Pillar, the start-up aiming to develop an operating system for the construction sector, has announced the completion of a €12 million seed funding round led by Earlybird Venture Capital and Base10 Partners, with participation from the Italian Founders Fund (IFF).
The construction industry is one of the world’s leading economic sectors and, at the same time, one of the least digitised. In every project, every subcontract and every construction site, the same fundamental questions remain unanswered: where are the financial resources, who is responsible for what, and to what deadlines. Pillar directly addresses this gap, offering contractors a real-time, AI-powered control room that automates the entire back office, from generating quotes to monitoring margins, from staff management to report generation. Data is collected continuously from accounting systems, bank feeds and directly from construction sites via WhatsApp using natural language, without altering existing workflows. The result is a simple yet powerful interface that offers industry professionals full visibility into site management and serves as the foundation upon which Pillar is building a comprehensive ecosystem to serve the entire industry.
Founded in 2025, Pillar has, in less than a year since its launch, surpassed 400 active customers, processed over 460,000 invoices and managed 5,700 construction sites on its platform; and, in the first four months of 2026 alone, generated €1 million in annual recurring revenue, with double-digit month-on-month growth. The team has grown to over 40 people across product, tech and operations.
“Construction is the last major sector that has not yet been completely overhauled from the ground up,” says Gabriel Guinea Montalvo, CEO and co-founder of Pillar (pictured here with the other founders), in a statement. “Every project relies on fragmented data, manual processes and zero visibility, from the client’s meeting room to the tradespeople on site. We are building the default operating system on which this sector runs in Italy, in Europe and wherever the construction industry is still in chaos.”
The new capital will be allocated to three strategic priorities: strengthening the company’s presence in Italy by refining the product and launching new sales channels to accelerate growth, whilst expanding the platform with new modules for procurement, tender management, subcontractors and tradespeople, banking services and complementary services in the construction sector; following initial positive feedback from trials conducted in eight markets, Pillar is ready to accelerate its launch in selected markets across Europe and Latin America, replicating its localised approach and developing go-to-market capabilities; launch of new products and verticals to evolve into a fully integrated end-to-end ecosystem, including B2C offerings for homeowners and private customers, alongside new B2B modules, creating a unified platform that connects every stakeholder in the construction and renovation supply chain.
“We have been backing platforms that define categories across Europe for three decades. Pillar has achieved in months what takes most companies years to prove: it has conquered a huge and complex sector by building something essential. This is key infrastructure, not a fintech project. We are delighted to be supporting the Pillar team from Italy,” says Paul Klem, a partner at Earlybird Venture Capital.
“We invest in founders and companies that are reinventing the real economy. Construction is one of the largest sectors, yet it remains one of the least automated. “Pillar has already built the operational foundation on which Italian construction companies rely, and we are supporting Gabriel and the team in taking the success achieved in Italy to the international stage,” added Caroline Broader, a partner at Base10 Partners.
Pillar, which had already raised €3.2 million by September 2025, aims to become the construction industry’s operating system – the platform on which every company in the sector relies to manage finances, staff and projects. The company aims to have 5,000 active customers by 2027 and to expand its team to 120 people.
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