Construction platform Gravel raises US$14 million funding round

INDONESIAN construction startup Gravel has raised a US$14 million funding round, with venture capital firms New Enterprise Associates, SMDV and East Ventures.

Individual investors include Marvell Technology co-founder Dai Weili, and chairman of Walden International Tan Lip-Bu.

Gravel provides an app to connect skilled construction workers with contractors and architects. The app has about 1.7 million workers, and Gravel has supported over 6,000 projects across 20 provinces in Indonesia. These projects include the Greater Jakarta Light Rail Transit and Jakarta International Stadium.

The startup has other services to connect customers to suppliers of tools, building materials and experts, as well as a data analytics platform for project activities. Gravel said that its job-matching technology enables right worker allocation within minutes.

Edward Judokusumo, principal at SMDV, said: “As Indonesia actively pursues an even distribution of its developmental efforts across all provinces, Gravel’s technology emerges as a supporter and a driving force that can substantially amplify this nationwide growth.”

The funds will be channelled into business expansion initiatives and broadening Gravel’s market reach in Indonesia. The startup will also roll out a predictive model for monitoring construction progress.

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Georgi Ferdwindra Putra, co-founder and co-chief executive officer of Gravel, said: “By securing this investment, we are not just expanding our business, we are investing in the future of our industry.”