Suffolk Technologies, the venture capital arm of Suffolk Construction, closed its sixth BOOST construction technology accelerator program with its Demo Day in Boston on November 20.
Eight construction technology startups pitched their ideas to investors, construction leaders and technology partners. During the course of the programme, BOOST participants gained access to Suffolk Construction’s projects, as well as 55 operational partner organizations that work with the contractor on its projects and in its wider supply chain.
Suffolk President and CEO John Fish welcomed the startups and talked about the impetus behind the creation of BOOST and what drove his company to cultivate tech startups for the industry at large.
“Innovation has never been optional in Suffolk; it’s essential,” said Fish, addressing the serious challenges facing construction today, from labor shortages to changing market dynamics.
OpenSpace CEO Jeevan Kalanithi was the keynote speaker at the event and shared insights on scaling innovations in the built environment.
Suffolk was an early investor in OpenSpace in 2019. Thirty BOOST alumni have graduated from the program since it began in 2020, including industry tech companies Trunk Tools and Kaya AI.
As with many startup events in recent years, artificial intelligence was front and center for this year’s BOOST cohort.
ARKI, a design platform for architects and engineers, aims to help them complete their projects at least 50% faster by leveraging their own data from past projects.
Cyphra Autonomy is an autonomous material movement platform that uses small transport robots and other material movement technologies.
Dig Energy offers geothermal drilling technology with cost-effective, compact and thermally effective equipment options. Hardline is a natural language AI-powered project management and coordination platform designed for building teams, not just managing contractors.
MOD is a platform that assesses the potential of prefabrication in architectural designs and organizes potential supply chain opportunities to accelerate the adoption of prefabrication.
Neuron Factory makes an AI coworking platform designed to optimize and improve the daily tasks of site workers.
Ouros Materials offers low-cost, resilient composite materials that use CO₂ captured in ceramics and polymers that can replace building products with larger carbon footprints.
Finally, Puppet Robotics introduced its AI-powered collaborative robotics platform for construction, starting with welding.
Suffolk said materials science startups saw an 80% year-over-year increase in applications by 2025, while submissions related to robotics and equipment increased by 60%. Interest in industrialized construction and workplace safety also increased, demonstrated by a more than four-fold increase in modular and prefabricated solutions and a 63% increase in predictive worker protection.
“Technologies like artificial intelligence, robotics and advanced materials are no longer on the horizon – they’re here, and the industry is eager to implement them,” said Parker Mundt, Partner and Head of Platform at Suffolk Technologies. “Our network of operating partners is more committed than ever to adopting and scaling these solutions. By connecting these industry leaders with exceptional founders, BOOST augments the core processes of the built world to accelerate our transition to a smarter, safer, more efficient and sustainable built environment.”
Cyphra Autonomy has taken home Demo Day’s People’s Choice Award from investors and construction leaders. Neuron Factory won Autodesk’s Make Anything Award.
