construction industry by matching valuable materials from demolition and dismantling projects with the demand for secondary materials from building material manufacturers. They are faster and more cost-effective than existing solutions in building inventory analysis, as they focus solely on identifying materials that can be repurposed: https://www.revitalyze.io 

Enhanced Productivity – Efficient:

• Kraaft (France): Kraaft’s mission is to reconcile field & office teams, which often have difficulty communicating. Their take is to start with what’s already the cornerstone of day-to-day field management: simple chats and to augment those with construction-focused modules so that data gets structured semi-automatically. Their first focus is utility & infrastructure sub-contractors, and we’re starting to expand in the vertical building segment. They have 600+ customers, 15k+ active users in Europe & North America: https://www.kraaft.co 
• GOLD WINNER – Sodex Innovations (Austria): Sodex Innovations improves surveying in construction by installing hardware such as laser scanners, GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System), and cameras directly on the construction machine. This enables the machines to deliver digital twins of construction sites to our cloud solution in real time. This means the current status can be accessed quickly, reducing manual data collection and processing, saving time, and cutting costs. Their solutions increase transparency, improve documentation, and support project management: https://sodex-innovations.com/ 
• BRONZE WINNER – Trunk Tools (United States): The American startup has developed an artificial intelligence (AI) platform to organize mountains of unstructured data, automate workflows, and augment worker productivity. From identifying data discrepancies to tracking schedule misses, their AI agents are augmenting construction professionals’ intelligence and productivity. Their flagship agent, TrunkText, allows field workers to ask questions about their project documents, receiving answers and supporting documentation in seconds: https://www.trunktools.com 

Construction Supply Chain – On Time:

• Kaya AI (United States): Kaya’s supply chain intelligence platform reduces supply chain risks & minimizes delays to project execution by enabling data-driven lead times, breaking down communication silos & accelerating the coordination between the project team & suppliers. Their proprietary model learns from project data & incorporates progress updates from trades & suppliers to provide a more realistic view of when materials will arrive onsite, enabling a centralized view of end-to-end supply chain activities: https://usekaya.ai/

Future of Construction – Disruptive:

• SILVER WINNER – Raise Robotics (United States): Raise Robotics is a leading construction robotics company specializing in autonomous high-precision fastening solutions for on-site construction. With a deep understanding of the construction industry’s safety, accuracy, and productivity demands, Raise Robotics develops advanced robotic systems that work seamlessly with existing customer workflows, achieving unparalleled results. Their current focus is on deploying robots with contractors to handle the installation and inspection of facade brackets: https://raiserobotics.ai/ 
• GScan (Estonia): GScan uses cosmic rays (muons) to look inside critical infrastructure like bridges, tunnels, buildings, and nuclear reactors. This is the only tech capable of seeing more than 40cm into concrete or steel.  With 30x higher accuracy than industry standards (and only technology capable of scanning concrete deeper than 50cm, their 3D models help asset owners and operators to significantly cut costs by (a) extending infrastructure lifecycle and (b) reducing renovation budgets w/o increasing the risk level: https://www.gscan.eu/ 

Pitch Day 2024

But there’s still one last stop in the competition! 

These 8 winning startups are headed to the ultimate milestone of the competition: Pitch Day to compete for the chance to become the gold, silver, and bronze trophies and receive cash prizes! This year, Pitch Day 2024 will take place at Trimble’s Dimensions User conference on November 12 in Las Vegas, Nevada (USA). 

What is Pitch Day?

Pitch Day is the final stage of Construction Startup Competition, where winning startups are invited to pitch their solutions to a jury made up of executive representatives from the competition host companies – some of the top tier players in the construction industry!   

The winning startups have the gold opportunity to pitch their solutions directly to investors and attend Dimensions, one of the industry’s leading conferences, where they can meet with startup peers, innovators, and investors. Check out all the Construction Startup Competition benefits here. 

Coming up

Just like the competition’s theme, we need to BUILD SOMETHING BIGGER TOGETHER, so stay tuned for the 2025 collaboration opportunities we’ve got in store: 

• January 2024: As we kick off the new year, we’ll be announcing the Top 50 2025 Contech Startups. If you participated in the Construction Startup Competition 2024, your startup could make the list! 

• Spring 2024: The next challenge for construction startups is set to be bigger than ever. If you applied this year, we highly recommend reapplying. Many of our past winners also applied in previous competitions and earned spots in the Top 50 Contech Startups. 

Be sure to follow us on LinkedIn & X to stay up to date on all Cemex Ventures news! 

Press Release

Construction Startup Competition 2024 Names the Eight Startup Winners Revolutionizing the Construction Industry 

• The hosts of the competition – venture capital and construction companies Cemex Ventures, Caterpillar, Dysruptek by Haskell, Ferrovial, Hilti, Leonard by VINCI, NOVA by Saint-Gobain, Trimble and Zacua Ventures – have named the eight winning startup solutions advancing innovation in the construction sector. 

• The eight startup winners will compete for the gold, silver and bronze medals at Pitch Day, taking place at Trimble Dimensions User Conference in Las Vegas on November 12, 2024.  

MADRID, October 22, 2024 – Today the partners of Construction Startup Competition 2024, Cemex Ventures, Caterpillar, Dysruptek by Haskell, Ferrovial, Hilti, Leonard by VINCI, NOVA by Saint-Gobain, Trimble and Zacua Ventures, have announced the most promising startup solutions from this year’s competition with the potential to transform the construction industry.  

The annual competition, now in its eighth edition, received a large number of startup applications from over 70 countries. Startup solutions were categorized into four focus areas that correspond to current pain points in the construction value chain: Green Construction (sustainability), Enhanced Productivity (efficiency), Construction Supply Chain (timeliness), and Future of Construction (disruption). The most promising startup solutions from each focus area were named Construction Startup Competition 2024’s champions: GScan [Estonia], Kaya AI [US], KRAAFT [France], MIXTERESTING GmbH [Austria], Raise Robotics [US], revitalyze [Austria], Sodex Innovations GmbH [Austria] and Trunk Tools [US]. 

The eight aforementioned winners will advance to the competition’s final milestone, Pitch Day 2024, and present their solutions to executive representatives from the competition’s partner companies, industry investors and potential business partners at Trimble Dimensions User Conference on November 12 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The three startups with the best pitches will receive cash prizes, be named the gold, silver and bronze medalists, and continue to be evaluated for potential partnership opportunities with the host companies.  

Over the last eight years, Construction Startup Competition has been a launching pad for more than 3,500 startups to network, validate their solutions through pilots and deployment projects, gain industry recognition, and facilitate fundraising with the mission to advance innovation in construction and promote the adoption of startup technologies. 

As the construction sector undergoes a technological revolution, the competition hosts are saying to startups, “Let’s build something bigger together!” Contech & Cleantech startups looking to meet with investors, pilot their solutions and make a significant impact in the construction industry can join the competition partners and winners at Trimble Dimensions User Conference.  

About Construction Startup Competition 

Since its first edition in 2017, startups from more than 80 countries have participated in the biggest challenge aimed at startups in the construction industry, the Construction Startup Competition. Many entrepreneurs have gone on to collaborate with the participating companies after applying to the Competition. Given the global outreach of its partners, the 2024 edition received an increase in the number of startup applications to identify the most innovative solutions around the world, continue growing the Contech ecosystem and begin agile adoption of applicants’ innovative technologies and business models.   

About Cemex Ventures 

Launched in 2017, Cemex Ventures focuses on helping overcome the main challenges and capitalizing on the opportunity areas in the construction ecosystem through sustainable solutions. Cemex Ventures has developed an open collaborative platform to lead the revolution of the construction industry, engaging startups, entrepreneurs, universities, and other stakeholders to tackle the challenges in the construction environment and shape the industry’s future. For more information on Cemex Ventures, please visit: www.cemexventures.com  

About Caterpillar 

With 2023 sales and revenues of $67.1 billion, Caterpillar Inc. is the world’s leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, off-highway diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines and diesel-electric locomotives. For nearly 100 years, we’ve been helping customers build a better, more sustainable world and are committed and contributing to a reduced-carbon future. Our innovative products and services, backed by our global dealer network, provide exceptional value that helps customers succeed. Caterpillar does business on every continent, principally operating through three primary segments – Construction Industries, Resource Industries and Energy & Transportation – and providing financing and related services through our Financial Products segment. Visit us at caterpillar.com or join the conversation on our social media channels at https://www.caterpillar.com/en/news/social-media.html 

About Dysruptek 

Formed in 2018, Dysruptek is the venture investment arm of The Haskell Company. Dysruptek seeks to invest in disruptive Architecture, Engineering and Construction technologies reshaping the built world. Dysruptek acts as an agent of change and partner to innovators driving meaningful impact across the industry. Invest. Invent. Innovate. For more information, please visit: www.dysruptek.com   

About Ferrovial 

Ferrovial is one of the world’s leading infrastructure companies. The Company operates in more than 15 countries and has a workforce of over 24,000 worldwide. Ferrovial is triple listed on Euronext Amsterdam, the Spanish Stock Exchanges and Nasdaq and is a member of Spain’s blue-chip IBEX 35 index. It is part of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index and FTSE4Good, and all its operations are conducted in compliance with the principles of the UN Global Compact, which the Company adopted in 2002. For more information on Ferrovial, please visit: www.ferrovial.com  

About the Hilti Group  

The Hilti Group supplies the worldwide construction and energy industries with technologically leading products, systems, software and services. With about 34,000 team members in over 120 countries the company stands for direct customer relationships, quality and innovation. Hilti generated annual sales of more than CHF 6.5 billion in 2023 and invests approximately 7 percent of sales in research and development each year. The company is privately owned by the Martin Hilti Family Trust, which ensures its long-term continuity. The Hilti Group’s purpose is making construction better, based on a passionate and inclusive global team and a caring and performance-oriented culture. With more than 280,000 daily interactions with customers, Hilti knows that the most innovative ideas are born on the jobsite. To learn more about Hilti, please visit: www.hilti.group   

About Leonard by VINCI 

Leonard is the innovation and foresight platform set up by VINCI, a global player in concessions, energy and construction businesses, employing more than 280,000 people in more than 120 countries. Leonard was created to imagine the future of the Group’s business lines and is tasked with watching emerging trends in VINCI’s areas of expertise and markets, identifying new growth opportunities, and setting up incubation and acceleration programs for Group employees as well as start-ups. Each year, Leonard supports the acceleration and development of over 40 of the best innovative projects in construction, mobility, energy and real estate. To house these programs and start conversations with all the people blazing new trails in VINCI’s business lines, Leonard opened Leonard: Paris, a 4,500 square meters lab in Paris. Since 2020, Leonard has been expanding operations in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Latin America. To find out more about Leonard: https://leonard.vinci.com/en/  

About NOVA by Saint-Gobain 

NOVA by Saint-Gobain, the external venture arm of Saint-Gobain, identifies forward-thinking startups around the world whose philosophies align with Saint-Gobain’s focus on sustainability. It helps those startups nurture their ideas and grow their companies to scale through partnerships and investment. With a presence in Asia, Europe and North America, NOVA by Saint-Gobain connects the global startup community with the power, resources, and experience of Saint-Gobain to address the needs of today and challenges of tomorrow. Learn more by visiting https://nova-saint-gobain.com and www.saint-gobain.com 

About Trimble Ventures 

Launched in 2021, Trimble Ventures is a corporate venture capital fund focused on investing in early and growth-stage companies that align with Trimble’s mission of transforming work in the agriculture, construction, geospatial and transportation industries. The fund deploys strategic capital to accelerate the growth of innovative companies and partners that complement Trimble’s products, technology platforms and support its customer’s work. Trimble Ventures targets investing in companies with technologies and solutions related to hardware and software applications; artificial intelligence; augmented, virtual and mixed reality; autonomy and robotics; blockchain; the Internet of Things (IoT) and analytics; and sustainability. For more information on Trimble Ventures, visit: ventures.trimble.com 

About Trimble 

Trimble is transforming the ways people move, build and live. Core technologies in positioning, modeling and data analytics connect the digital and physical worlds to improve our customers’ productivity, quality, safety, transparency, and sustainability. For more information about Trimble (NASDAQ: TRMB), visit: www.trimble.com    

About Zacua Ventures 

Zacua Ventures is a dynamic, early-stage venture capital fund dedicated to tackling the most pressing challenges in Sustainability, Productivity, and Urbanization within the built environment, on a global scale. With our strategic footprint in North America, Europe, Latam and Asia, Zacua Ventures actively supports the most visionary and forward-thinking entrepreneurs. Our mission is to not only fortify their value propositions but also facilitate the global expansion of their ventures, leveraging extensive corporate networks. Zacua has a robust backing from industry-leading corporations worldwide, across the entire value chain of the industry, establishing a distinctive value proposition for our portfolio startups by fostering direct relationships with leading building material manufacturers, contractors, engineering companies, developers, and software companies. Zacua is led by partners with over three decades of combined industry expertise, who, for the past decade, have been at the forefront of investing in cutting-edge construction technology. Discover how Zacua Ventures is shaping the future of the built environment by empowering visionary entrepreneurs at www.zacuaventures.com 

The application phase of Construction Startup Competition 2024 wrapped up a few weeks ago, and this year’s turnout has been through the roof, significantly higher than the last two editions. This fact shows that high-potential entrepreneurs are stepping up like never before to revolutionize the construction industry and bring their solutions to the main stage. 

Are you curious about what types of startups have applied? The applications we received are making over the construction industry from pain-points to disruptive solutions. 

Keep scrolling for an in-depth breakdown of the applications from this year’s biggest startup competition! 

Application Breakdown 

By Country 

Construction Startup Competition has reached every corner of the world. Startups from over 70 countries applied this year, with the United States (27%) leading the ranking—it’s also the country with the highest Contech investment in 2022, 2023, and H1 2024—followed by the United Kingdom (8%). Here are the 10 countries we received the most applications from: 

By Focus Area

Efficiency-focused technologies have taken center stage in 2024. Enhanced Productivity solutions that improve stakeholders’ collaboration, communication, and coordination and promote data-driven decisions to maximize efficiency and quality have undoubtedly been the main stars, accounting for 38.3% of applications. Closely following were sustainable innovations in the Green Construction focus area, making up 28.4%.   

Each Focus Area encompasses a wide range of solutions: Green Construction (carbon tools & calculators, circular construction & waste management, etc.), Enhanced Productivity (geotechnical analysis, project tendering, BIM, etc.), Construction Supply Chain (fleet management, workforce management, last-mile platforms, etc.), & Future of Construction (3D printing, robotics, smart buildings, etc.). Among all these solutions, the ones that stood out due to the large volume of submissions were: 

• Enhanced Productivity: Project Monitoring & Control 

• Green Construction: Sustainable Materials 

• Future of Construction: Industrialized & Automatized Construction 

• Construction Supply Chain: Marketplaces 

Think about how each of these solutions solve a particular pain-point in the construction industry. Startups, what pain-point does your solution attempt to fix? Or Heads of Companies, what solution could your company implement to reduce costs and time, and maximize sustainability? 

By Foundation Year

In this edition, the highest number of applications came from early-stage startups (0-2 years) and more established ones (5+ years). The average age of startup applicants is around 3 years. 

A variable closely related to the foundation year of the startup is the development stage of its solution. The years of experience of the startup provide a framework to understand the solution’s current development stage and evolution. Most solutions in the competition’s application phase are in the early commercialization stage (29%), followed closely by the piloting stage (28%).  

The early commercialization stage for startups involves executing their go-to-market (GTM) strategy. This strategy is a comprehensive plan that businesses use to bring a new product or service to market. It’s a critical moment when startups move toward the commercialization of their technology. The piloting phase focuses on testing the solution in different markets before its full market launch. 

Startups in the idea-to-be-developed phase have the lowest participation rate. Securing funding and support at this point is more complicated because it relies on more risk from investors. While a strong concept is essential, investors, corporations, and other key stakeholders tend to look for proven results & milestones.   

By Project Type 

Construction managers usually group projects by their “end use” to make sure they fit community needs, and that’s one of the approaches we’ve used to categorize the competition’s solutions in the application form. 

Each application received focuses on a different project type, with a big spotlight on commercial (27%) and industrial projects (23%).  

By Funding Raised

Fun fact: In 2004, Facebook, as a young company, secured its first major external investment thanks to Peter Thiel, co-founder of PayPal. Thiel invested US$500K in the social network, representing 10.2% of the company.   

As you can see, not all startups that later became large companies started with early fundraising in the millions. In 2024, most of the competition’s participating startups (with significant potential to discover) raised less than US$100K or between US$100K & US$500K since their founding. 

By Target Customer

Let’s get to the point: who are these disruptive solutions from the startups aimed at? First, it’s crucial to understand that the target customer is the person most likely to buy the company’s products or services. This is the startup’s customer.  

You can define a target customer by different characteristics, such as age, unique spending habits, and a specific income level. When developing a solution as an entrepreneur, it’s crucial to define this role to understand the target customer’s pain points and design technology to address them. 

The target customers for a significant portion of the applying startups, defined by profession, have been main contractors (38%) and owners (22%)—two very influential decision-makers in the sector. 

To get a clearer picture of these target customers, let’s briefly define them: 

• The main contractor is the company (or individual) hired to manage and complete a construction project. They are responsible for coordinating & supervising the work to ensure it meets the client’s specifications. 

• The owner is who starts and funds the construction project. That person is the one who hires the main contractor and is ultimately responsible for the project’s success. The owner defines the project’s requirements and oversees its progress; however, it doesn’t manage the day-to-day construction activities. 

What’s next?

The investment experts from the 9 corporate partners – Cemex Ventures, Caterpillar, Dysruptek by Haskell, Ferrovial, Hilti, VINCI Group’s Leonard, NOVA by Saint-Gobain, Trimble, and Zacua Ventures – are currently evaluating each application in detail to select the finalists. 

Greg Matthews, Senior Director of Strategy at Caterpillar, shared his honest thoughts with us about his experience partnering in the competition: “Caterpillar is excited to participate in Construction Startup Competition. We’ve encouraged innovation throughout our nearly 100-year history. We look forward to seeing the participants’ pioneering solutions that will continue to take the construction industry to the next level.” 

The next big step is the winners’ announcement in late October, & to wrap up, Pitch Day will take place on November 11. Pitch Day is the final milestone of the competition, where the finalists will have the chance to present their solutions to a jury of industry investors & potential new clients. It will be held at the Trimble Dimensions User Conference in Las Vegas. 

Whether you’ve applied or not, we don’t want you to miss any updates about what’s coming up in Construction Startup Competition. You can find all the latest news on our social media channels (LinkedIn & X), blog, and of course, in our Contech Tacos Newsletter: 

Big marketplaces like Amazon, eBay, & AliExpress have revolutionized supply chains across different sectors. The construction industry is no exception, and the outstanding German marketplace Machine26 is one of the startups leading the way. 

Machine26 is one of our success stories from Construction Startup Competition 2023.  The digital-first startup is transforming the construction industry by making the trade of used construction equipment more efficient and safer through digitalization. 

We all know that great successes don’t just happen overnight, so keep reading to discover their full story! 

Machine26’s history & solution 

History 

Fun fact: Can you guess what the “26” in Machine26 stands for?  

It comes from the fact that the number 26 is the position of the chemical element iron, the main component of any construction machine, in the periodic table. 

Let’s take a look at Machine26’s journey from the beginning to today. 

2019: Machine26 was founded in Berlin, Germany, by Christian Schweiger, Niklas Fritz, and Steffen Schweiger. The Contech startup is supported by renowned German and European institutions such as the Investitionsbank Berlin and the European Union with its European Social Fund. 

2021: The Berlin-based startup was selected by Y Combinator, one of the most famous startup accelerators and venture capital firms from Silicon Valley, to further develop its solution. 

2022: Machine26 exhibits for the first time at Bauma, the world’s leading trade fair for construction machinery, building machines, and construction equipment, among other categories, marking a key milestone for the young company. 

2023: Machine26 applies to Construction Startup Competition 2023 under the Construction Supply Chain focus area. 

2024: At the beginning of the year, the innovative startup is selected by Cemex Ventures as one of the Top 50 Contech Startups of 2024. It also expands its reach, with offices in both Berlin and Paris. 

Game-changing solution 

With a job-to-be-done mindset in customer service, Machine26 has redefined the construction supply chain with its groundbreaking solution, which aims to drive digital transformation in the industry. It provides a marketplace that helps construction equipment owners to sell their machines effortlessly. 

Machine26’s innovative business model includes a digital trading platform for remarketing used equipment to an international dealer network, as well as digital solutions for inspecting the equipment. 

Its Inspection App collects all relevant data on the condition of the machine, enabling customers to receive the best offers from international used dealers. With the help of the Inspection App, fleet owners have a constant overview of the condition and value of their equipment. 

Benefits received from Construction Startup Competition 

By simply applying to the largest startup competition in the industry, startups can quickly scale in the Contech ecosystem, and Machine26 is proof of this! The visionary German startup has experienced several benefits that have helped it achieve its strategic goals: 

• Reputation & recognition for its solution due to the global reach of the competition. 
• Expanding its network of key industry players to reach the right audience. 
• New customers such as Cemex Germany  
• Acceptance in top startup programs: VINCI Group’s Leonard startup accelerator gave Machine26 a spot in its Catalyst Program.
• A great reference for selection by leading construction companies. 

Partnership with Cemex Germany

Since 2023, Machine26 has been partnering with Cemex Germany. The industry giant created its own selling solution for construction machinery with Machine26 and already sold a wide range of equipment such as excavators, wheel loaders, concrete pumps, and smaller equipment. 

The German startup’s goal is to develop this partnership further to expand its market presence globally and continue its steady growth. 

Partnership with VINCI Group’s Leonard

In 2024, Machine26 officially became part of Catalyst’s startup acceleration program after joining VINCI Group’s Leonard SEED program – an acceleration initiative – in 2022. This agreement means that all sales of used construction machinery within the construction giant will be centralized on the Machine26 platform.

Machine26’s Insights 

If you’re wondering how the Machine26 team felt about their experience and what motivated them to apply to Construction Startup Competition.  

Steffen Schweiger, Founder & CEO of Machine26, shared his honest opinion with us: 

What made you apply for the competition? 

“We were impressed by the number & relevance of the organizing companies and motivated to present our product on a global scale and to an industry-specific audience.” 

How was your overall experience? 

“Applying for the Cemex startup competition was a great experience for us. We were selected as one of the Cemex Top 50 and connected to many relevant industry players. For every startup in the construction space, I can recommend participating in this competition. 

Getting selected for the Cemex Top 50 raised awareness for our solution. For example, we were approached by new customers and partners because they were following the competition. It even helped us to promote our products in large corporations where we were used in one country only and ended up talking to other affiliated companies as well.”  

Additionally, one of the nine major partners of the Construction Startup Competition, VINCI Group’s Leonard, shared his thoughts about the competition’s impact on disruptive startups like Machine26: 

“Between 2021 and 2023, 36 new venture capital funds were established worldwide in the construction and public works businesses. This achievement is the result of the collective efforts of players like Leonard, Cemex Ventures, and their partners in the Construction Startup Competition. Additionally, Leonard’s long lasting partnership with Construction Startup Competition is of prime importance to us as we are currently opening applications for our 2025 acceleration programs. Over the past 6 years, these programmes have supported the development of solutions such as Machine26, the marketplace that helps construction machine owners to sell their machines without any effort.”- Julien Villalongue, Managing Director at VINCI Group’s Leonard 

Be the next success story of Construction Startup Competition 2024 

Your startup could be the next success story if you participate in Construction Startup Competition 2024. The deadline to apply is June 30.  

The competition is your biggest opportunity to: 

• Win a cash prize & receive strategic investment 
• Pilot your solution in real markets around the world 
• Expand your network by joining the largest ecosystem in the industry  
• Pitch your solution to the biggest investors in Las Vegas at Pitch Day 2024 

And now, we’re offering you a new benefit: Being part of Leaplab, Cemex’s exclusive acceleration program. By joining the program, you can take part in real-scale pilots across Cemex’s global operations, receive expert support, network with disruptive Contech players, & connect with Cemex as a supplier or partner.  

Some of the biggest names in construction tech have participated in past editions of Construction Startup Competition! This competition propels startups into the spotlight, giving them visibility and recognition among the top Contech players in the industry. 

We’re bringing you one of the epic success story from Construction Startup Competition 2022 winner Exodigo: a Tel Aviv & San Jose-based startup who’s revolutionizing excavation in construction.  

Keep scrolling to see how Exodigo has grown its footprint, raised funding, and successfully carried out its mission to power the next era of underground exploration. 

Exodigo’s history & solution 

History 

Exodigo is a successful startup in the Contech sector, but like all startups, it had to start from somewhere. Here’s a quick recap of its journey thus far: 

2021: Exodigo was founded in Tel Aviv, Israel, under the values of trust, scale, precision & sustainability. 

2022: In February, two significant milestones took place! Exodigo raised seed funding & launched its first commercial operations in the United States. Now, it has its headquarters in Tel Aviv & San Jose, CA.  

In October, Exodigo received a strategic investment from National Grind Partners, as part of its commitment to fighting climate change & was named one of the winners of Construction Startup Competition 2022. Finally, as the final touch to this year, Exodigo earned the distinction of being one of TIME Magazine’s Best Inventions of 2022. A year full of action! 

2023: Exodigo began its expansion into the European continent & and was selected as one of the Top 50 startups of 2023 by Cemex Ventures. In November it was listed as one of the Most Promising Tech Companies in the World by CB Insights. 

2024: The San Jose-based startup secured a significant strategic investment & obtained funding from the U.S. Department of Energy earlier in the year. (Read until the end for the unveiling of their 9-figure investment round!) 

Innovative solution

Exodigo is transforming excavation in construction using artificial intelligence and 3D imaging. Their multisensory technology allows for the creation of precise images of underground conditions without the need to disturb the earth during construction projects. This ensures safer conditions for workers, eliminates the need for excavation, reduces costs for companies, and enhances sustainability by preventing environmental damage. 

Construction Startup Competition 2022 aftermath 

Crowned as one of the winning startups in the competition’s Enhanced Productivity category, Exodigo’s team has experienced notable advantages that have contributed to their goal attainment. 

Networking & piloting 

The Israeli startup built strong relationships with industry leaders such as VINCI, Ferrovial, & Dysruptek by Haskell, who were competition partners in the 2022 edition. As a result of these connections, Exodigo conducted pilots with VINCI Group’s Leonard & Ferrovial: 

Pilot with VINCI Group’s Leonard 

In 2023, Exodigo partnered with VINCI & GRDF to address a significant challenge in France. The country’s regulations mandate precise utility locations before construction begins. However, construction companies’ reliance on outdated utility records for their location has resulted in thousands of gas line damages across multiple sites during excavation.  

The pilot project aimed to assess Exodigo’s solution for accurately mapping underground assets, providing a reliable alternative to traditional methods such as excavation, and improving safety, budgeting, and compliance in construction. 

The result? Exodigo’s solution found 57% more underground utilities than what the existing records showed.  

Pilot with Ferrovial 

Exodigo played a crucial role in Ferrovial’s Wastewater treatment project by leveraging its multi-sensing fusion and AI technology to craft precise underground maps of a brownfield site in Texas. This collaboration enabled Ferrovial to accurately comprehend the locations of subsurface assets and hazards. These detailed maps guided Ferrovial’s subsequent planning, ensuring the efficient execution of the facility’s expansion. 

Expansion & strategic investments 

Following its participation in Construction Startup Competition, Exodigo successfully achieved the principal objective for which it applied: expanding its presence in the United States & beyond. Between 2022 and 2024, Exodigo expanded its presence in Europe by entering markets in the United Kingdom & France, significantly increasing its team. 

In the 1^st quarter of 2024, success has not stopped: Exodigo announced a US$105M Series A Round & won ARPA-E funding from the U.S. Department of Energy to improve America’s aging power grid by developing cost-effective, high-speed, & safe undergrounding technologies. 

Exodigo’s insights 

Wondering what Exodigo’s experience was like at Construction Startup Competition 2022? Here’s a firsthand insight: 

“Being a part of the Cemex Ventures program was a great opportunity for our growing startup. We were able to engage with some top companies in the industry and have since done projects with both Ferrovial and VINCI, who we met through the program. Since finishing the program, we have also closed a historically large Series A Round, launched in the UK and France, nearly doubled the size of our team, and won a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy. We are confident that the rest of 2024 and beyond will bring more success for us!” – Bret Simon, Utilities Partnerships Lead at Exodigo 

Why you should apply to Construction Startup Competition? 

If you want to scale exponentially & take your startup to the next level, apply to Construction Startup Competition 2024 and reap the benefits: 

• Expand your network by joining the biggest ecosystem in the construction industry, made up of 5000+ startups and 300+ investors & corporate partners. 
• Selected winners will receive cash prizes. By applying, you’ll also be eligible to receive strategic investment. 
• Gain visibility and start conversations to pilot & test your solution in real markets anywhere in the world. 
• Pitch your solution to executive representatives of the competition partners on the biggest stage for construction investors at Pitch Day 2024.