Vienna-based GROPYUS, a company specialised in creating affordable and sustainable timber-hybrid buildings, announced on Monday that it has secured €100M.
To date, the company has raised €300M in equity investment since its founding in 2019.
The funding comes from Portuguese investment holding company Semapa and the US VC fund Practical Venture Capital.
The announcement comes seven months after receiving approval from the European Investment Bank (EIB) for a venture debt loan of €40M in March of this year.
Fund utilisation
The Austrian company will use the funds to accelerate the expansion of its fully digitally operated and flexible robotic smart factory in Richen (Baden-Württemberg).
Once the expansion is completed at the end of 2024, GROPYUS will be able to manufacture a wall or ceiling element in around 16 minutes – with up to 86 per cent automation.
The full annual production capacity will then total 250,000 m2 of gross floor area, equivalent to more than 3,500 apartments.
All key processes are centralised at GROPYUS — systems control, process definition and optimisation, and mechanical engineering — meaning the company can expect to be able to raise its production capacity to 300,000 m² gross floor area per year in the future.
Additionally, the company will use the funds to further develop its technologies, and realise its pipeline of construction projects.
Markus Fuhrmann, CEO and co-founder of GROPYUS, says, “The climate crisis and the shortage of affordable housing are becoming increasingly acute problems. GROPYUS wants to be part of the solution to these challenges — but that won’t be possible without the industrialisation and automation of the construction sector. A high level of capital investment is needed to lay the foundations for this ambitious project. That’s why we are proud to be able to build on the support of our existing investors for our mission and to have now earned the trust of additional investors.”
GROPYUS: Specialised in delivering timber-hybrid buildings
GROPYUS was founded in 2019 by Markus Fuhrmann (co-founder of publicly listed food delivery service Lieferheld/Delivery Hero), Philipp Erler, and Bernd Oswald, among others.
It is a fully vertically integrated construction company specialised in delivering timber-hybrid buildings.
Through the combination of software, technology, construction, robotics, and manufacturing expertise, the buildings can be created in a digitalised, highly automated, and industrialised end-to-end process, says the company.
GROPYUS says that the flexible, modular building system makes it easier to optimise land use, customise plans, and build fast with both off-site prefabrication and on-site assembly.
Currently, the company employs around 400 employees at its offices in Vienna, Berlin, Steinhaus, and Richen.
As a general contractor, GROPYUS is currently working on two projects in Germany.
In Berlin, GROPYUS is constructing an apartment building that comprises 27 apartments on behalf of BUWOG Bauträger GmbH, a subsidiary of Vonovia SE.
In Immendingen, in the south of Baden-Württemberg, GROPYUS is 1 developing its first residential quarter – nine buildings with a total of 99 apartments.
The investor
Semapa is a Portuguese investment holding company with a global presence. They focus on investment, talent, innovation, and sustainable development.
The company’s portfolio includes well-established international companies like The Navigator Company and Secil, as well as rapidly growing companies such as ETSA, UTIS, and Triangle.
Additionally, through Semapa Next, they support startups aiming to become industry leaders.
Ricardo Pires, CEO of Semapa, says, “We believe that GROPYUS — with its innovative, sustainable, and digital concept — is taking building and living to the next level. The company is made up of experts from a wide range of industries, pooling their extensive knowledge and experience in construction, technology, real estate development, and building successful startups, and we are convinced they will be capable of bringing meaningful change across an entire industry in need of transformation.”
“GROPYUS offers a remarkable opportunity for a strained housing market, and we want to support the company’s growth through our investment, joining a team that has the potential to make a decisive difference throughout the whole of Europe,” adds Pires.
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