Kraaft, a Paris-based startup dedicated to transforming the construction industry through its AI-powered collaboration platform, has successfully raised €13 million in a Series A funding round. This capital will be utilized to enhance product development and expand into key markets, including the UK and Germany. The funding round was led by Dawn Capital, with contributions from Brick & Mortar Ventures, Chalfen Ventures, Stride VC, and OSS Ventures.
Thomas Reygagne, Co-founder and CEO of Kraaft, expressed enthusiasm about the partnership with Dawn Capital and other investors, emphasizing their shared vision of empowering frontline construction workers with an easy-to-use and productivity-enhancing application. He noted that the rapid growth of Kraaft illustrates the demand for a platform that effectively connects field and office operations. Reygagne highlighted the long-standing neglect of technological innovation in construction and the company’s commitment to improving working conditions while enhancing productivity in the sector.
Founded in 2020 by Marc Nègre, Cédric Boidin, and Thomas Reygagne, Kraaft addresses persistent inefficiencies within the construction industry. The platform facilitates real-time communication between field and office operations, incorporating features such as photo geolocation, document management, and AI-driven workflows.
The construction sector, which generated €12.5 trillion in global output in 2023, has been slow to adopt technology, with IT spending accounting for only 1–2% of revenue, compared to 3–5% in other industries. Kraaft’s user-friendly design, inspired by popular messaging apps like WhatsApp, ensures that no training is required for users, promoting seamless adoption among frontline workers.
Since its €3.2 million Seed round in 2023, Kraaft has seen its user base triple, now serving over 1,000 companies and facilitating more than one million messages monthly. The platform supports five languages—English, Spanish, German, Italian, and French—and has established partnerships with leading European construction firms, including SAUR, NGE, SPIE CityNetworks, Ramery, Serfim, Sade, and Gagneraud.
Norman Fiore, Co-founder and General Partner at Dawn Capital, remarked on the importance of people in the construction industry, noting that one in every ten individuals works in this sector. He emphasized that success in construction hinges on improving working conditions and expressed confidence in Kraaft’s solution, which is both easy to adopt and well-received by workers and managers alike.
In addition to catering to enterprise customers, Kraaft offers a free plan designed for small businesses, aiming to enhance accessibility across the construction ecosystem. The platform has demonstrated tangible results, including a reported 15% improvement in managing change orders, which directly contributes to increased project margins.
Looking ahead, Kraaft plans to roll out new features in 2025, such as planning and timesheets for project management, API integrations with platforms like Procore, and AI-driven automation tools to further boost productivity.
Marc Nègre, Co-founder and CPO at Kraaft, highlighted the growing significance of messaging in the digital landscape, asserting that Kraaft’s intuitive tool can yield remarkable results in an industry that has been slow to embrace digital transformation. He expressed pride in the positive feedback from users, particularly foremen who have praised the app’s ease of use.
Guillaume Bazouin, Partner at Brick & Mortar Ventures, noted that Kraaft is reshaping the construction industry by bridging the gap between field and office operations. He emphasized the startup’s ability to replace outdated tools with an intuitive platform that enhances collaboration, boosts productivity, and improves project margins, expressing excitement about supporting the team as they scale globally.
Kraaft’s adoption during the COVID-19 pandemic, where workers in France utilized the app to enhance communication and manage field operations, underscores its potential to innovate the construction sector.