Litehaus Raises €1.46M Pre-Seed to Build the "Uber of Construction" Platform

Litehaus, which launched early last year, calls itself the “Uber of construction,” with Thibault saying the company just wants to connect all the currently fragmented parts of the home-building process. It matches landowners and property developers with other professionals such as construction companies, architects, contractors, and interior designers. The company allows users to track costs, coordinate schedules with the hired workers, and track the progress of the building in real time. 

Investors here and across the pond clearly agree. Last week, Litehaus announced a €1.46 million pre-seed round, co-led by the U.K.’s Cornerstone VC and Explorer Fund, one of Portugal’s largest private equity funds. Claster Group, a Luxembourgish family office, and angel investor Pascal Levy, a venture partner at Long Journey Ventures here in the U.S., also participated in the round.  

“The shortage of housing across Europe has triggered a crisis, driving up the cost of living as home ownership becomes increasingly out of reach,” Rodney Appiah, a managing partner at Cornerstone VC, said. “When I first met Thibault and Simi, I was struck by their compelling vision: to make building a home as simple as buying one, catalyzing the construction industry to bring greater transparency, sustainability, quality, and trust to the home-building process.” 

Thibault called the fundraising journey “intense.” He said he and Simi had known their lead investors for years through mutual friends. Thibault, who is from France, is the founder of an immersive gaming studio in Portugal, but he has also invested in numerous companies, both as an angel investor and through his work at firms 50 Partners and Origins, based in France and New York, respectively. Before that, he worked at a French mining company and in green tech.

Simi, meanwhile, was born in Nigeria and grew up in London. She ran a contemporary art gallery, a wellness brand for women of color, and worked as a consultant and strategist for various firms on law and Africa. 

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