Last Week in ConTech - 10 November 2025
There’s a New Construction Media Powerhouse
Deep Insight: There’s a New Construction Media Powerhouse
A major signal of change in construction media emerged this week as SiteNews, a fast-growing Canadian publication, announced its merger with Actual Media, a long-established construction media platform.
It’s the first real instance of new media merging with old in this space. SiteNews is only three years old, while Actual Media has been around for over twenty. This new entity, Site Media, will operate six publications, run 25 events annually, and reach 200,000 readers with a team of nearly 30.
What makes this merger especially interesting is how it highlights the creative monetization strategies of modern media.
SiteNews ran with a lean team and grew a biweekly newsletter into Canada’s fastest-growing construction publication. Within three years, they launched SiteSummit, their first event, with EllisDon, Canada’s second-largest construction company, as title sponsor.
That growth was possible because SiteNews was seeded by Site Partners, a Canadian marketing agency focused on the industrial and construction sector.
This partnership created a rare synergy: media companies are great at building audiences but often terrible at monetizing them, while most agency-written newsletters read like company propaganda.
By pairing the two, SiteNews built a trusted voice for construction executives. They generated revenue through ads and events, but the real advantage was branding. Whenever a company needed marketing support, Site Partners was top of mind, with its logo appearing in emails. Even three new clients could fund the publication to breakeven.
This merger now becomes a test case for whether agency-led media models can scale through acquisitions. I’ll be curious to know if:
Can they deepen engagement among Actual Media’s legacy readers?
How many of those readers will translate into marketing clients for Site Partners?
If they can pull that off, Site Media could become the blueprint for agency-led B2B media, able to acquire other media publications at valuations competitors can’t match, simply because they have a built-in monetization channel.
As customer acquisition costs keep rising across B2B sectors, I expect to see more startups and agencies launching their own media arms; building trusted, scalable relationships through audience-first strategies.
In this issue there are:
11 Startup Fundings
1 Startup Out of Stealth
15 Policy and Regulatory Changes
7 New National Infrastructure Projects & Priorities
0 New investment funds
2 Acquisitions
8 News articles
22 new jobs posted - view here
Reading time: 14 min
Startup Funding
Procurement
Mad Over Buildings, an Indian startup, raised $720k in funding. They are building an ecommerce platform for building materials, offering financial solutions such as line of credit and escrow backed payment systems. More here.
Grid Tech
Infravision, a Texas startup, raised $91m in Series B funding. They develop aerial robotics like drones that can be used for power grid construction (stringing transmission lines) and maintenance. More here.
Offsite Construction
Buildfactory, an Iowa startup, raised $4.5m in Pre-Seed funding from investors including Building Ventures. They are building a B2B marketplace for offsite construction connecting contractors with vetted fabrication partners and managing the fulfillment end to end, including contracts, milestone based payments and shipment tracking. More here.
Notes:
One of the main challenges with prefabrication is the high cost of setting up and operating factories.
Firms need a steady pipeline of projects to keep that capacity utilized and justify the capital investment.
Buildfactory enables contractors to submit their project scope, budget, and location, then get matched with nearby fabrication partners.
This allows contractors to adopt an asset-light approach, leveraging underused capacity in existing fabrication shops rather than building their own.
Once they validate consistent demand in a specific region, they can consider establishing their own fabrication facilities.
Equipment
Downstream, a Texas startup, raised $8m in Series A funding from investors including Brick & Mortar Ventures. They are building an equipment rental marketplace allowing contractors to manage procurement, bookings and payments in real time for site equipment like dumpsters, fences, generators as well as waste services like junk removal. More here.
Payments
Billd, a Texas startup, raised $7.3m in funding. They have developed financial solutions for commercial subcontractors such as access to working capital solutions like material financing (up to 120 day terms) and pay app advances. More here.
Compliance / Risk
Freeda, a French startup, raised €3.4m in funding from investors including Brick & Mortar Ventures. They’ve developed a plan intelligence platform that combines AI with field expertise to industrialize plan verification and detect hidden errors in plans such as inconsistencies, regulatory non-compliance, and deviations from brand standards within 48 hours, avoiding downstream delays or costly overruns. More here.
Struck, a Dutch startup, raised €2m in Seed funding. They have developed an AI platform to help architects and developers with compliance verification by providing instant insights to building regulation and rules applicable to each project with the goal of automatically verifying if a design meets all legal and environmental standards. They also offer checks for if a project needs a permit and provide location specific building regulation. More here.
Design / Emissions Reduction
C.Scale, a San Francisco startup, raised $2m in Pre-Seed funding. They have developed an AI powered tool for building life cycle assessments to give a holistic description of a building’s materials, systems and environmental impacts and streamlining carbon reporting. More here.
Notes:
C.Scale helps designers understand how their design and material choices impact a project’s carbon emissions.
Interestingly, their tool appears to be free and generates revenue by sharing information with manufacturers, offering qualified leads based on detailed material quantities and carbon performance requirements from the earliest project phases.
This addresses one of the key challenges building distributors face: knowing which projects are approaching purchasing decisions and positioning their solutions as alternatives during the design specification stage.
It’s valuable I’ve been on projects where we wanted to trial a new asphalt mix to meet specific performance or emissions goals.
The specialized knowledge of material properties typically resides with the manufacturer, so we often reach out to trusted partners with whom we have established relationships.
Through this process, we can develop performance-based specifications, and the manufacturer who collaborates with us early is well positioned to secure the contract.
There is currently no system (beyond personal networks) to know when a designer has an active project or is ready to make these decisions, and C.Scale could solve that gap.
Residential
Digs, a Canadian startup, raised $5m in funding. They are building a collaboration platform for the residential construction sector assisting with pre-construction tasks like scheduling, 3D floor plants and diagramming as well as post construction during the handover and aftercare phase with walk through punch lists and warranty management. More here.
Alternative Site Power Systems
Renset, a Dutch startup, raised €600k in funding. They are building lightweight, portable battery systems that can provide renewable, silent power on construction sites. More here.
Notes:
The City of Oslo has mandated (since Jan 1 2025) that all construction work commissioned by them must be performed by zero emission construction equipment.
By 2030, all construction sites (including private) are to be zero-emission.
Business Management
Cactus, a San Francisco startup, raised $7m in funding. They are building an AI copilot for home services companies in sectors such as Plumbing, HVAC and electrical which leverages conversational AI to manage customer communication including answering calls, capturing and qualifying leads, automating follow texts and emails and scheduling jobs. More here.
Out of Stealth
DAERO, a Californian startup, emerged from stealth. They are building an AI suite for construction managers and builders, enabling data capture and coordination directly from the field. View their website here.
Policy and Regulatory Changes
US
New York Takes Step in Plan to Develop Nuclear Reactors Upstate
New York is moving forward with its plan to develop at least 1 gigawatt of nuclear power.
They issued a pair of solicitations for companies and communities that are interested in developing and hosting new reactors.
Construction is to begin by 2033.
Trump administration announces $100 million in funding to upgrade coal plants
The U.S. Department of Energy on Friday announced that it would make $100 million available to refurbish and modernize existing coal-fired power plants.
The Energy Department said last month it would provide $625 million to expand power generation fueled by coal.
New York’s Landmark Legislation Covers Health and Wellness Training for Construction
New York City proposes requiring construction workers to complete mental health and wellness training as part of Site Safety Training.
A separate bill would require construction sites to carry free Naloxone kits and train workers to respond to opioid overdoses.
Michigan OKs landmark regulations that push up-front costs to data centers
The Michigan Public Service Commission adopted a rate structure that requires data centers and other energy-intensive industries in Consumers Energy’s territory to sign long-term power contracts.
If they exit early, there are steep penalties.
The order also requires Consumers to show that data centers will shoulder all costs to build transmission lines, substations and other infrastructure before adding them to the grid.
Illinois lawmakers just passed another big clean-energy bill
Illinois legislators passed a major energy bill that creates grid-battery and geothermal incentives and a virtual-power-plant program.
It calls for the procurement of 3 gigawatts of energy storage by 2030.
The Illinois Power Agency estimates that developing and operating the storage will cost $9.7 billion over 20 years.
Trump Can Reconsider Permit for Offshore Wind Farm, Judge Rules
A federal judge in Washington ruled that the Trump administration may reconsider the Biden-era approval of SouthCoast Wind.
The decision would effectively allow the Interior Department’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to re-evaluate its approval of the project’s construction and operations plan.
As proposed, SouthCoast Wind would include 141 turbines in federal waters about 23 miles south of Nantucket.
Notes:
It’s another victory for the administration in their Total War on Wind Power.
Michigan creates mass timber program in construction adoption push
The Michigan Mass Timber Catalyst Program provides financial and technical support to project teams in the early planning and design phases of new builds.
These buildings must use mass timber as a primary structural or architectural material.
Eligible applicants include property owners, design professionals or real estate developers with an active, commissioned project in Michigan.
Texas Voters Approve $850 Million in Workforce Development Funding
Texas voters approved an $850M endowment to fund workforce training and campus improvements.
By 2030, the state is projected to need 7,000 plumbers, 4,500 HVAC technicians, and 10,000 electricians.
Texas Approves Landmark $20 Billion Investment in Water Infrastructure
Texas voters approved Proposition 4, clearing the way for a historic $20 billion investment in maintaining and improving the state’s water supply over the next two decades.
It serves as a foundation for the estimated $154 billion required for Texas water projects over the next 50 years.
China
Top court seeks to ensure quality of construction projects
China’s top court has reiterated the need to improve the quality of construction projects and regulate the construction market order by rule of law.
With six notable cases recently released, the Supreme People’s Court ordered courts at all levels to guide construction market entities to operate legally.
It required courts nationwide to enhance the quality and efficiency of trials related to the construction quality management.
It urged planners, builders and managers of the construction projects to prioritize safety above all else through judicial measures.
Spain
Official request made to extend Spain’s Almaraz nuclear units
The board of Spain’s Centrales Nucleares Almaraz-Trillo has officially requested a three-year extension to the operating licence for Almaraz Nuclear Power Plant’s units I and II.
They are currently scheduled to be shut down in 2027 as part of Spain’s 2019 nuclear phase-out policy.
This comes as the industry calls for a rethink of the plan.
the Spanish nuclear industry called for a rethink of the plans with a manifesto - signed by 32 companies
Related:
Australia
Australia pauses residential building code changes
The Commonwealth, State, and Territory Building Ministers recently agreed to a significant reform of the National Construction Code (NCC).
They endorsed a pause on further residential changes until mid-2029, while focusing 2025 updates primarily on non-residential buildings.
The NCC 2025 edition will be finalised by February 2026, with jurisdictions able to consider adoption from May 1.
The pause on residential changes is viewed as a constructive step to improve productivity in home construction.
UK
£2.7bn sunk on scrapped transport projects
Since 2023, several of the Department for Transport’s major projects have been cancelled due to affordability pressures and changes in government priorities.
The amounts written off from cancelled road and rail projects have totalled £2.7bn.
It includes money that has been spent designing and starting to deliver activity that has now been stopped, and the reduction in the value of assets.
Canada
Canada budget to propose nearly $36 billion infrastructure fund
Canada’s federal budget will include a C$50 billion ($35.65 billion) local infrastructure fund to pay for housing, transportation and health projects.
The driver is to unlock investment and transform the Canadian economy to rely less on the United States, its top trading partner.
Ontario housing, construction bill impacts municipal powers, climate initiatives: lawyer
The Fighting Delays, Building Faster Act, 2025, also known as Bill 60, is aimed at cutting red tape, getting shovels in the ground faster and supporting the construction of homes, roads and infrastructure.
It grants the province greater control over zoning and planning.
National Infrastructure Projects & Priorities
US
Sam Altman: OpenAI wants to get to $1 trillion a year in infrastructure spend
OpenAI has committed to spend about $1.4 trillion on infrastructure so far, equating to roughly 30 gigawatts of data center capacity.
Over time, the company would like to have in place a technical and financial apparatus that would allow it to build a gigawatt of new capacity per week.
This would be at a cost of around $20 billion per gigawatt.
Amazon opens $11 billion AI data center in rural Indiana as rivals race to break ground
Amazon has opened a data center on 1,200 acres of land in Indiana that’s dedicated to training and running models from Anthropic.
The $11 billion facility is now up and operational.
UK
MoD rolls out £9bn plan to fix forces housing
The £9bn Defence Housing Strategy will see more than 40,000 military homes modernised or replaced.
Surplus MoD land will be released for over 100,000 new homes.
Europe
European Commission Proposes Construction of Sofia-Athens High-Speed Railway Line
The new High-Speed Rail Action Plan includes the railway line between Sofia and Athens, with travel times expected to take 6 hours instead of 13 hours and 40 minutes.
The aim is to develop lines capable of reaching speeds of at least 200 km/h.
The main objective of the changes is to replace short-haul air travel in order to reduce environmental pollution.
It also envisages high-speed travel on the following railway lines: Budapest-Bucharest, Berlin-Copenhagen, Berlin-Vienna-Prague, Paris-Madrid-Lisbon, Munich-Rome, and the lines between Baltic countries.
Apple to add 650MW of renewable capacity across Europe
In a bid to match the electricity European customers use to power their phones and computers, Apple says it will add 650MW solar and wind projects in Europe by 2030.
Around $600m is being spent on new large-scale renewable projects in Greece, Italy, Latvia, Poland, and Romania.
UAE
Microsoft Vows to Spend $8 Billion in UAE Through 2029 on Cloud, Chips
Microsoft is planning to spend more than $7.9 billion on data centers, cloud computing and employees.
The company will invest a total of $15.2 billion in the country from 2023 to 2029.
New Zealand
New Zealand Quarterly Dwelling Approvals Near Three-Year High
New Zealand building approvals neared a three-year high in the third quarter.
It’s the biggest jump since 2021, adding to signs of optimism in the construction industry that could underpin an economic recovery.
Acquisitions
WakeCap, a provider of IoT-based workforce management solutions has acquired Trackfy, a Brazilian workforce safety and operational solution for industrial companies offering products such as digital PPE for people tracking. More here.
Notes:
WakeCap’s product collects data through a knob that attaches to a standard hard hat worn by site workers and pipes data into an app for tracking hours, progress, and safety.
Block Renovation, a New York startup building an end to end experience for residential and commercial construction projects where owners can visualize project, receive cost estimates and be connected with vetted contractors, acquired BuildZoom, a San Francisco startup which connects homeowners with reliable GCs for home remodelling by harvesting public data to evaluate quality, availability and project fit. More here.
News
Turner unveils ‘wall to wall’ partnership with OpenAI
Turner Construction, the largest contractor in the country by revenue, has embarked on a deal with OpenAI to give every Turner employee access to ChatGPT Enterprise.
State of Built World Tech (noa)
Cities Across the U.S. Are Putting Robots to Work
Irvine has deployed five robots, beginning in late August, to conduct a comprehensive assessment of its public infrastructure.
The project, aimed at determining compliance with the Americans With Disabilities Act, typically would have taken at least two city staff members four years to complete.
It will now be finished in under six months with the robots.
Builders Find Hardship in Trump’s Tariffs and Deportations (New York Times)
Compliance Is Construction’s Next Data Problem
Big Tech Is Spending More Than Ever on AI and It’s Still Not Enough
Silicon Valley’s biggest companies are planning to invest $400 billion into AI efforts this year with all saying it’s not enough.
Meta Platforms says it is still running up against capacity constraints.
Microsoft says it plans to double its data-center footprint in the next two years.
Amazon.com says it is racing to bring more cloud capacity online as soon as it can.
Google said its capital expenditures for the full year would increase from $85 billion to $91 billion to $93 billion.
Energy Independence: America’s Next Great Infrastructure Build
The DOE estimates America must expand transmission capacity by 60% by 2030 to integrate renewables.
There’s a reason electricity prices have been rising. And it’s not data centers.
Researchers found that the biggest factors behind rising rates were the cost of poles, wires and other electrical equipment.
Another cost was safeguarding that infrastructure against future disasters.
Overall distribution and transmission costs have soared, while generation costs have fallen.
If I missed anything this week, please reply and let me know! I’ll make sure to include it next week.