Buildroid AI, an AI robotics startup, today emerged from stealth with $2 million in pre-seed funding led by Tim Draper, known for backing Tesla, SpaceX, Skype, and Robinhood. The company also announced the launch of its first block-laying robot, built using BIM-to-BUILD simulation, and unveiled the technology at the Big Five Construction Conference.
Founded by Slava Solonitsyn, a YC alumnus who previously founded Mighty Buildings, raising over $100 million and delivering more than 50 3D-printed homes, and Anton Glance, founder at Glance Clock (acquired by NeXtime), Buildroid aims first to transform the labour-intensive partition walls segment and then open its platform for other use-cases for the UAE’s $42.75 billion construction market.
“UAE’s construction growth demands solutions to persistent labour shortages and productivity bottlenecks. Construction robots have been around for over a decade, but have had limited success, primarily because they automate narrow skills and require significant additional labour to support them. With the rapid development of AI, it has become possible to bring general-purpose and industrial robots to construction as well,” said Slava Solonitsyn, Buildroid’s CEO and co-founder.
The platform integrates Building Information Models (BIM) with AI-driven Digital Twin simulations powered by Nvidia Omniverse to optimise robotic workflows, enabling faster project schedules, reduced costs, and higher-quality on-site execution. Its first simulated block-laying robot is already being piloted on live job sites in the UAE. It will soon be supported by Autonomous Mobile Robots, which will deliver concrete blocks directly from pallets of materials to BLR, eliminating the need for manual support.
Buildroid’s multi-robot approach delivers productivity gains of up to 10x and cost savings of up to 4x compared to manual labour. In the near future, Buildroid also plans to expand into other use cases by opening its platform to robotic operators, vendors, and contractors, effectively building Procore for Robotics in Construction. This ERP system drives adoption through simulation-first workflows before orchestrating robots on live job sites.
This methodology enables developers and general contractors to deploy robots at scale, with higher overall utilisation and throughput, fundamentally differentiating the company from single-purpose robotic vendors in the MENA region, where the construction market is expected to reach $401.2 billion by 2030.
“ALEC self-performs significant blockwork across our projects. In line with our robotics strategy, we are piloting Buildroid’s robotic block-laying system on one of our sites. We also look forward to leveraging their upcoming BIM simulation tools to virtually test robotic solutions and de-risk on-site deployment,” said Imad Itani, Head of Innovation of ALEC.
Tim Draper, the lead investor, noted: “Unlike single-robot solutions, Buildroid’s platform combines the best robotic technologies validated through BIM-based simulations. Such an approach empowers builders with scalable, flexible vendor-agnostic automation that maintains the critical role of skilled human operators. I’m excited to back a team that’s transforming how buildings are made, improving efficiency while empowering workers”
With the raised funding, Buildroid plans to expand pilot programs, refine simulation and autonomous capabilities of robotic crews, and accelerate commercial deployments. Starting with non-load-bearing walls, the company aims to rapidly scale its impact and expand into interior fit-out and broader construction workflows.
Beginning in Q2 next year, Buildroid will deploy the first commercially available AI-powered robotics teams through partnerships with top general contractors, aiming to receive a portion of the net savings generated by the deployments.
