Build.inc, a New York-based AI-native autonomous services firm for the built world, has raised €7.4 million in seed funding led by Index Ventures. The company pairs agentic AI with domain experts to compress commercial real estate and infrastructure pre-development work from months to days. The round marks its public launch after 18 months in stealth.
AI Infrastructure Boom Accelerates Timelines
The timing aligns with surging demand for data center and infrastructure projects. Competitors like Northspyre raised $34.4 million including a $25 million Series B in February 2022, while Briq secured an $8 million extension in January 2024 at a $150 million valuation. Adaptive closed a $19 million Series A in July 2024. Build's model of delivering completed work rather than selling software addresses the pre-construction bottleneck.
Pre-Development Work Remains Slow and Costly
Traditional desktop due diligence for a single data center site can cost $25,000 and take six weeks, according to founder accounts. Build processes 1,600+ data sources simultaneously across grid capacity, environmental risks, zoning, and financials. Human experts review outputs for 100% auditability back to source documents.
Dougie Platform Executes Full Workflows
Build's multi-agent system, Dougie, built on LangGraph, automates site selection, due diligence, underwriting, and investment committee memos. Clients email projects and receive verified deliverables in days at half market rates and 10x speed. Unlike competitors such as Archistar or Procore that provide tools for human use, Build functions as an AI operating partner that delivers outcomes.
"Build represents a genuinely new model for professional services — one that the data centre buildout and the broader built world urgently needs." — Martin Mignot, Index Ventures
Index Ventures Leads Cross-Sector Syndicate
The round included Pebblebed (founded by OpenAI and Meta AI Research alumni), Tishman Speyer as a strategic investor, and angels from OpenAI and Blackstone. This mix signals validation for agentic AI applied to real estate workflows rather than pure software plays.
AI in Construction Market Expands Rapidly
The AI in construction market stands at $3.02 billion in 2026 and is projected to reach $9.48 billion by 2030. Data center capacity is set to double by 2030, requiring up to $3 trillion in investment. Build has already delivered 150+ projects across 18 countries for clients including Tishman Speyer, the UK Government, and hyperscalers, serving $2 trillion in collective AUM.
Founders Combine Architecture and AI Research
Co-founder and CEO James Stirrat-Ellis previously managed large-scale projects at Heatherwick Studio including Singapore's Changi Airport T5. Co-founder and CTO Ben McClusky brings multi-agent reinforcement learning expertise from Imperial College London and prior work at Gorillas. The nine-person team operates from New York, San Francisco, and London.
Platform Supports National Expansion
With 10 open positions listed and 5x throughput growth in the past month, Build is positioned to scale its agentic services into energy and industrial asset classes beyond data centers.