Sitegeist Secures €4M Pre-Seed for AI Modular Robots in Construction
•February 16, 2026
0
Why It Matters
The funding enables scalable, automated concrete repair, addressing a critical infrastructure bottleneck and reducing reliance on scarce manual labor. This could reshape renovation economics and safety standards industry‑wide.
Key Takeaways
- •Sitegeist raised €4 million pre‑seed for AI construction robots.
- •Robots target labor‑intensive concrete renovation bottleneck.
- •Modular robots operate on structures without prior 3D models.
- •Funding backs team expansion and real‑site robot deployment.
- •Collaboration with renovation firms accelerates platform validation.
Pulse Analysis
Infrastructure aging is creating a continent‑wide repair backlog estimated in the hundreds of billions of euros, especially for concrete bridges, tunnels and public buildings. Traditional methods—high‑pressure water jets or abrasive blasting—are labor‑intensive, hazardous, and difficult to scale, leaving owners with costly schedule overruns. As construction firms grapple with chronic skilled‑labor shortages, the market is ripe for technology that can boost productivity while enhancing safety.
Sitegeist’s approach diverges from conventional automation that relies on pre‑mapped 3D models. Its modular robots combine AI‑based decision support, advanced sensing, and adaptive control to navigate unstructured sites and adjust to varying material conditions on the fly. This flexibility allows the machines to perform precise concrete removal directly on existing structures, eliminating the need for extensive site digitisation. By designing a plug‑and‑play platform, the company can expand functionality across the renovation value chain, from demolition to reinforcement inspection.
The €4 million pre‑seed injection, co‑led by b2venture and OpenOcean, signals strong investor confidence in construction‑tech disruption. With capital earmarked for talent acquisition and field trials, Sitegeist is positioned to validate its technology at scale and forge deeper partnerships with renovation contractors. Successful deployment could lower project costs, shorten timelines, and set new safety benchmarks, prompting broader adoption of AI‑enabled robotics in the built environment and potentially reshaping how infrastructure maintenance is executed worldwide.
Sitegeist secures €4M pre-seed for AI modular robots in construction
Munich-based construction robotics startup Sitegeist has raised €4 million in a pre-seed funding round co-led by b2venture and OpenOcean, with participation from UnternehmerTUM Funding for Innovators and several angel investors, including Verena Pausder, Lea-Sophie Cramer, Alexander Schwörer, and additional strategic backers from the construction and robotics sectors.
Across Europe, ageing bridges, tunnels, parking facilities, and public buildings require major renovation. In Germany alone, the repair backlog amounts to hundreds of billions of euros, with similar challenges seen in North America and other regions. Labour shortages and the physically demanding nature of concrete repair make projects costly, hard to staff, and difficult to scale.
Concrete renovation is particularly complex and capacity-constrained. Removing deteriorated concrete using high-pressure water or abrasive blasting requires precision and close supervision to avoid damaging steel reinforcement. Because the process is largely manual and site-specific, construction companies often face low efficiency, rising safety demands, and significant project backlogs.
Sitegeist aims to address these challenges with modular automated robots designed for unstructured construction environments. Unlike conventional automation systems that rely on pre-existing 3D models or standardised site conditions, the company’s robotic systems are built to operate directly on existing structures.
Using advanced sensing, AI-based decision support, and adaptive control, they can handle complex geometries and varying material conditions without prior digitisation, enabling deployment on active renovation sites.
Building on this approach, Dr Lena-Marie Pätzmann, co-founder and CEO of Sitegeist, said that infrastructure renovation, particularly concrete repair, is facing a major bottleneck. She explained that deteriorated concrete is still removed through labour-intensive methods that are difficult to scale, and that Sitegeist is addressing this challenge by developing specialised, modular automated robots capable of performing renovation tasks directly on existing structures.
The company works closely with concrete renovation firms on-site and is developing a modular platform intended to expand across the renovation value chain over time. Looking forward, Sitegeist plans to collaborate with additional test sites, co-development partners, and new talent to further validate and refine its robotic systems.
The new funding will support team expansion and accelerate the deployment of Sitegeist’s automated, AI-enabled robots on real-world construction sites, helping concrete renovation companies address ongoing capacity constraints.
0
Comments
Want to join the conversation?
Loading comments...