The construction start-up, which helps construction companies improve their environmental and financial performance, has successfully completed its first funding round of 1.5 million euros led by AFI Ventures to accelerate its national deployment on construction sites.
Optimiz Construction secures 1.5 million euros in its first round of funding, with the support of AFI Ventures (Ventech’s early-stage impact fund), SISTA Fund, KIMA Ventures, and a few Business Angels such as Alexandre Brochot, President of Saqara, Jérôme Manuguerra, co-founder of Masteos, and Nicolas Mondollot, co-founder of Drivy.
80% of new constructions in France are made of reinforced concrete. To strengthen their floors and walls, they are composed of welded meshes, a grid of steel bars, cut on construction sites. “The equivalent of 18 times the weight of the Eiffel Tower in welded meshes is discarded in France every year. Meanwhile, construction companies are facing major cost challenges, with steel prices, in particular, having tripled due to Covid and the war in Ukraine,” says Marion Malandain, CEO and founder of Optimiz Construction.
Time, money, and CO2 savings
In 2021, facing challenges within the construction company, Marion Malandain launched Optimiz Construction, had a solution for optimising welded meshes that reduces steel consumption by 15%. The platform, which also improves efficiency on the construction site, leads to significant savings in time, money, and most importantly, CO2 emissions for building companies. After all, the construction industry is responsible for over 20% of greenhouse gas emissions in France, and the consumption of over 4.3 million tonnes of steel is one of the main reasons. “The treatment of steel waste, which needs to be melted at over 1,000°C for reuse, has a significant environmental impact. Avoiding waste from the start is Optimiz’s mission to reduce the carbon footprint of the building industry,” explains the founder.
1.5 million euros to accelerate growth
Today, the majority of major French construction companies such as VINCI Construction, Fayat Bâtiment, and Spie Batignolles, as well as numerous ETIs and SMEs, are utilizing the services of Optimiz Construction. They are all equally sensitive to adopting new practices to reduce their carbon footprint and strengthen their margins. “Optimiz has been in existence for 2 years and has collaborated on over 50 construction sites, both with SMEs and major players in the sector. The strength of our service lies in its adaptability to each major construction project, as it becomes cost-effective from the first steel installation,” details Marion Malandain. “This funding will be used to deploy Optimiz throughout France and enhance our offering. We will double our teams by the end of the year,” Marion Malandain continues. “The objective is to consolidate our technological advantage by strengthening our technical team while recruiting new sales profiles to support our clients in the field.”
Charles Fourault, Partner at AFI Ventures, comments: “At AFI Ventures, we firmly believe that startups can have a real impact if they address environmental challenges while improving the financial performance of their clients. This is what Marion and the Optimiz Construction team offer in the construction industry by significantly reducing the material requirements of construction sites. What they have achieved in less than 2 years shows that the approach they have taken is the right one and addresses a real need!”
“Marion has impressed us with her execution capacity and expertise in the sector,” adds Alice Groth, Associate at SISTA Fund. “We are very proud to support Optimiz in this fundraising stage.
