Melbourne-based startup CLT Toolbox has raised $1 million in a bridge funding round to enhance its mass timber design software, less than a year after securing an initial $1.5 million seed round in October 2023.
This latest funding round includes investments from climate-focused VC firm Giant Leap, Archangel Ventures, Adrian Hondros, Ecotone Ventures, and angel investor Harrison Rose.
CLT Toolbox provides a design software platform tailored for mass timber construction, offering structural engineers tools to design complex timber structures. The platform also includes robust supply chain functionalities, enabling users to source materials and components efficiently and sustainably.
Expansion Plans
The new funding will primarily support CLT Toolbox’s expansion into European and US markets. The company aims to mainstream mass timber as a construction material worldwide.
Addressing the Education Gap
CLT Toolbox highlights a significant shortage of timber engineering specialists, beginning at the university level. Co-founder and CEO Adam Jones notes that most undergraduate programs focus primarily on concrete and steel, with limited coverage of timber design. The company was founded to provide digital infrastructure for designers and supply chains to adopt mass timber solutions effectively.
Sustainable Construction
The global construction industry is under increasing pressure to reduce carbon emissions. CLT Toolbox’s platform makes sustainable building materials more accessible, promoting alternatives to concrete and steel. Concrete alone accounts for more than 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Jones cites the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC), which indicates that some hybrid buildings incorporating mass timber have reduced their embodied carbon by up to 75%.
Ensuring Sustainable Practices
Jones assures that all suppliers on the CLT Toolbox platform provide certified products from forests accredited by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) or the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC), ensuring sustainable harvesting practices.
Future Plans
CLT Toolbox plans to expand into European and US markets, leveraging its software’s flexible architecture to adapt to different geographies. The company’s long-term vision is to host a variety of sustainable building materials, potentially including new products like laminated bamboo.
By leveraging design automation and kit-of-parts design, CLT Toolbox aims to improve efficiency and sustainability in the construction industry, engaging key decision-makers such as architects and developers to influence sustainable building practices from the top down.
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By Proptechbuzz
By Ravi Kumar
