Construction mistakes remain one of the most expensive problems in real estate development. A misinterpreted drawing or missed conflict between disciplines can derail timelines and inflate budgets. San Francisco-headquartered Buildcheck has stepped in to change that narrative and has now raised $5.9 million in seed funding, led by Uncork Capital with participation from Xfund, Peterson Ventures, and strategic angels from OpenAI, Opendoor, CBRE, Zillow, and others.
The new funding will be used to accelerate development and expand the platform’s capabilities. Buildcheck plans to grow its engineering and operations teams while pushing new product features that give builders deeper visibility into design risks.
The company is also enhancing its models in partnership with leading institutions, including MILA and AMII, as well as expert advisors from OpenAI, ServiceNow, and Oxford University. These collaborations allow the platform to continuously learn from real-world data and improve accuracy with every project reviewed.
Tackles hidden errors before they hit the field
Instead of waiting for costly surprises onsite, Buildcheck reviews construction drawings before materials ever reach the ground. The platform scans architectural, structural, civil, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing plans and runs hundreds of checks that typically consume weeks of manual review. Errors, omissions, and coordination conflicts that humans often miss are flagged instantly. Builders using the platform are already reporting 10–35x returns on investment, thanks to reduced redesigns, fewer RFIs, and smoother construction phases.
More than 50 paying customers, including AvalonBay Communities and Novo Construction, are relying on Buildcheck to protect designs from escalating into expensive field problems. For developers and contractors juggling multiple stakeholders, this offers peace of mind and measurable savings.
Rapid growth alongside global recognition
Buildcheck has already collected major innovation awards, including honours at the Cemex Construction Startup Competition 2025, the EllisDon ConTech Accelerator, Cityscape Global 2025, Buildex Alberta 2025, and the Setia PropTech Innovation Challenge. These wins highlight the growing belief that pre-construction design review is primed for transformation.
Behind the platform is a founding team with strong construction and product backgrounds, including Alexander Michalatos, Andrei Molchynsky, and Alex Gureev, who began building Buildcheck while at Stanford. Their mission is rooted in bridging the long-standing gap between how buildings are drawn and how they are actually constructed.
Looking ahead
As construction projects become more complex and budgets tighten, the market is clearly signalling demand for smarter design validation. With new capital and rising adoption, Buildcheck is positioning itself as a new essential tool in modern pre-construction workflows, catching issues early, cutting waste, and helping buildings go up exactly as intended.
“Every missed issue in a drawing becomes a surprise expense on-site,” said Joe Kirchofer, senior vice president, Northern California, AvalonBay Communities. “We traditionally performed manual drawing reviews of our large projects, but we were looking for a more efficient method. Buildcheck helps us reduce risk and make better use of our time and capital.”
“General contractors and commercial real estate developers are facing increasing challenges with design quality, accuracy, and errors, and we could not be more thrilled with the response and rapid adoption of our technology, saving our customers time, money, and headaches throughout the pre-construction process,” said Alexander Michalatos, CEO and co-founder of Buildcheck. Michalatos’ background includes managing technical scopes on major construction projects, such as Canada’s $600 million North Island Hospitals.
“Our AI analyses 2D drawings like an experienced construction professional, but faster, more consistently, and across every discipline simultaneously. Our technology isn’t just automating review; it’s setting an entirely new standard of accuracy and efficiency in pre-construction, and it’s rewarding to see the industry embrace an innovation we’ve made possible,” said Alex Gureev, who leads Buildcheck’s AI development.
“Construction is a $12 trillion market where design errors create more than $200 billion in waste each year,” said Amy Saper, partner at Uncork Capital. “Buildcheck combines deep domain expertise with a computer vision platform that catches issues in drawings early, before they turn into costly problems in the field. They’ve built an elegant and effective AI application that is already delivering measurable ROI for general contractors, developers, and designers, tightening review cycles and improving accuracy where it matters.”
