# Civil engineering AI firm wins regional edition of world's largest construction startup competition - **Source:** EdgeProp Singapore - **Published:** 2026-09-03T08:36:08.000Z - **Author:** EdgeProp Singapore - **Original:** https://www.edgeprop.sg/property-news/civil-engineering-ai-firm-wins-regional-edition-worlds-largest-construction-startup-competition - **Topics:** Government & Policy, Investment & Capital Markets, Regional Markets ## Featured rationale The recognition signals growing regional contech investment and could accelerate AI adoption that improves pre-construction productivity and decision-making across built-environment projects. ## AI summary Singapore-headquartered Civils.ai won the inaugural Asia Pacific Pitch Day with an AI co-pilot that can reduce construction-material takeoff time by up to 90%. ## Original article Civils.ai, a Singapore-headquartered construction tech (contech) firm, has been crowned Gold Winner of the inaugural Asia Pacific Pitch Day of this year's Construction Startup Competition. It was one of the five finalists that had taken the stage at the regional pitch day, held on Sept 2 at the ConTech Summit during the International Built Environment Week (IBEW) 2026. Civils.ai’s innovation is an AI co-pilot, or intelligent software assistant, for civil engineers that extracts and cross-checks data from drawings, contracts and geotechnical reports. Read also: New virtual site inspection process could cut TOP approval time by up to two months This can cut takeoff time — the process of quantifying materials required for a construction project from drawings — by up to 90% and help improve decision-making before construction begins. The startup received a EUR10,000 ($14,722) cash prize sponsored by Meta and joined the Construction Startup Competition's global top 30, which will stand a chance to compete in the global finals. Civils.ai will also be able to access an influential network of venture capital and stakeholders in the built-environment industry. As the winner of the inaugural Asia Pacific pitch day, it "blazed the trail" for built-environment startups across the region, Singapore’s Building and Construction Authority (BCA) noted in a Sept 2 release. Alvin Tan, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and National Development, said that many contech startups today face the same kinds of challenges and are embarking on the same journey. "Though their tech is good, moving beyond small pilot trials to commercial scale is tough," added Tan, who was delivering the closing address at the ConTech Summit. "You need capital, you need real-world construction sites to test your machines, and you need actual buyers who are ready to adopt them." Read also: Additional $112 mil funding, latest Green Mark version to further transform Singapore’s built environment In Singapore, the government is working closely with the industry to give these startups the test track and commercial runway they need, he continued. On Sept 2, the five Asia Pacific finalists pitched before a jury of global built-environment leaders — Cemex Ventures, Caterpillar, Dysruptek by Haskell, Ferrovial, Hilti, Vinci Group’s Leonard, Nova by Saint-Gobain, Trimble, Zacua Ventures, and BCA — who are the organisers of the Construction Startup Competition. Their innovations span areas such as AI, digital workflows, and advanced construction analytics across pre-construction, job site productivity and sustainability in the built environment. Besides Civils.ai, the other four finalists were: Arbel.ai, ConcreteAI, Bton.io, and Lightyx. They were selected from 243 applicants from across the region. The competition’s expansion into Asia Pacific comes as investments within the global contech ecosystem is at an all-time high, with the region accounting for almost 20% of it last year. In tandem, with the increased investments, the pace of innovation is also accelerating. This year, the Construction Startup Competition saw a 40% surge in applications from 2026. Miguel Carralon, investment and partnerships manager at Cemex Ventures, one of the organising partners, said that a notable outcome of this year’s edition was the 181% increase in applications from startups based in Asia and Oceania. Read also: Five construction tech startups to showcase innovations at Apac pitch day in Singapore "This is a clear indication that the region is home to a growing pipeline of construction technology startups with solutions ready to compete on the world stage," he added. ## Chinese translation > Translation model: grok_cli ### 土木工程人工智能公司赢得全球最大建筑创业大赛区域赛 总部位于新加坡的Civils.ai的创新技术可帮助土木工程师提取并交叉核对数据，大幅缩短工程量计算时间。 总部位于新加坡的建筑科技（contech）公司Civils.ai，获颁今年Construction Startup Competition首届亚太路演日金奖。 该公司是9月2日在2026年国际建筑环境周（IBEW）期间于ConTech Summit举行的区域路演日上登台的五家决赛入围者之一。 Civils.ai的创新是一款面向土木工程师的人工智能副驾驶，即智能软件助手，可从图纸、合同和岩土工程报告中提取并交叉核对数据。 另读：新的虚拟工地检查流程或可将临时入伙准证（TOP）审批时间缩短最多两个月 这可将工程量计算时间——即根据图纸量化建筑项目所需材料的过程——缩短多达90%，并有助于在施工开始前改善决策。 该初创公司获得由Meta赞助的欧元10,000（新币14,722元）现金奖，并进入Construction Startup Competition全球30强，将有机会角逐全球总决赛。 Civils.ai还将能够接触建筑环境行业中有影响力的风险投资和利益相关方网络。 新加坡建设局（BCA）在9月2日的新闻稿中指出，作为首届亚太路演日的获奖者，该公司为区域内建筑环境初创企业“开辟了道路”。 外交与国家发展部政务部长陈圣贤表示，如今许多建筑科技初创企业面临同类挑战，并走在同一条道路上。 在ConTech Summit发表闭幕致辞的陈圣贤补充说：“尽管他们的技术不错，但从小型试点试验走向商业规模却很艰难。你需要资本，需要真实的建筑工地来测试设备，还需要真正愿意采用这些技术的买家。” 另读：额外新币1.12亿元资金及最新绿色建筑标志版本，将进一步改造新加坡建筑环境 他继续说，在新加坡，政府正与业界密切合作，为这些初创企业提供所需的试验场和商业跑道。 9月2日，五家亚太决赛入围者向由全球建筑环境领域领袖组成的评审团路演，评委包括Cemex Ventures、Caterpillar、Haskell旗下Dysruptek、Ferrovial、Hilti、Vinci Group旗下Leonard、圣戈班旗下Nova、Trimble、Zacua Ventures以及建设局（BCA），他们是Construction Startup Competition的主办方。 他们的创新涵盖人工智能、数字化工作流程以及先进建筑分析等领域，应用于施工前、工地生产力和建筑环境可持续性。 除Civils.ai外，另外四家决赛入围者是：Arbel.ai、ConcreteAI、Bton.io和Lightyx。它们是从该地区243名申请者中选出的。 该赛事扩展至亚太地区之际，全球建筑科技生态系统的投资正处于历史高位，该地区去年约占其中近20%。与此同时，随着投资增加，创新步伐也在加快。 今年，Construction Startup Competition的申请量较2026年激增40%。 作为主办合作方之一，Cemex Ventures投资与合作经理Miguel Carralon表示，今年赛事的一个显著成果是来自亚洲和大洋洲初创企业的申请量增加了181%。 另读：五家建筑科技初创企业将在新加坡亚太路演日展示创新 他补充说：“这清楚表明，该地区拥有不断壮大的建筑科技初创企业储备，其解决方案已准备好在世界舞台上竞争。”