Pillar secures €12M to build an AI-powered operating system for construction

Italian construction technology startup Pillar has raised €12 million in a seed funding round led by Earlybird Venture Capital and Base10 Partners, with participation from Italian Founders Fund. The round brings Pillar’s total funding to €15.2 million, less than eight months after its public launch. Existing investors, including Emblem, also participated in earlier financing rounds.

Founded in 2025, Pillar is building a software platform designed to modernise construction operations and financial management. The company provides contractors with an AI-powered operating system that automates administrative and back-office processes, including quote generation, margin tracking, workforce management, and reporting while projects are underway.

Construction remains one of the world’s largest and least digitised industries, with many companies still relying on fragmented workflows, manual processes, and disconnected data systems. Pillar integrates information from accounting software, bank feeds, and construction sites, including updates shared through WhatsApp, into a single interface designed to provide real-time operational visibility without requiring contractors to change existing workflows.

Gabriel Guinea Montalvo, CEO and co-founder of Pillar, said the construction sector remains one of the few major industries that has yet to undergo a fundamental technological transformation.

Every project runs on fragmented data, manual processes, and zero visibility - from the contractor's back office to the workers on site. We are building the default operating system this industry depends on, in Italy, in Europe, and everywhere construction still operates in chaos.

The newly raised capital will be used to strengthen Pillar’s position in the Italian market, expand internationally, and continue developing its product ecosystem. The company plans to broaden its platform with additional modules covering procurement, tender management, subcontractor coordination, banking, and related construction services.

The company’s long-term objective is to become a central operating platform for the construction industry, supporting the management of projects, payments, and workforce operations across the sector.