GoContractor CEO John Naughton. Image: GoContractor
The start-up develops an onboarding and compliance platform to help building sites manage their workers.
GoContractor, which makes software for the construction industry, has confirmed it raised a $5m Series A to expand its presence in the US.
The Irish-founded start-up, which was previously known as Initiafy, creates a worker onboarding and data management solution for the construction industry. It helps managers in overseeing personnel status and compliance.
The Series A investment round was led by US investors Building Ventures, which has backed several tech start-ups in the construction space, and Ironspring. Previous backers ACT, Accretion, Enterprise Ireland and former Independent News & Media chair Leslie Buckley also participated in the round.
GoContractor will use the funds to scale its operations in the US and European markets. It will recruit more feet on the ground in the US market at its New York office, while expanding its research and development team in Ireland.
“[Building Ventures] and Ironspring share our passion and enthusiasm for transforming construction, and understand the importance of connecting and qualifying workers through an online platform to safely access construction sites across the globe,” chief executive John Naughton said.
Covid-19 and lockdowns have greatly disrupted the construction industry globally, which GoContractor said has facilitated wider uptake of technology to assist with reopening. Last year, the company released a tool to assist sites with managing Covid-19 safety protocols.
As construction sites gradually reopen, site managers will need more efficient ways to manage workers, subcontractors and other personnel. GoContractor’s tech helps construction sites to collect onboarding info and organise training digitally, and provides workers with completed documentation in digital form. Its clients in Ireland include Sisk and Roadbridge.
“GoContractor has shown that technology adoption at the worker level within the construction industry is not only possible, but has proven it can be done,” Building Ventures partner Travis Connors said.
“While connecting with and providing Covid-19 training to the entire construction workforce in Ireland, over 250,000 people, GoContractor simultaneously built a strong foothold in the US market with some of the top construction companies in the world.”
