French startup Materrup raises €26 million to open 10 low-carbon cement factories
The French startup Matterup aims to open 10 factories in Europe to produce its innovative clay-based cement, whose production generates half as much CO2 than its traditional counterpart. To achieve this goal, the startup has just completed a €26 million funding round led by the French investment company Eurazeo and the EIC Fund from the European Innovation Council. Previous investors UI Investissement, Aquiti, IRDI and Argiduna Capital also participated in the funding round.
The company, which has been awarded the EIC Accelerator and French Tech 2030 labels, was founded in 2018 by brothers Charles and Mathieu Neuville, who developed a cement formula using clay instead of traditional limestone. This patented process reduces CO2 emissions by half, while maintaining the same high performance and at the same cost of traditional cement.
Matterup will use these new funds to expand its technological platform internationally, while aiming to build its first 10 production plants in France and Europe, in partnership with cement and construction manufacturers. The startup currently has around 20 employees, but plans to accelerate its growth by recruiting quickly, with 10 positions already open at its headquarters in the Landes department in France.
Materrup has already signed partnerships with key companies in the sector such as Vinci, Vicat and Bouygues Immobilier, producing more than 10,000 m3 of low-carbon concrete for projects including building foundations, pavements and cycle paths.
Google launches a support program for infrastructure sector startups
Google recently announced the launch of its Google for Startups AI Academy: American Infrastructure program in the US. This 12-week program is intended to help startups bring AI technology to areas such as agriculture, energy, education, public safety, healthcare, telecommunications, transportation, urban development, disaster prevention, environment, smart manufacturing and logistics.
Participants will receive practical training from AI experts, as well as workshops on sales and go-to-market strategies, while also gaining access to industry connections and Google’s AI tools. The program is free for the selected startups.
However, Google has already supported several startups in these sectors in the past, even if they weren’t directly focused on the public infrastructure and services industries. Google’s community of alumni which graduated from its various startup support programs in recent years include JustAir, which uses AI to monitor air pollution, Cambio, which focuses on decarbonizing commercial real estate, and Sensagrate which works to reduce traffic accidents.
French startup Kelvin raises €5 million for its software that generates energy retrofit plans
Kelvin, a French startup founded in October 2023, has just raised €4.7 million during a funding round led by Racine² (MGEN’s new venture capital fund operated by Makesense and Serena), with contributions from Bpifrance, Seedcamp, Raise Capital, Kima Ventures, Motier Ventures and several business angels. The startup uses artificial intelligence to develop a SaaS solution for automating home energy assessments for B2B customers.
Based on computer vision and machine learning technologies, the startup’s solution aims to streamline and optimize energy performance assessments for residential buildings, by analyzing various data sets, including satellite images, public databases and millions of photos and energy assessments from its own databases.
Furthermore, Kelvin has developed a remote inspection tool that guides users to collect precise data via photos and videos, without the need for expensive 3D technology such as lidar. Various measurements can be taken with this solution, which remains incredibly accessible to users with a standard smartphone. AI models then analyze the collected data to count radiators, detect doors, determine ceiling height or identify the type of boiler or ventilation.
The startup’s potential clients include construction and real estate companies, as well as financial institutions interested in obtaining precise assessments for financing retrofit projects. Kelvin has set itself a target of around a hundred customers by 2025, while also looking to complete 5,000 energy assessments by the end of the year.
There’s more…
UK startup Dataform Lab raises £1.1 million to develop its modular construction tech – Read more on Tech.eu
French startup Ecodrop raises €6 million for its construction site waste solution – Read more on Capital Finance
Dutch startup Haaven raises €1.1 million to expand access to prefabricated homes – Read more on The Next Web
US startup ResVR raises $1.7 million for its 3D homebuilding visualization tech – Read more on Real Estate Magazine
