A daily newsletter summarizing recent activity & interesting start-ups globally
RECENT NOTABLE ACTIVITY – CONSTRUCTION TECH
- 3D Robotics, a developer of both consumer and commercial drones & autopilot systems and BIM solutions, raised $53M in a Series D round from Atlantic Bridge Capital, Foundry Group, Mayfield, Autodesk, and True Ventures. Link
- OfBusiness, an online B2B marketplace connecting buyers and sellers of industrial supplies, raised an undisclosed amount in a Debt round from InnoVen Capital. Link
- Field ID, a provider of safety and compliance management solutions, was acquired by eCompliance for an undisclosed amount. Link
- Yard Club, an online equipment rental marketplace, was acquired by Caterpillar for an undisclosed amount. Link
SOME INTERESTING STARTUPS FOUND
Smartsite Safety (2016, Birmingham, $120.00k) – provider of sensor-based safety solutions for construction sites.
LEADER BOARD – CONSTRUCTION TECH
Design Tools
Autodesk (1982, San Rafael, IPO) – Provides design and information modeling software for architecture, engineering, construction, manufacturing, entertainment and media industries. Went public in 1985.
Trimble (1978, Sunnyvale, IPO) – Provides advanced positioning and mobile solutions for productivity enhancement across various industries. As of part of its Connected Construction Site strategy, Trimble is making acquisitions to provide AEC industry with tools to manage entireconstruction project lifecycle. Notable acquisitions include SketchUp, Tekla, Gehry Technologies, Vico Software and Meridian Systems. Went public in 1990.
Project Management – Suite
Aconex (2000, Melbourne, IPO) – Provides solutions for document management, BIM collaboration, bidding & tenders, workflow management, field inspections, and reporting. Went public in 2014.
Textura (2004, Deerfield, IPO, Acq.) – Provides CPM, EPP, field management and submittal exchange services. Went public in 2013. Acquired by Oracle in April 2016 for $663M.
Procore (2003, Carpinteria, $181M) – Provides owners and AEC professionals with cloud-based & mobile collaboration and project management solutions. Backed by Iconiq Capital, Bessemer VP and Great Pacific Capital.
Project Management – Pre-Construction Management
BuildingConnected (2012, SF, $8.5M) – Platform for preconstruction bidding. Contractors send invites, network and communicate with bidders, and subcontractors securely bid. Backed by CrossLink Capital, Brick and Mortar Ventures, Bee Partners and Freestyle Capital.
iSqFt (1993, Cincinnati, $16M, Acq.) – Helps project owners, architects, engineers, contractors, subcontractors, building product manufacturers, suppliers, and distributors to find commercial construction leads, build connections, sell more products, control the bid management process, and perform digital takeoffs. Acquired by Genstar Capital in October 2014.
Project Management – Field Management
PlanGrid (2011, SF, $59M) – Provides professionals in construction with drawing management solutions, sharing photos, managing RFIs, punch lists and tracking issues. Backed by Y Combinator, Base Ventures, 500 Startups, Navitas Capital and Sequoia Capital.
Newforma (2003, Manchester, $21M) – Provides Project Information Management (PIM) software for AEC firms. Helps manage Submittals, Punch List, RFIs, documents and create daily reports. Backed by Borealis Ventures, Kodiak VP and NBVP.
Marketplaces – Heavy Equipment
Noble Iron (2010, Houston, IPO) – Equipment rental service and enterprise software applications to manage the complete equipment ownership lifecycle from acquisition, renting and sales. Went public in 2012.
Ironplanet (1999, Pleasanton, $92M, Acq.) – An online marketplace for buying and selling of used heavy equipment, such as construction, mining, forestry, and agricultural equipment and related peripheral items. Also provides physical inspection services for equipment listed in its marketplace. Backed by Accel Partners and KPCB.
Marketplaces – Construction Materials
BuildDirect (1999, Vancouver, $104M) – Online retailer and marketplace for home improvement products. Backed by OMERS Ventures, Mohr Davidow Ventures, BMO Asset Management, Difference Capital and Dynamic Funds.
Building Technologies – Robotics
Fast Brick Robotics (2005, Perth, Acq., IPO) – Developed a brick laying robot that uses information fed from a 3D CAD representation of the home to place bricks with a laying speed of 1,000 bricks per hour and can construct an average house in 1-2 days. Was acquired by DMY Capital in September 2015 and went Public through reverse IPO in November 2015.
Building Technologies – 3D Printing
WinSun (2010, Shanghai, $23M) – An architectural 3D printing technology company. Investor undisclosed.
Building Technologies – Modular Construction
ConXtech (2004, Hayward, $56M) – Provides chassis based modular steel building systems. Backed by Saudi Aramco Energy Ventures and Columbus Nova.
Leader board includes all the top funded, IPO and successfully running bootstrapped companies along with their location, founding year and funding amount.
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