Salar al Khafaji (right), Sebastiaan Visser (left). Image Source: Monumental.co
Robotics start-up Monumental has got a boost in its scaling up operations with the receipt of $25 million in funding in a round led by Plural and Hummingbird.
Monumental, an Amsterdam-based private firm, was started by Salar al Khafaji (CEO) and Sebastiaan Visser (CTO), former founders of Silk which was acquired by Palantir in 2016.
The company aims to fix the construction labour shortage in Europe with its bricklaying robots, which are touted by its founders to be agile and small enough to get into any place where a human can.
"The funding will help Monumental grow its world-class team of hardware and software engineers, scale the number of robots it can deploy on sites across Europe and increase the types of blocks and construction tasks the robots can manage," Monumental said in a press release.
According to the firm, Monumental's robots boast of advanced sensors, computer vision tech, and compact cranes, allowing them to tackle bricklaying tasks with unmatched accuracy and speed.
The robots are powered by Monumental's own AI-powered software, Atrium, with the company borrowing expertise from other top-notch tech firms such as Palantir, Qualcomm, Dyson, and Shopify.
Construction labour shortage has emerged as a major hindrance in Europe in scaling up of housing, with the UK alone predicted to require 225,000 workers to meet its building demands by 2027.
Monumental's introduction of construction robots is expected to increase productivity by 50-60 per cent - a major force multiplier to the global construction market.
The company works as a subcontractor, obviating the need for the contractors to lease or buy its robots.
It completed its first major project by building a 15-metre façade for an office and warehouse in Amsterdam, Netherlands in 2023.
Salar al Khafaji, co-founder and CEO at Monumental, said: "The construction industry is one of the largest and most important in the world, yet it’s held back by global labour shortages and rising supply chain costs. At Monumental, we’re working to help the industry meet these challenges.
He added, "Our agile, intelligent, and adaptable robots and software blend human expertise with robotic efficiency in a way that the industry has never seen before. They will revolutionise not just how buildings are constructed but transform the economics of the construction industry itself. We’re delighted to have this stellar team of investors joining us on this mission."
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