MeltPlan Raises $10M Seed Funding to Fix Construction With AI

MeltPlan, a startup building an AI-native preconstruction platform, has closed a $10 million seed funding round led by Bessemer Venture Partners, with participation from European early-stage investor Noa. The fresh capital pushes MeltPlan’s total raise to $14 million since its founding in 2025, and will be channelled into expanding its AI planning engine across code, cost, schedule, and value decision systems for the global construction industry.

The round marks one of the larger seed-stage bets in construction tech this year, reflecting growing investor appetite for AI tools that tackle inefficiency before shovels hit dirt.

Why Preconstruction Is the Real Bottleneck

Construction is a $14 trillion global industry, yet it remains one of the least digitised sectors in the world. Most software on the market today focuses on two ends of the spectrum — design tools that optimise aesthetics and usability, and project management platforms that handle execution and on-site control.

What falls through the cracks is preconstruction, the phase where scope gets locked, budgets get committed, and procurement timelines get set. Bad calls made here cascade into change orders, cost overruns, and blown schedules. According to McKinsey, large construction projects typically run 20 per cent over schedule and up to 80 per cent over budget. Much of that waste traces back to fragmented upstream planning.

MeltPlan is going after that gap. Its AI planning engine sits between design and execution, helping teams model trade-offs, run scenarios, and stress-test decisions before anything gets locked in.

“Construction doesn’t fail because teams aren’t skilled or execute poorly,” said Kanav Hasija, co-founder and CEO of MeltPlan. “It fails because preconstruction teams are fragmented and commit too early with incomplete information.”

How the AI Planning Engine Actually Works

The planning engine brings four interconnected systems into one workflow, each targeting a distinct pressure point in preconstruction decision-making.

Code System — Guides regulatory compliance for designers and building inspectors. MeltPlan says its AI has already scored 95 per cent or above on building inspector exams, a strong proof point for domain-specific capability.

Cost System — Handles risk-adjusted quantity take-offs and bid levelling, replacing manual spreadsheets that often miss material and labour risk.

Schedule System — Supports scenario planning before scope is finalised, giving teams the ability to compare timelines across different design or procurement paths.

Value System — Analyses impact across variables and drives optimisation for owners and developers looking to maximise ROI on every dollar committed.

Rather than layering AI onto legacy workflows the way many contech tools do, MeltPlan’s approach is construction-native. The system is trained to understand building codes, materials, sequencing, procurement logistics, and construction methods from the ground up. This depth of domain-specific training sets it apart from the broader wave of AI-focused startups in India that are reshaping traditional industries.

The Team Behind MeltPlan

The founding team brings a rare combination of enterprise SaaS scale and deep construction domain expertise.

Kanav Hasija previously co-founded Innovaccer, a health-tech company valued at $3 billion that set out to make American healthcare more affordable and data-driven. He joins a growing list of Indian founders launching new ventures after successful exits. Hasija is now applying a similar systems-thinking approach to construction’s planning layer.

His co-founder, Tanmaya Kala, is a Stanford-educated civil engineer who spent years as a project executive at DPR Construction, managing complex commercial, healthcare, and life science builds. Kala brings firsthand knowledge of the exact pain points MeltPlan is designed to solve.

“Preconstruction is treated like a phase,” Kala said. “But it’s actually the operating system of the project. When decisions evolve upstream, execution downstream becomes boring — and that’s a good thing.”

Bessemer’s Bet on Construction AI

Bessemer Venture Partners, which led the seed funding round, has a long track record of early-stage bets that defined categories — from Shopify in e-commerce to Twilio in communications. Backing MeltPlan signals a belief that preconstruction is ripe for a platform-level shift.

“MeltPlan is approaching preconstruction as a system, not a phase, building a visionary planning engine layer that helps teams quantify trade-offs early and reduce downstream volatility,” said Pankaj Mitra, partner at Bessemer Venture Partners.

Early Traction With Enterprise Contractors

MeltPlan isn’t building in a vacuum. The startup is already working with DPR Construction, one of the top commercial contractors in California, and Innovo Group in the UAE. These early partnerships give it access to real project data and complex planning workflows across geographies.

“We are excited to partner with MeltPlan to help us reduce planning errors while speeding up the preconstruction process,” said Atul Khanzode, a DPR Construction leadership team member.

What This Means for the Broader Contech Market

MeltPlan’s $10 million seed round adds to a wave of capital flowing into AI-powered construction startups. The company also finds itself among a fast-growing crop of top AI startups to watch in India that are attracting global VC attention. Late last year, SaaS-based property intelligence company Attentive.ai raised $30.5 million to expand its AI products, while proptech startup WeHouse closed a smaller round to upgrade its technology stack. The trend is clear — investors see construction as one of the last major industries where AI can deliver outsized productivity gains.

What makes MeltPlan’s approach stand out is its focus on decisions rather than documents. Instead of digitising paperwork, it is helping teams simulate outcomes before committing resources. That upstream focus could prove to be a far more valuable unlock for the industry than another project tracker or BIM integration.

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Author

Sachin

Sachin Sidharth is a Digital Marketing professional with a master’s degree in Digital Marketing from Coventry University, UK. He has 10+ years of blogging and online marketing experience. He currently heads Digital Acquisition for a leading London-based Fintech firm. At KnowStartup.com He focuses on writing Digital Marketing guides and manages...