Struck Raises €2 Million Seed to Accelerate AI‑Driven Construction Compliance Across Europe

Amsterdam‑based construction tech startup Struck has successfully raised €2 million in a seed funding round to expand and enhance its AI‑driven platform that helps architects, developers and municipalities navigate complex building regulations and accelerate compliant construction across Europe.

Struck, founded in 2024 by Max van Riel and Nikhil Nagaraj, builds artificial intelligence software that simplifies the maze of local, national and environmental building codes that can slow down or block construction projects. By digitising regulatory text and embedding it into an AI‑powered compliance engine, the platform gives users immediate insight into applicable rules and, in upcoming releases, will automatically verify whether a proposed design meets legal and environmental standards. Thousands of users across the Netherlands — including municipalities, builders, developers and architects — have adopted the platform to reduce permitting delays, lower project risk and support more sustainable building practices.

The €2 million seed round was led by Value Factory Ventures, a German investment firm focused on backing technologies that accelerate the global energy transition and sustainable infrastructure. Value Factory Ventures has a track record of investing in climate‑tech and deep‑tech startups that help decarbonise traditional industries, and its participation highlights growing investor interest in tools that can help unlock housing supply and retrofit markets by tackling regulatory complexity.

Also participating in the round was global early‑stage investor Antler, which supports ambitious founders across sectors by pairing capital with operational expertise and global networks. In addition to these headline investors, the round included contributions from several industry angels with deep experience in the construction and real estate sectors, bringing strategic insight as Struck scales its product and expands its commercial footprint.

Struck plans to use the funding to deepen its AI capabilities, expand its regulatory coverage and accelerate its expansion beyond the Netherlands into neighbouring European markets where regulatory burden is similarly cited as a key bottleneck for housing delivery and sustainable construction. Company leadership has specifically cited expansion into markets such as Belgium, Germany and France as priorities for the next phase of growth, reflecting strong demand for automated compliance tooling outside its home market.

At the heart of Struck’s value proposition is its ability to transform dense regulatory text into real-time design intelligence that can be used from early concept stages through to permit submission. Traditional compliance workflows typically involve manual checks against multiple sources, which are time‑consuming and error‑prone. Struck’s platform, by contrast, draws from an extensive, continually updated AI library of building regulations and environmental plans to deliver answers quickly — often in under a minute — and will soon include permit‑exemption checks that help users determine how much construction can proceed without formal approval.

Co‑founder Max van Riel has emphasised the importance of addressing regulatory complexity at a time when European construction needs are acute. With ambitious climate targets and housing shortages pressing national and local governments, the ability to navigate compliance efficiently and reliably is seen as a competitive advantage for developers and a means of unlocking more sustainable building solutions. “Building regulations are becoming increasingly complex, while the need for faster and more sustainable construction is greater than ever,” he said, noting that AI‑driven automation could alleviate one of the sector’s most persistent pain points.

From an investor perspective, Value Factory Ventures framed its investment in Struck as part of a broader push to modernise infrastructure and built environment processes that historically lag behind in digital adoption. Johan van Heusden, Managing Partner at Value Factory, highlighted that the construction sector accounts for a significant share of global carbon emissions, and that accelerating compliance and permitting through software could help both lower costs and reduce environmental impact.

As Struck begins to roll out its technology across borders, its roadmap includes enhancements to automated design compliance checks, expanded regulatory data coverage and integrations with third‑party design tools used by architects and engineers. The company’s founders believe that equipping construction professionals with data‑driven insights can shorten project timelines, reduce costs and improve decision‑making — outcomes that are critical as Europe pushes toward its housing supply and sustainability goals.

By combining domain expertise with cutting‑edge AI, Struck is positioning itself as a key enabler of smarter, compliant construction workflows at a time when regulatory complexity is increasingly recognised as a barrier to industry transformation. With fresh funding and a clear path toward European expansion, the startup is poised to make significant inroads in a sector ripe for technological disruption.