Civils.ai was crowned the gold winner of the inaugural Construction Startup Competition (CSC) Asia Pacific (APAC) Pitch Day. The event took place on 2 September 2026 at the ConTech Summit in Singapore, held during International Built Environment Week (IBEW) 2026.

As the gold winner, Civils.ai received a €10,000 cash prize sponsored by Meta, entry into the CSC’s Top 30, giving the company a chance to compete in the global finals, and access to one of the most influential networks of venture capital and stakeholders in the BE industry.

Now in its landmark 10th edition, the CSC is widely regarded as the most prestigious global contest in the construction technology (ConTech) space. The event is jointly organised by Cemex Ventures, Caterpillar, Dysruptek by Haskell, Hilti Venture, Vinci Group’s Leonard, Nova by Saint-Gobain, Trimble, Zacua Ventures, Ferrovial, and the Building and Construction Authority (BCA).

“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. You need capital, you need real-world construction sites to test your machines, and you need actual buyers who are ready to adopt them,” said Alvin Tan, Singapore’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and National Development, in his closing address at the ConTech Summit.

“In Singapore, the government is working hand in hand with the industry to give you that test track and commercial runway. The 10th edition of the Construction Startup Competition plays a big part in this effort. Today’s inaugural APAC Pitch Day shows that Singapore is growing into a regional hub for ConTech innovation by connecting inventors with builders and investors.”

The CSC’s expansion into APAC comes at a significant juncture. According to industry reports, investments in the global ConTech ecosystem are at an all-time high, having reached US$6.57 billion in 2025. Notably, the APAC region is fast becoming a key engine of this growth, accounting for almost 20% of total investment in 2025, as reported by Cemex Ventures.

In tandem with the increased investment, the pace of innovation across the sector is accelerating. This year, the CSC saw a 40% increase in applications compared with 2025, with a record number of nearly 800 submissions from over 60 countries globally.

Speaking at the ConTech Summit in Singapore, Jesús Ortiz, head of Cemex Ventures, revealed that this year’s CSC received 182 APAC applications, a 243% increase from 53 in 2025. “APAC is bending the curve,” he said, adding that submissions came from Singapore (53), India (46), Australia (26), Hong Kong (20) and China (12), among others. “Singapore alone matched the whole of APAC last year.”

“Three things a decade has taught us,” noted Mr Ortiz. “Ecosystems beat solo scouting, with 10 partners seeing the same long list and scoring it together for better coverage and harder judgement.”

“A customer beats a round,” he continued. “Plants, fleets and sites are where technology becomes real, and the industry controls access to all three. Lastly, supply follows credible demand. Technology moves toward the markets where someone will actually buy, and Singapore proved it in one cycle.”

The innovations

Out of the six APAC Track winners, five startups accepted the invitation to present at the APAC Pitch Day in Singapore. These included Arbel.ai, Civils.ai, Concrete.AI, Bton.io and LightYX. [Scroll down to see more photos.]

The five companies represent the cutting edge of construction technology innovation, spanning artificial intelligence, digital workflows and advanced construction analytics across pre-construction, jobsite productivity, and BE sustainability.

Civils.ai
The APAC gold winner, Civils.ai, is an AI co-pilot for civil engineers that extracts and cross-checks data from drawings, contracts and geotechnical reports, cutting takeoff time by up to 90%.

According to Cemex Ventures, Civils.ai was selected as the gold winner for its “AI-powered platform designed to automate some of the most repetitive and error-prone tasks in preconstruction. By combining AI-driven quantity takeoffs with intelligent review and cross-checking of complex construction drawings, specifications and project documentation, Civils.ai enables teams to significantly reduce manual effort, improve accuracy and identify potential issues earlier in the project lifecycle.”

“Its construction-specific approach has the potential to increase the capacity of estimating and preconstruction teams while enabling faster, more reliable and data-driven decision-making across the industry,” Cemex Ventures added.

Arbel.ai
Arbel.ai transforms drone footage into searchable, conversational site intelligence, giving owners and EPCs planned-vs-actual visibility on progress, quality and safety – without manual reporting.

The system has been deployed on large-scale projects, such as railways, highways, and oil and gas developments. Designed for ease of use, it requires only drone scans, has no BIM dependency, and enables ultra-fast onboarding.

LightYX
LightYX uses a laser-projection system that displays BIM plans directly onto floors, walls and ceilings, replacing chalk lines and tape measures for layout crews. The tool offers accuracy of up to 1/8 in and helps improve consistency.

Layouts can also be modified in real time on-site via a mobile app. By streamlining workflows, LightYX’s tool significantly reduces manpower requirements and facilitates timely project delivery.

Bton.io
Bton.io produces patented low-clinker mix technology that cuts concrete’s CO2 footprint by up to 70%, with carbon-sinking additives making it climate-positive.

The company is redesigning concrete production, aiming to decarbonise concrete at a lower cost. Having deployed its technology in Europe, it is now expanding into APAC and looking to scale its solution in the region.

ConcreteAI
ConcreteAI uses Internet of Things (IoT) sensors to monitor in-situ concrete strength and temperature in real time, cutting casting-cycle waiting times by over 30% and reducing reliance on cube testing.

The system enables faster construction, thus improving productivity; better quality, as it provides quick, reliable thermal crack-risk assessments and proactive QA/QC data control; and lower emissions through low-carbon mixes. It has been deployed on projects worldwide, including several high-profile developments such as Singapore’s Changi Airport Terminal 5, Bahrain International Airport and Melbourne’s North East Link.

How the system cuts embodied carbon: early-age strength data avoids over-specification; 20 kg of CO2 saved per cu m with no grade upgrade; crack-risk warnings prevent wasted pours; and the elimination of repeat cube testing minimises waste and transport.

Following the completion of the APAC Pitch Day, the competition will now continue in the USA and Finland. The USA Pitch Day will be held from 9 to 11 November 2026 in Las Vegas, where Civils.ai will be among the finalists. The EU Pitch Day will take place in Helsinki, Finland, from 16 to 19 November 2026.

All images above: BCA