SAALG receives investment from Mott MacDonald Ventures, Crèdit Andorrà and CEMEX Ventures
▪ Mott MacDonald Ventures, the strategic corporate venture arm of global engineering, management and development consultancy Mott MacDonald, and the Scale Lab Andorra program of Crèdit Andorrà, the leading financial group in Andorra, join the company as strategic partners
▪ CEMEX Ventures reinforces its support to SAALG Geomechanics, following up their 2018 investment
▪ The company will use the €500,000 injection to promote the development of its Daarwin software to cover the entire life cycle of large civil works: planning, design, construction and maintenance
▪ SAALG Geomechanics aims to become the leading global platform for geotechnical data
Barcelona, May 26 2021. SAALG Geomechanics, the software and engineering start-up that provides a step-change in analytical capability to assess ground behaviour during the construction stage of civil engineering and building projects, closed this latest investment round. Mott MacDonald Ventures, that led the round, join as strategic partners along with Scale Lab Andorra, the hyper-acceleration business program of Crèdit Andorrà. CEMEX Ventures, the collaborative innovation platform and Corporate Venture Capital of the Mexican multinational CEMEX, also participated in this funding round. CEMEX Ventures renews its support to SAALG Geomechanics, having already invested in 2018 as its first investment in Europe.
This latest investment round of €500,000, brings total investment in SAALG to €1M since its launch in 2016, when geotechnical engineers Cristian de Santos and Ignasi Aliguer founded the company with the support of the Mobile World Capital Barcelona through its tech transfer program The Collider, and Business Angels such as Xavier Capellades, CEO of Nomo. More recently, the company also received support from the Spanish accelerator program Lanzadera.
This equity booster will enable the company to advance its technology to become the world standard in construction. SAALG Geomechanics will further develop new functionalities for Daarwin, its software that analyses in real time the ground behaviour in civil works and large-scale buildings. These will allow Daarwin to cover the entire lifecycle of civil projects, from planning and design to construction and maintenance.
SAALG Geomechanics also plans to expand its technology as a Software as a Service (SaaS). Third parties can acquire Daarwin through a subscription-based model that will include not only the software but a training plan to enable qualified teams from all over the world to use the tool.
Cristian de Santos and Ignasi Aliguer, SAALG Geomechanics founders: “This operation is a strategic move in the SAALG Geomechanics business model. We envision Daarwin to be a standard in construction, used by engineers all around the world. The aim is to become a global platform, for large volumes of geotechnical data at the service of the construction sector”.
To reach these goals, SAALG Geomechanics plans to double its team and reach 11 employees by the end of 2021.
Daarwin: technology for safety, efficiency, and sustainability
Daarwin backanalysis software is a web-based platform that through Machine Learning, Real Time Data Analysis and Cloud Computing increases the ability to analyse geotechnical data and the reliability of ground response predictions.
Daarwin enables the user to take control of the project in real time and make decisions based on the analysis of large volumes of data in record time. The software facilitates anticipation of possible catastrophes or substantial changes caused by ground movements and correcting misalignments that are unpredictable at the beginning of the project.
The software reduces uncertainty at the beginning of the project, increases safety, optimizes the construction process, and reduces expenditure of material resources such as concrete and steel. SAALG Geomechanics estimates that economic savings may be greater than 10% of the cost of the project, and 20% in foundations of large buildings with underground levels. The use of Daarwin also reduces CO2 emissions and contributes to making the construction industry more sustainable, considering that it is currently responsible for 11% of global CO2 emissions according to the World Green Building Council report Bringing Embodied Carbon Upfront (2019).
New paradigm in the construction sector
Since its founding in 2016, SAALG Geomechanics is at the forefront in the application of innovations in the construction sector, which has one of the lowest digitization rates amongst all industries.
The company participated in more than 30 large civil engineering and building projects around the world: tunnels, large excavations, railways and highways in various countries such as France, Guatemala, Colombia, Singapore, Germany, Spain, and more.
SAALG Geomechanics collaborates with large general contractors (Ferrovial, Acciona, OHL and Bouygues), asset owners (TFL -Transport for London, HS2 High Speed 2, Deutsche Bahn or Generalitat de Catalunya) and engineering firms (COWI, Amey).
About Mott MacDonald Ventures
Mott MacDonald Ventures is a strategic corporate venture capital business that was established in 2018 to offer a collaborative approach to partnering with visionary start-ups that develop game-changing digital solutions. We provide founders with unparalleled capabilities and access to our global network of diverse clients.
www.mottmac.com/digital/ventures
About CEMEX VENTURES Launched in 2017, CEMEX Ventures focuses on helping overcome the main challenges and capitalizing on the opportunity areas in the construction ecosystem through sustainable solutions. CEMEX Ventures has developed an open collaborative platform to lead the revolution of the construction industry, engaging startups, entrepreneurs, universities, and other stakeholders to tackle the challenges in the construction environment and shape the industry’s future. For more information on CEMEX Ventures, please visit: www.cemexventures.com
About Crèdit Andorrà Financial Group
Crèdit Andorrà is the leading financial group in Andorra, with a presence in other important European and American financial markets, such as Spain, Luxembourg and Miami.
With over 70 years’ experience, it offers universal banking services in Andorra and private banking and asset management services internationally, combined with a significant presence in the insurance sector.
It bases its value offer on service, personalisation, specialisation and the drive to be pioneers in the offer of products and services, as well as in technology, digital transformation and sustainability. The business volume of Crèdit Andorrà Group at year-end 2020 is EUR 17.47 billion.
About Scale Lab Andorra
Scale Lab Andorra is Crèdit Andorrà’s business hyperaccleration programme aimed at innovative (start-ups) or technology companies in strategic sectors for Andorra, such as health and well-being, sustainability, mobility, financial services or leisure and sports, among others, with a validated and scalable business model. The programme also makes it easier for companies to come to Andorra through professional support and personal services, so they can make the most of the unique advantages that the country offers.
We are enthusiastic to what is coming with the development of our software, if you wish to acquire more information use our contact form on our website or email our Sales & Business Development Director, Javier G. Martí at javier.marti@saalg.com
