Build
Reviewed active Updated Jun 30, 2026This profile is AI-generated. If you spot an error, please help us fix it by sharing a URL to the correct information.
Investors
Founders
About
Build is a New York-based AI infrastructure startup automating due diligence for large real estate and infrastructure projects, a category it calls “agentic real estate” 12. The platform analyzes information from more than 1,600 data sources and evaluates planning, environmental, power, and political constraints in parallel rather than sequence, helping customers identify risks earlier and focus resources on the highest-potential opportunities 12. Build was founded in 2024 by James Stirrat-Ellis, a former architect who worked on Singapore’s Changi Airport expansion before leaving a Harvard master’s program to start the company, and co-founder Ben McClusky 12. The company reports that its platform has been deployed across more than 100 projects in 15 countries for governments, Fortune 500 companies, and institutional real estate groups including Tishman Speyer, and that it recently signed its first hyperscaler client 12.
Disclaimer: This is a lean profile built from initial round coverage and may be expanded as more information becomes available.
Funding History
| Date | Round | Amount | Lead | Co-investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-30 | Seed | $8.5M | Index Ventures | Pebblebed, Puzzle Ventures, Tiny.vc; angels Sarah Friar (OpenAI CFO), John Stecher (Blackstone CTO), senior leaders from Meta AI Research and Google Maps 123 |
What Investors Say
No independently sourced investor quotes found at this time.
What Founders Say
“We replace that spending [on consulting services] to achieve software margins.” — James Stirrat-Ellis, Co-Founder & CEO, Build, quoted in Tech Funding News, June 30, 2026 2
“The industries shaping the physical world have spent decades trapped in process instead of creativity. By removing that operational burden, we can help teams move faster, make better decisions and deliver better infrastructure.” — James Stirrat-Ellis, Co-Founder & CEO, Build, quoted in SiliconANGLE, June 30, 2026 3
Sources
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EU-Startups, “British-U.S. startup Build secures €7.4 million to accelerate ‘agentic real estate’ platform,” June 30, 2026. Accessed June 2026. https://www.eu-startups.com/2026/06/british-u-s-startup-build-secures-e7-4-million-to-accelerate-agentic-real-estate-platform/↩↩↩↩↩
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Tech Funding News, “Index Ventures backs a Harvard dropout architect with $8.5M to automate due diligence,” June 30, 2026. Accessed June 2026. https://techfundingnews.com/build-8-5m-index-ventures-ai-infrastructure-due-diligence/ — Confirms $8.5M Seed led by Index Ventures with participation from Pebblebed, Puzzle Ventures, and Tiny.vc, plus angels Sarah Friar (OpenAI CFO), John Stecher (Blackstone CTO), and senior leaders from Meta AI Research and Google Maps. Founded 2024 by James Stirrat-Ellis (former Harvard architect, worked on Singapore’s Changi Airport expansion) and Ben McClusky. NY-based; 10 employees across four continents; 100+ completed projects in 15 countries. ↩↩↩↩↩↩
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SiliconANGLE, “Build raises $8.5M to accelerate industrial infrastructure development project work,” June 30, 2026. Accessed June 2026. https://siliconangle.com/2026/06/30/build-raises-8-5m-accelerate-industrial-infrastructure-development-project-work/ — Third independent confirmation of $8.5M Seed led by Index Ventures with Pebblebed, Puzzle Ventures, and Tiny.vc participating; angels Sarah Friar, John Stecher, and senior figures from OpenAI, Meta AI Research, and Google Maps. ↩↩