Europe’s housing sector is struggling with severe shortages, rising costs, long construction times, and a lack of skilled workers. These problems also harm the climate through inefficient construction methods.
Gropyus tackles this by using a fully digital, robotic smart factory that makes customizable timber-hybrid walls and ceilings for multistory homes. Their method can cut build times by up to half, lower costs and emissions, and support scalable, sustainable housing.
The Vienna-based PropTech company recently secured €100 million in a new growth round, according to Handelsblatt. This matches the amount they raised earlier in 2024 and follows a €100 million Series B led by Vonovia in 2023.
With total equity now exceeding €400 million and €40 million in EIB venture debt, the funds will help expand their factory and support technology research and development.
Can housing be industrialised the way Tesla did with cars?
Founded in 2019 by Markus Fuhrmann (yes, the Delivery Hero co-founder) and Philipp Erler (ex-Zalando CIO), Gropyus is where tech-scaling meets construction innovation.
Their mission is to industrialise housing as Tesla did with cars by building affordable, eco-friendly multistory timber-hybrid buildings on a large scale. They aim to produce 3,500 apartments a year using automated factories.
Gropyus runs a factory in Richen, near Heilbronn, that uses 50 KUKA robots to pre-produce building parts in about 16 minutes, achieving 86% automation. The process is digitally planned for modularity and easy on-site assembly.
Key features include high customisation, sustainable timber-hybrid and PV-ready designs, and project completion times that are 30-50% faster than usual.
Unlike traditional on-site construction, Gropyus avoids the risks posed by weather and labour shortages. Compared to competitors like Modulous, which offers UK modular software and kits, or Katerra, a US prefab company that struggled to grow, Gropyus stands out for its robotic precision in producing customised mass housing. Other competitors include ESS Modular and Plant Prefab.
So, what’s next for Gropyus?
The new funding will help them ramp up from one shift to three, aiming for 250,000 m² a year and a full 120 trucks rolling out daily. Profitability is on the horizon for 2027-28. Right now, they’re piloting a Salzburg project with Rhomberg Bau—68 units, klimaaktiv GOLD, set for delivery in 2026.
Next steps include running parallel projects and expanding across the EU.
