Financing round secures around 100 million additional growth capital for the tech-based construction company

• Financing round amounts to around 100 million euros 

• This brings the total equity investments to over 300 million euros 

• New investors Semapa Next and Practical Venture Capital participate for the first time 

• Financing round allows GROPYUS to become profitable in the foreseeable future 

• Investment covers full capacity utilization of the new smart factory in Richen and successful realization of upcoming construction projects 

Berlin / Vienna, October 7, 2024 – GROPYUS, the technology-based and fully vertically integrated construction company specialized in creating affordable and sustainable timber-hybrid buildings, today announces a financing round of around 100 million euros. This means GROPYUS has already raised over 300 million euros in equity investment since its founding in 2019. Existing and new investors are participating in this financing round. GROPYUS was able to attract Semapa Next (semapanext.com), which is part of the Portuguese investment holding company Semapa Group, and the US venture capital fund Practical Venture Capital (practicalvc.com). This comes on top of GROPYUS having received approval from the European Investment Bank (EIB) for a venture debt loan of 40 million euros in March of this year. 

The funds from this financing round will be used for the expansion of its fully digitally operated and flexible robotic smart factory in Richen (Baden-Württemberg), further development of technologies, and realizing the company’s pipeline of construction projects. Markus Fuhrmann, CEO and co-founder of GROPYUS, says: “The climate crisis and the shortage of affordable housing are becoming increasingly acute problems. GROPYUS wants to be part of the solution to these challenges — but that won’t be possible without the industrialization and automation of the construction sector. A high level of capital investment is needed to lay the foundations for this ambitious project. That’s why we are proud to be able to build on the support of our existing investors for our mission, and to have now earned the trust of additional investors. With this financing round, we have reached a total volume of over 300 million euros. We are not only driving our continued expansion, but also placing our mission on even more solid foundations now. This capital will allow us to quickly ramp up volume at our smart factory to full capacity and have several projects rolling off the production line at the same time.” 

Ricardo Pires, Chairman of Semapa Next and CEO of Semapa, underscores this confidence: “We believe that GROPYUS — with its innovative, sustainable, and digital concept — is taking building and living to the next level. The company is made up of experts from a wide range of industries, pooling their extensive knowledge and experience in construction, technology, real estate development, and building successful startups, and we are convinced they will be capable of bringing meaningful change across an entire industry in need of transformation. GROPYUS offers a remarkable opportunity for a strained housing market, and we want to support the company’s growth through our investment, joining a team that has the potential to make a decisive difference throughout the whole of Europe.” 

Multiple projects across Germany 

As a general contractor, GROPYUS is currently working on two projects in Germany. In Berlin, GROPYUS is constructing an apartment building that comprises 27 apartments on behalf of BUWOG Bauträger GmbH, a subsidiary of Vonovia SE. In Immendingen, in the south of Baden-Württemberg, GROPYUS is developing its first residential quarter – nine buildings with a total of 99 apartments. These two very different projects in addition to a strong pipeline underscore the versatility and market viability of the GROPYUS building system. 

Production capacity of more than 3,500 apartments per year 

The expansion of the GROPYUS plant in Richen into a highly automated and digitally integrated manufacturing site — one of its kind worldwide — is nearing completion. State-of-the-art robotics and automation solutions are key to achieving higher quality at lower cost. It’s both scalable and sustainable, thanks to carefully optimizing the use of materials. Once the expansion is completed at the end of 2024, GROPYUS will be able to manufacture a wall or ceiling element in around 16 minutes – with up to 86 percent automation. The full annual production capacity will then total 250,000 m² of gross floor area, equivalent to more than 3,500 apartments. All key processes are centralized at GROPYUS — systems control, process definition and optimization, and mechanical engineering — meaning GROPYUS can reasonably expect to be able to raise its production capacity to 300,000 m² gross floor area per year in the future.