World's biggest construction startup competition to debut Asia Pacific pitch day in Singapore

Kalynskye Adrian

/ EdgeProp Singapore

May 6, 2026 8:11 PM SGT

kalynskye.adrian@edgeprop.sg

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The competition is hosted by Cemex Ventures, Caterpillar, Dysruptek, Hilti, Vinci Group’s Leonard, Nova, Trimble, Zacua Ventures, Ferrovial and BCA. (Image: Unsplash)

This year, Singapore will host the inaugural pitch day for promising construction innovators in Asia Pacific (Apac) as part of the 10th edition of the Construction Startup Competition (CSC), organised by 10 global venture capital and built environment leaders.

The debut of CSC — the world’s largest competition for construction start-ups — in the city-state cements Singapore’s position as a premier regional hub for construction technology (contech), said the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) in a May 4 announcement.

It will facilitate the exchange of innovative global solutions with local and regional built environment firms, while Singapore’s start-ups can engage with leading venture capital and construction firms, BCA added.

Start-ups selected for the programme will gain access to industry connections, potential pilot opportunities and exposure to capital partners.

From May 4 to June 28, applicants from across the region can send in their submissions. Five finalists will then be invited to participate in the Apac Pitch Day on Sept 2 at the ConTech Summit during the International Built Environment Week 2026.

These finalists will also join the top 50 global entries and can take part in either the US Pitch Day in Las Vegas or the European Pitch Day in Helsinki.

Winners will receive cash prizes, tap into an influential industry network, and earn a place among the top 30 global entries.

The competition is hosted by global industry leaders:

Cemex Ventures, the corporate venture capital arm of building materials company Cemex;

Caterpillar, which manufactures construction and mining equipment;

Dysruptek, the venture investment arm of Haskell, an architecture, engineering and construction firm;

Hilti, which provides technology, software and services to the construction industry;

Energy and construction player Vinci Group’s Leonard, an innovation and foresight platform;

Infrastructure operator Ferrovial, which specialises in highways, airports and energy;

Nova, the venture arm of Saint-Gobain, which manufactures innovative material solutions;

Tech company Trimble, which serves the construction and geospatial industries;

Zacua Ventures, an early-stage venture capital fund focused on the built environment; and

BCA.

The 2026 edition has five categories: pre-construction technologies, job-site productivity and building systems, climate tech for the built world, smart manufacturing and logistics, as well as smart buildings and infrastructure.

The launch of the Apac Pitch Day in Singapore establishes the country as a gateway for introducing contech innovation from the US and Europe markets to the rest of Apac, said BCA deputy chief executive Heng Teck Thai.

“Having greater exposure to the best cutting-edge solutions globally will help to accelerate Singapore’s built environment transformation through innovation and technology,” he added.

The Apac Pitch Day is expected to attract promising start-ups from around the region, giving local and regional built environment firms a direct pipeline to access and evaluate technologies that are ready to be piloted or adopted.

It will also introduce the competition’s global network of partners and investors to Singapore’s innovation and technology ecosystem.

“For our homegrown start-ups, the Apac Pitch Day on home ground is a chance to compete and be recognised on the world stage, and gain networking and investment opportunities to scale and establish their solutions globally,” BCA said in the announcement.

Launched in 2017, CSC has become the leading global platform for disruptive construction technology, with start-ups from more than 80 countries having participated in the past nine editions.

Through the competition, start-ups around the world can access opportunities to pilot their solutions in real projects, funding from global venture capitalists, and strategic partnerships with built environment industry leaders.

In 2025, Singapore-based software company Ailytics was among the 44 finalists that advanced to the US and European Pitch Day events. Together, the finalists secured over US$448 million in investment.

Ailytics was also named a finalist winner at CSC’s European Pitch Day in 2025. The homegrown start-up provides AI-powered video analytics to improve safety and productivity in heavy industries.

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