Swiss Startup Scalera Raises €5.7 Million to Transform Public Construction Procurement with AI
Zurich-based ConstructionTech startup Scalera, an ETH Zürich spin-off, has secured €5.7 million in a Seed funding round to accelerate its expansion into Germany and Austria. The round was led by firstminute capital, Speedinvest, and strategic angels from Google, unicorn startups, and the construction sector.
Leonardo Reinhard, Co-founder and CEO of Scalera, highlights the current inefficiencies in public construction tenders: “To win public tenders today, companies still comb through thousand-page PDFs, copy line items into Excel, and email suppliers one by one. We started Scalera to end that madness and get vital projects moving again — faster, more affordably, and with total transparency.”
Addressing Procurement Inefficiencies in Construction
Founded in 2023 by Leonardo Reinhard (CEO), Sven Affeltranger (CCO), and Federico Gossi (CTO), Scalera offers an AI-powered platform that automates tendering and procurement processes in construction. Its technology parses, matches, and coordinates bids for both public and private projects.
The platform tackles the chaotic procurement workflows by:
- Ingesting lengthy, unstructured tender documents and parsing them with AI
- Mapping tender items to standard taxonomies like NPK, BKP, VOB, and ÖNorm
- Allowing suppliers to upload catalogs that Scalera matches to relevant tenders automatically
These capabilities reduce the bidding cycle from several days to just a few hours, minimize errors, and improve collaboration between buyers and suppliers.
Backing from Leading Investors
Sam Endacott, Partner at firstminute capital, notes the importance of AI in sectors lagging behind in digital transformation: “The construction sector is a perfect example, which is why we are excited to partner with Scalera to reimagine how customers analyse tenders, find suppliers, request quotes, and manage bids.”
Andreas Schwarzenbrunner, General Partner at Speedinvest, adds: “The construction and real estate sector, the largest in Europe, is still stuck in outdated, cumbersome, and inefficient processes. AI can automate essential mid- and back-office functions, improving efficiency and profitability. Scalera’s platform already delivers significant results, and we support their next phase as they expand.”
Market Potential and Growth
Public procurement is a massive market. Governments worldwide spend around €11.5 trillion annually, with the EU alone allocating approximately €1.7 trillion across over 250,000 public bodies for infrastructure projects like roads, housing, energy, and transport.
Scalera has processed over €2.1 billion in tenders and currently covers 65% to 75% of construction contractors in Switzerland. Fueled by 74% month-over-month growth, the company is actively expanding into Germany and Austria, aiming to become the go-to procurement platform in the DACH region.
By automating manual, error-prone processes, Scalera helps governments and construction companies save time and money while increasing transparency and collaboration across the supply chain.
For construction professionals interested in AI applications and improving procurement workflows, exploring relevant training courses can help leverage these innovations effectively. Resources such as Complete AI Training offer courses tailored to various skill levels and job roles.
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