Scalera has built an AI assistant for construction admin. Here's the pitch deck the startup used to secure $6.5 million.

• Swiss startup Scalera raised $6.5 million to automate some parts of construction admin with AI.
• Scalera's platform automates some procurement and tender tasks to save time for construction firms.
• BI got an exclusive look at the pitch deck it used to secure the fresh funds.

A Swiss startup has raised $6.5 million for its AI tool that automates supply chain admin in the construction industry.

Scalera.ai, a spinout from Zurich-based university ETH, has built a platform that acts as an AI assistant to handle construction companies' procurement and tenders.

That includes buying the materials and supplies for construction projects, evaluating their quality, and hiring contractors to carry out the work.

"We work with the tender documents, and automatically identify and find the right suppliers and subcontractors," said Leonardo Reinhard, Scalera.ai's CEO and cofounder. "This goes for both the construction contractors and the supply side."

Scalera says it automates everything from the extraction and assignment of material packages to coordinating quote requests and automating proposals for subcontractors.

Reinhard said he found construction companies to be inefficient in the way they carried out the tender process.

"We saw construction companies carry out thousands of tenders, which takes a lot of time and manual labour," he said. "The people in the construction process have to be skilled, know the products and the suppliers. It's repetitive work, and many people do it with pen and paper. It's crazy how much time they have to spend on that process."

The startup uses a value-based pricing model that identifies how much time companies can save by using Scalera's software, then takes a cut of that figure.

Scalera works with both construction companies and the supplier side. Its clients include the manufacturing company Butti and the construction company Marti Tunnel AG.

The startup's seed round was led by UK-based VC firm Firstminute and European VC fund Speedinvest, with participation from strategic angels from Google, unicorn startups, and the construction world.

With the cash injection, Scalera plans to grow its headcount, with a focus on its engineering team.

Check out the pitch deck it used to raise the fresh funds.