Artificial intelligence has already begun to transform building design, plan analysis, construction site monitoring and even resource planning. Another category of software is now beginning to emerge: that of risk intelligence.
The startup Enlaye, founded by Philippe Rival and Stamatios Liapis, announces a Seed fundraising of 4.25 million euros led by Glasswing Ventures and co-led by Link Ventures. The operation should enable the company to accelerate the development of its risk life cycle management platform intended for construction, real estate and infrastructure players. Already deployed on more than $17 billion in projects in the United States, Canada and Europe, the startup works in particular with several entities of the VINCI group. Its ambition is to transform the knowledge dispersed in construction projects into operational intelligence that can be used on a large scale.
This fundraising comes as the global construction industry enters a phase of profound transformation. Long focused on the productivity of construction sites, the digitalization of the sector now focuses on a more strategic issue: the ability to identify, anticipate and reduce risks likely to affect the profitability of projects.
The United States uses AI as an investment protection tool
The American market today constitutes the main driver of innovation in construction assisted by artificial intelligence.
The proliferation of industrial projects, energy infrastructures and data centers intended for artificial intelligence is creating new needs. Investments now reach several billion dollars per site and cost overruns or delivery delays can have considerable financial consequences for operators.
In this context, large groups in the sector are looking less for tools capable of saving a few working hours than for solutions allowing them to reduce exposure to operational, contractual or financial risks.
A new generation of specialized players is thus emerging around predictive analysis, document automation, supply chain management and even risk management. Artificial intelligence is gradually becoming a decision-making layer intended to secure projects whose value can reach several billion dollars.
This development marks a paradigm shift. After being presented as a productivity tool, AI is becoming an instrument for protecting invested capital.
Europe is moving more slowly but faces the same constraints
The movement is less spectacular in Europe but the fundamentals are similar.
Major infrastructure programs linked to the energy transition, transport, building renovation or even digital infrastructure confront European players with challenges comparable to those observed in the United States.
The rise in construction costs, the scarcity of certain skills, the increase in regulatory requirements and the complexity of projects are pushing large groups to seek new sources of efficiency.
Unlike the United States, where the ConTech startup ecosystem is particularly developed, Europe relies more on its large construction groups to experiment with these new technologies. VINCI, Bouygues, Eiffage and STRABAG are multiplying initiatives around artificial intelligence, documentary analysis and process automation.
This dynamic could accelerate in the coming years as industrial sovereignty and critical infrastructure once again become major economic and political priorities.
An industry that accumulates data without being able to exploit it
Construction generates considerable volumes of information: contracts, calls for tenders, plans, technical specifications, site reports, correspondence, procedures, complaint histories and even maintenance data. However, the majority of this information remains locked in organizational or technological silos.
According to figures cited by Enlaye, nearly 96% of the data produced in the sector is never used. Autodesk estimates that bad data cost the global construction industry $1.85 trillion in 2020. Added to this are the loss of information between the design, construction and operation phases, as well as the difficulty in transmitting lessons from one project to the next.
The result is delays, work rework, contractual disputes, budget overruns and deterioration of margins.
In an industry where certain projects represent several hundred million or even billions of euros, a few errors in contractual interpretation or a few poorly anticipated risks can be enough to call into question the economic balance of an operation.
Enlaye wants to build the memory of risk for construction companies
It is precisely on this issue that Enlaye is positioning itself; unlike many startups in the sector which seek to automate administrative tasks or improve team productivity, the company is interested in how organizations learn from their past experiences.
Its platform aggregates data from multiple sources (technical documents, contracts, schedules, field reports or project histories) in order to identify correlations, detect weak signals and produce contextualized risk analyses.
The company relies in particular on multimodal AI models and Graph Neural Networks in order to connect dispersed information and extract intelligence that can be used by operational teams.
The goal is not to replace experts but to allow them to instantly access knowledge that would otherwise remain buried in thousands of documents.
VINCI’s validation constitutes a strong signal
In the construction sector, the value of a technology is measured less by its demonstration than by its adoption in the field. Since 2025, Enlaye has benefited from the support of Leonard, the VINCI group’s innovation platform. Several group entities are already using the solution, particularly in the context of analyzing calls for tenders and assessing contractual risks.
Large construction groups are among the most demanding organizations in terms of reliability, compliance and document management. Their operating environment combines high capital intensity, complex regulatory obligations and project cycles that can extend over several years.
Risk management could become the next big category in ConTech
For more than a decade, the digital transformation of construction has mainly focused on the digitalization of processes. Site management software, collaborative platforms, BIM or digital twins have made it possible to structure and streamline operations.
The next step could be to exploit all the knowledge generated by these systems to better anticipate future risks.
This development goes far beyond the construction sector. The same problems appear in energy, transport infrastructure, heavy industry and even defense, where the increasing complexity of projects makes risk management increasingly strategic.
Enlaye’s fundraising thus illustrates a broader trend: the emergence of platforms capable of transforming the operational memory of organizations into competitive advantage.
Having digitized projects, the industry is now looking to digitize the accumulated experience. In an industry where each decision can cost millions of dollars, this capability could become one of the most valuable assets of the next decade.
