Dusty Robotics raises an additional $45 million for its construction robots
Californian startup Dusty Robotics has announced a $45 million in Series B. The funding round was led by the American venture capitalist firm Scale Venture Partners and comes off the back of a $16.5 million Series A last July. This brings its total funding up to around $69 million, valuing Dusty Robotics at $250 million.
The company’s main robot – the FieldPrinter – is used on construction sites to designate the design plan layout. It uses digital plans, which directly print on the ground of the site, resulting in a more accurate layout, created quicker than when manually drawn. Dusty Robotics says that its tech is capable of reducing construction time and human error.
The FieldPrinter system has already been widely adopted in the US: the startup claims that its robots have laid out 2.3 million square meters in the first quarter of 2022. What’s more, a newer, more advanced version of the robot has just been released, with features including QR code printing and automated obstacle avoidance.
Estonian startup Werk tackling construction sector recruitment
Founded in Tallinn in 2020, the Estonian startup Werk is the first hiring and relocation platform for skilled migrant construction workers. It was created in response to the Europe-wide labour shortage on construction sites. It has just raised $1.3 million in a pre-seed round led by Change Ventures.
The startup aims to bring transparency and ethics to a market that’s feeling the strain. The company handles paperwork and visa documentation through automated procedures and also conducts employer negotiations. Werk only works with companies that guarantee they will provide foreign workers with the same payment terms, treatment and protection conditions as they would to local workers.
The company has been growing 20% month-on-month and aims to expand its team of seven to 25 by the end of the year. What’s more, it has just signed a partnership with the Uzbekistan government, to help Uzbeks as they arrive in Europe to work. This comes as recruitment from Russia has now been stopped since the invasion of Ukraine, which was an important recruiting ground for European construction sites.
Israeli company Buildots raises $60 million for its solution featuring AI and computer vision
Less than a year after its Series B round, Buildots has just raised $60 million in Series C with funding led by Viola Growth and O.G. Tech. Existing investors TLV Partners, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Future Energy Ventures and Maor Investments also took part in the funding round. Following this round, the total amount of equity investment in the company has grown to over $106 million.
Founded in Tel Aviv in 2018, Buildots uses artificial intelligence and computer vision to improve the accuracy in monitoring construction developments. Helmets fitted with a 360° camera are used two or three times a week to capture onsite progress. The company’s algorithms then analyse the videos and compare the onsite footage with designs to flag up any problems.
Buildbots’ easy-to-hold solution acts as a mobile control room, enabling project managers to make decisions quickly that will speed up construction times and reduce costs. What’s more, the solution provides all team members with much more detailed information, enabling them to make better-informed decisions. Buildots is already deployed on construction sites throughout North America, Europe and the Middle East.
There’s more:
Finalcad raises 10 million euros for its application specialising in the monitoring of construction sites – Le Moniteur
Yespark raises €28 million to create 30,000 parking spaces with charging stations – Les Echos
American startup MSuite joins Stanley Black & Decker – Clay and Milk
Cosmic develops self-sufficient and modular small houses in Aquitaine – Neozone
