Planera, a construction technology startup that provides scheduling and planning software for commercial construction projects, has raised $13.5 million in a new funding round.
General contractors typically use legacy software such as Oracle Primavera P6 to manage commercial construction projects. Although these solutions require technical knowledge and lack intuitive interfaces, contractors use them for advanced projects that involve multiple milestones and last several years. For smaller projects, general-purpose tools such as Microsoft Project may be chosen. However, these tools were not designed with the requirements of construction companies in mind.
The San Jose-based startup combines the best of two worlds by offering a standalone software platform that uses a digital whiteboard-like interface to help contractors create schedules and plans for long- and short-term projects, supporting real-time collaboration. Schedules are crucial in this industry, as construction contracts are highly susceptible to liquidated damages and contractual obligations. Contractors may need to meet even intermediate milestones, and typically use multiple software to track progress.
Planera allows contractors to collaborate with other contractors involved in a project and complete work through a single interface.
“The value of Planera is not just that it creates plans, but that it's also a great communication tool,” Nitin Bhandari, co-founder and CEO of Planera, told us in an exclusive interview.
Planera allows general contractors to sketch, analyze and optimize construction plans and schedules based on contract terms and obligations, and it also includes integrations with popular platforms like AutoDesk and Procore so contractors can sync schedules without leaving those apps.
Image credit: Planera
Bhandari told TechCrunch that the startup plans to extend its software to subcontractors, since general contractors often work with subcontractors for specialty work like electrical and mechanical.
“Construction companies have modernized other aspects of their business and are reaping the benefits, but now they see the need to modernize all critical aspects of their business. Scheduling and planning are definitely part of the focus now,” he said.
There are a lot of construction startups out there, but Planera's founding team has had success before: Before founding Planera in November 2021, Bhandari co-founded mobile browser company Skyfire and screen time app ZenScreen (later acquired by Life360).
Bhandari came up with the idea to start Planera after meeting Saif Lodhi, who had run general contracting firm California Engineering Contractors for about 30 years.
Initially, Rodri asked Bhandari to help him modernize his construction company. But after a few months, Bhandari realized that “scheduling was completely broken” in the construction industry. He brought in Eric Swenson, who had been CTO at Skyfire for over 10 years, and founded Planera to solve the problem.
Currently, Planera serves more than 20 clients who have used the company's software on more than 500 real-world projects.
Planera's all-equity Series A round was led by Sierra Ventures, with participation from Sorenson Capital, Brick and Mortar Ventures, Prudence VC and Firebolt Ventures.
Bhandari told TechCrunch that 60% of the new funding will be invested in sales and marketing to strengthen the startup's go-to-market strategy. The remaining 40% will be allocated to research and development and product development. The startup also plans to integrate construction-specific AI to improve scheduling and planning efficiency.
“We're building out our own data model and assistant-like features and will start rolling them out towards the end of the year or early next year,” he said.
Bhandari declined to disclose Planera's overall revenue but said it will be five to eight times higher than it was in the fourth quarter of last year. The remote culture startup has 30 employees in multiple markets, including Bangalore, India, and plans to expand to 45 to 50 in the next six months.