Among hundreds of applications from over 70 countries, Kraaft was one of eight promising start-ups selected after a rigorous selection process for their potential to transform the construction sector in four key areas: productivity, sustainable construction, supply chain management and new construction methods and technologies.
Winner Kraaft, a French start-up supported by Leonard
Leonard has teamed up with eight of the world’s leading names in the construction industry – Cemex Ventures, Caterpillar, Dysruptek by Haskell, Ferrovial, Hilti, NOVA by Saint-Gobain, Trimble and Zacua Ventures – to organize this latest edition of the Construction Startup Competition, which recognizes the most promising start-ups and encourages their development.
French start-up Kraaft is one of eight winners selected for their potential to transform the construction sector, alongside :
- GScan (Estonia),
- Kaya AI (United States),
- Mixteresting GmbH (Austria),
- Raise Robotics (United States),
- Revitalyze (Austria),
- Sodex Innovations GmbH (Austria) et
- Trunk Tools (United States).
Kraaft joined Leonard’s CATALYST Program in 2022. Dedicated to mature startups, this program supports project leaders in achieving their objectives, giving them the means to deploy innovative services and products, in collaboration with VINCI group Business Units.
Kraaft’s acceleration within this framework has enabled it to extend its installation within the Group’s ecosystem: today, more than one hundred VINCI Construction and VINCI Energies entities are using the solution.
“CATALYST has enabled us to enter the construction ecosystem and gain access to VINCI decision-makers and new prospects. The support offered by Leonard and his network has enabled us to significantly accelerate the company’s development, and to better position ourselves in this rich ecosystem.” comments Marc Negre, Kraaft co-founder.
Kraaft, an innovative messaging application
Kraaft is a Contech company that helps people working on construction sites to communicate better, by means of an innovative messaging application. The aim is to turn traditional approaches to site follow-up on their head: instead of imposing forms and processes defined by the client, Kraaft enables field teams to communicate as simply as by SMS (with photos of milestones, key site documents, progress messages…).
Then, manually or via artificial intelligence, these messages are classified in reports, databases and maps. It is specifically designed for field teams. What sets Kraaft apart in its market is its “Plug & Play” proposition, a solution that is intuitive to use, and requires no specific training. Kraaft acts as a link between operational teams and decision-makers, enabling precise monitoring of project management: it can be used by all players in the construction site chain.
Kraaft’s software not only facilitates communication and the sharing of information in real time on construction sites, but also the storage of content. A classification system based on AI modules classifies information and makes it easy to use, facilitating worksite monitoring. In this way, it is adapted both to the constraints of field teams and to the needs of site managers.
“Kraaft continues to grow, and now has 16,000 active users in France, Belgium, Switzerland and Luxembourg. Receiving this new distinction encourages us in our technical development, which includes the integration of customized AI bricks, as well as our commercial development, with short-term objectives of international expansion, in Germany and the UK as a priority.” comments Marc Negre, Kraaft co-founder.
Next stage of the competition: Pitch Day on November 12
The overall winner will be announced at the end of the final stage of the competition, the “Pitch Day”, to be held on November 12 in Las Vegas as part of the annual Trimble Dimensions conference. This day will give the finalist startups the opportunity to present their projects to industry leaders, and to be put in touch with industry leaders and investors. Gold, silver and bronze medal-winning start-ups will also receive financial compensation.
