Start-ups challenged to build the Future of Construction
Cemex Ventures, Cemex’s corporate venture capital (CVC) and open innovation unit, announced their Construction Startup Competition 2023, which is the biggest competition in the construction industry for startups.
Cemex Ventures is joined in its 7th Competition edition by prominent leaders such as Black & Veatch, Dysruptek by Haskell, Ferrovial, Hilti, VINCI Group’s Leonard, NOVA by Saint-Gobain, Trimble and Trimble Ventures, and Zacua Ventures.
The international, all-inclusive Competition is an instrument to foster collaboration and advance the most promising startup technologies and business models in the construction sector. The Competition partners are searching for solutions to make construction more sustainable, productive, agile, and innovative.
“The Construction Startup Competition is a mechanism for startups to bring their solutions to a global stage and benefit from the relationships formed with the corporate partners and other outstanding startups,” said Gonzalo Galindo, Head of Cemex Ventures. “Every year the Construction Startup Competition attracts new startups and industry leading corporates, so it’s no surprise that the Competition counts on a network of more than 3000 startups, some of which have gone on to become unicorns.”
Competition benefits include networking, capital, piloting, and the opportunity to pitch to top industry investors. Following the closing of the application phase on July 2, 2023, the Competition’s hosting partners will deliberate and decide on the winners who will be invited to the final stage of the Competition, Pitch Day, scheduled for November 2023. The selected entrepreneurs will get the opportunity to showcase their solutions to the Competition’s jurors, as well as leading companies and investors from the construction and technology industry at Trimble’s Dimensions User Conference.
The Construction Startup Competition has seen almost 2,500 startups from more than 80 countries participate since its first edition. As the sector demands evolution, top innovators and industry giants are joining Cemex Ventures in the call to disrupt the construction industry. And with investment stable despite the current macroeconomic forces, the time to act is now.
The Construction Startup Competition 2023 challenges startups in the sector to “Join the Builders of the Future Now” by applying at www.cemexventures.com/constructionstartupcompetition.
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 2023 edition expects to see an increase in the number of applications, to identify the most innovative solutions around the world, continue growing the Contech ecosystem and begin agile implementation of the innovative technologies and business models.
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.
BLACK & VEATCH
Black & Veatch is a 100-percent employee-owned global engineering, procurement, consulting and construction company with a more than 100-year track record of innovation in sustainable infrastructure. Since 1915, they have helped clients improve the lives of people around the world by addressing the resilience and reliability of our most important infrastructure assets.
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.
FERROVIAL
Ferrovial is a leading global infrastructure operator committed to developing sustainable solutions. It is a member of Spain’s blue-chip IBEX 35 index and is also included in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index and FTSE4Good Index; all its operations are conducted in compliance with the principles of the UN Global Compact, which the company adopted in 2002.
THE HILTI GROUP
The Hilti Group supplies the worldwide construction and energy industries with technologically leading products, systems, software and services. With about 31,000 team members in over 120 countries the company stands for strong customer relationships, quality and innovation. Hilti generated annual sales of nearly USD 6.5 billion in 2021 and 6 to 7 percent of sales revenue is invested each year in research and development.
VINCI GROUP’S LEONARD
Leonard is the innovation and foresight platform set up by VINCI, a global player in concessions, energy and construction businesses, employing more than 272,000 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 operation in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Latin America.
NOVA BY SAINT-GOBAIN
NOVA, the external venturing 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 connects the global startup community with the power, resources, and experience of Saint-Gobain to address the needs of today and challenges of tomorrow.
TRIMBLE
Trimble is an industrial technology company transforming the way the world works by delivering solutions that enable our customers to thrive. Core technologies in positioning, modeling, connectivity and data analytics connect the digital and physical worlds to improve productivity, quality, safety, transparency and sustainability. From purpose-built products to enterprise lifecycle solutions, Trimble is transforming industries such as agriculture, construction, geospatial and transportation.
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.
ZACUA VENTURES
Zacua Ventures is a global early-stage venture fund tackling world’s biggest challenges across Sustainability, Productivity and Urbanization and backed by the most innovative corporates in the built world. Zacua is led by partners with more than 30 years of combined industry experience and who have been investing in construction tech for the past decade. With regional presence in San Francisco, Madrid and Singapore, Zacua helps entrepreneurs to build and strengthen their value proposition and scale their businesses globally, leveraging deep corporate networks.
