Cranes across skylines in places like Metro Atlanta, Nashville, Charlotte, and Miami are all tangible signs of the Southeast’s growth. But these construction sites represent more than just new buildings. They’re also creating space for a growing wave of startup at the intersection of technology and construction.
This intersection has given birth to a thriving BuildTech ecosystem, which encompasses construction technology startups, PropTech (property tech) ventures, and other tech-enabled platforms that are reimagining every aspect of how we design, finance, and construct the built environment. From streamlining contractor payments to leveraging AI for architectural design, Southeast startups are tackling the industry’s most persistent pain points.
A Growing Industry & Movement
One such startup in the Southeast is ProNovos. The Atlanta-based startup, which provides forecasting tools and financial insights to the industry, looks to streamline the contractor and subcontractor payments.
“Construction payments are draining the profits for many contractors. The industry continues to suffer from long and inconsistent payment cycles, especially on large projects. Studies by DNB and PwC found that the average Days Sales Outstanding (DSO) for construction companies ranges from 51 to 83 days. In other words, contractors typically wait two to three months to collect payment after invoicing,” said ProNovos’ Growth Manager John O’Bryan. “That delay creates serious cash flow challenges, especially for subcontractors who often front labor and material costs.”
The ProNovos team recently launched a new feature called QuickPay that helps contractors speed up payments to their subcontractors, helping reduce delays, retain top trade partners, and improve project performance.
The local industry recently has been looking at ways to connect with big players and emerging startups. Earlier this month, builders and thought leaders gathered downtown (braving Beyonce concert traffic) for the first BuildTech Connect event, organized by Skanska, Atlanta Tech Village, and Atlanta Ventures. The event highlighted that technology startups aren’t just transforming how new construction projects get off the ground, but also how plans are created and how spaces are secured once they are built.
From drawing blueprints to managing projects to securing valuable assets on a property, the BuildTech industry covers a diverse range of startups. The event panel downtown included insights from the leaders at Undaunted (robotic security), cove (AI for architecture), and SmartPM (analytics for construction teams). All three teams talked about the role AI is playing in transforming workflows and opening new opportunities across the industry.
The Industry By The Numbers
The industry itself has been growing in the Southeast. The region is home to 679 companies in the construction, PropTech, smart building, and wider “BuildTech” space, according to research done on available Crunchbase data.
Over the last few years, the Southeast region has seen several big “wins” for the overall BuildTech industry. Atlanta-based Ladder, a construction workforce platform, was acquired in late 2024, as was billing and payments platform commercial construction contractors Flashtract (Hypepotamus profile here).
In 2021 construction giant Procore acquired New Orleans-based Levelset, a SaaS platform for construction payments, for $500 million.
Startups To Know In The BuildTech World
While not a complete list, we’ve rounded up some of the PropTech and construction-focused startups building in the Southeast:
Kairos IoT
Who to know: CEO and founder Dean Fung-A-Wing
What they do: Kairos manufactures operational risk management technologies for commercial and residential properties.
Then they last raised: $5.1 million convertible note in 2022 and seed round in 2020
Where they are building: Atlanta, Georgia
Document Crunch
Who to know: CEO Josh Levy
What they do: An AI risk reduction platform for construction
When they last raised: $21.5 million Series B in 2024
Where they are building: Atlanta, Georgia
NewCrew
Who to know: CEO Kaitlin Hagan
What they do: A platform to help commercial construction firms hire the best employees through tech-enabled recruiting
When they last raised: No fundraising news
Where they are building: Atlanta, Georgia
Gumption
Who to know: CEO and co-founder Jonathan Dickerson
What they do: A marketplace that matches borrowers and lenders in the commercial real estate
When they last raised: Pre-seed round in 2023
Where they are building: Chattanooga, Tennessee
SmartPM
Who to know: CEO Michael Pink
What they do: SmartPM is an AI-driven Project Controls™ and Schedule Analytics solution built for the construction industry
When they last raised: $5.5 million Series A in 2024
Where they are at: Atlanta, Georgia
BotBuild
Who to know: CEO Brent Wadas
What they do: Robotics systems for the construction industry
When they last raised: $12.4 million seed round in late 2023
Where they are at: Durham, North Carolina
Cove
Who to know: CEO Sandeep Ahuja
What they do: An AI-driven full-service architecture firm
When they last raised: $30 million Series B in 2021
Where they are at: Atlanta, Georgia
Green Badger
Who to know: CEO Tommy Linstroth
What they do: Construction software platform for automating sustainability in the built environment
When they last raised: $1.1 million seed round in 2022
Where they building: Savannah, Georgia
ProNovos
Who to know: CEO Bruce Orr
What they do: ProNovos is a construction financial intelligence platform that helps contractors improve forecasting, streamline reporting, and accelerate cash flow through tools like the QuickPay payment program.
When they last raised: Announced a partnership with Viva Funding Partners in March 2025
Where they are at: Atlanta, Georgia
ProKeep
Who to know: CEO Jack Carrere
What they do: A customer engagement platform that enhances distributor communication for the construction industry.
When they last raised: $25 million Series A in 2024
Where they are building: New Orleans, Louisiana
Aetos Imaging
Who to know: CEO Connor Offutt
What they do: Intelligent asset management, predictive maintenance, and personnel training across multiple verticals including healthcare, manufacturing, and commercial real estate fields
When they last raised: $4 million seed round in 2025
Where they are building: Atlanta, Georgia
Plantd
Who to know: CEO Nathan Silvernail
What they do: Sustainable building materials for the homebuilding industry
When they last raised: $10 million Series A in 2023
Where they are building: Oxford, North Carolina
SafetyVue
Who to know: Founder and CEO Tim Wolter
What they do: Provides tools that predict hazards, prevent accidents, and protect construction workforces
When they last raised: Pre-seed round in 2024
Where they are building: Elizabethtown, Kentucky
Togal AI
Who to know: Founder Patrick Murphy
What they do: Improving the construction estimating process
When they last raised: $5 million pre-seed in 2023
Where they are building: Miami, Florida
There are also dozens of startups rethinking how users view real estate investing, rental opportunities, and homeownership. Such startups include Falaya (Baton Rouge), RentCheck (New Orleans), and Smart Alto (Birmingham), Rent Ready (Charlotte), as well as Atlanta-based companies Groundfloor, Padsplit, and Nectar.
