Build Raises €7.4 million in Seed Funding Led by Index Ventures

The round also saw participation from Pebblebed, Puzzle Ventures, Tiny.vc, and tech executives including OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar and Blackstone CTO John Stecher.

The company plans to use the funding to grow its engineering and infrastructure teams, speed up research and development, and expand its commercial operations across North America and Europe.

Demand for AI infrastructure, power, and industrial capacity is growing faster than supply, creating challenges for governments and developers around the world. At the same time, many consulting and engineering firms lack the resources to invest heavily in AI technologies.

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The company's AI platform automates key infrastructure tasks such as site selection, technical reviews, power assessments, and early-stage design, helping customers reduce project timelines by more than 95%. It analyzes data from over 1,600 sources and has been used on more than 100 projects across 15 countries for governments, Fortune 500 companies, and major real estate firms, including Tishman Speyer.

The platform evaluates planning, environmental, power, and regulatory factors at the same time, allowing customers to identify risks earlier and focus on the best opportunities. Its technology is supported by AI specialists and industry experts with experience at companies such as Blackstone, Tishman Speyer, Starwood Capital, and JPMorgan, as well as professionals with decades of experience in data center and infrastructure development.

Ophelia Cai, partner at Tiny.vc, says: “What stood out immediately about Build was the ambition of the vision and the speed of execution. James and Ben understood early that AI was about to move beyond software and begin transforming how real-world work gets done. Infrastructure remains one of the largest untapped opportunities for AI and Build is creating a completely new model for how critical projects are delivered.”

Martin Mignot, partner at Index Ventures, adds: “Build represents a new generation of AI companies focused on delivering actual work rather than simply improving software workflows. James and Ben have combined deep technical capability with real operational understanding of how critical infrastructure gets built. The infrastructure challenge is global and what the team has achieved before launch is extraordinary.”

James Stirrat-Ellis, co-founder and CEO of Build, says: “The industries shaping the physical world have spent decades trapped in process instead of creativity. By removing that operational burden, we can help teams move faster, make better decisions and deliver better infrastructure. That’s the long-term opportunity and we’re only at the beginning of it.”

About Build

Founded in 2024 by James Stirrat-Ellis and Ben McClusky, Build develops an AI platform that automates key tasks for large real estate projects. Its multi-agent AI system helps with site selection, technical due diligence, power assessment and early stage structural design.

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