Nemetschek Group and KEWAZO Discuss Digitalization of Construction Sites

Sanjay Gangal interviews Tanja Kufner, Head of Startups & Venture Investments at the Nemetschek Group, and Artem Kuchukov, CEO and Co-Founder of KEWAZO

Tanja, the Nemetschek Group has recently invested in the German robotics startup KEWAZO. Why KEWAZO?

Tanja: Currently, all stakeholders in the construction industry are facing acute challenges: rising prices for raw materials, labor shortage, and a high pressure on productivity often result in cost overruns and low efficiency in construction projects. That’s where digital solutions come into play: We as the Nemetschek Group are one of the leading providers for software and in combination with KEWAZO’s robotic products that enable the automation and digitalization of the on-site material flow by combining robotics and data analytics, we can help customers worldwide to respond to these challenges.

Artem, you are CEO and one of the Co-Founders of KEWAZO. Why did you found KEWAZO and what is its mission?

Artem: Our Mission is to become the leading construction robotics company! KEWAZO was founded in 2018 with the vision to digitize on-site construction operations with robotics and data analytics. Our founding team combines knowledge and experience in the fields of construction robotics, civil engineering, programming, and business. Today we are one of the leading construction robotics startups in the world, employing over 40 employees. We work closely with our customers, manufacturing partners and industry experts to digitize construction sites and improve the working conditions for millions of construction workers across the globe.

How does KEWAZO add value to the construction industry and its processes?

Artem: By being involved in critical on-site activities, the robotic products of KEWAZO collect key operational data. This data is then processed and provided to customers as actionable insights via the data analytics platform, enhancing the transparency of what happens on-site at construction sites and industrial plants. The results are a data-driven and proactive project management. Since 2021, KEWAZO’s products have been used on Europe’s iconic construction sites and leading industrial plants in the oil, gas, energy, and chemical industries. The results speak for themselves: By implementing KEWAZO’s solutions, 70% of man-hours can be saved. This is not only addressing the critical labor-shortage, but simultaneously reducing the risk of accidents and improving overall working conditions on-site.

Tanja, this is the first investment in a robotics startup for the Nemetschek Group, but not your first investment in general. Will Nemetschek continue its strategy to invest in startups?

Tanja: Yes, KEWAZO is our first investment in a robotics company. We like to invest globally across various stages. Last year, we led a Series A round in Sablono, one of the leading German startups in digital lean technology for construction enterprises.  Our Series B participation in US-based Reconstruct, a leader in remote quality control and progress tracking software validates our thesis around the necessity and impact of computer vision and artificial intelligence (AI) in construction. Imerso, our Norwegian investment offers a next generation digital twin platform to automate construction quality monitoring through a combination of advanced artificial intelligence (AI), reality capture, and BIM technologies and we invested in SymTerra, a communication platform for construction based in the UK.

All these investments are a perfect fit to our strategy of supporting young companies to shape the future AEC/O market and drive innovation.

What are your expectations after the financing round?

Artem: The investment by the global player Nemetschek is a big step forward for us. It closes the gap between onsite hardware and software, which is often only used in offices. It allows us to make the construction site more digital, smarter, and safer for everyone.

Tanja: The cash infusion from excellent investor group will enable KEWAZO’s team to grow their team, accelerate the go to market in other regions and the development of new features. We look forward to work closely with the team, accompany on their exciting path, digitize all construction sites and shape the built world together.

This entry was posted on Friday, May 19th, 2023 at 12:29 pm. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.