Cemex Ventures and its global partners announce the first Gold Winner of the 2026 edition following the APAC Pitch Day held in Singapore. The competition will continue with its next Pitch Days in Las Vegas and Helsinki.
Cemex Ventures, together with its partners Caterpillar, Dysruptek by Haskell, Hilti Ventures, Leonard by VINCI, NOVA by Saint-Gobain, Trimble, Zacua Ventures and the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) of Singapore, has announced Civils.ai as the APAC Gold Winner of Construction Startup Competition 2026.
The startup secured the first Gold Winner title of this year’s competition after pitching its solution alongside four other finalists during the APAC Pitch Day in Singapore.
The event represents the first of three Pitch Days that will define the Gold Winners of Construction Startup Competition 2026, with the next stages set to take place in Las Vegas and Helsinki, during RecoTech.
Five startups were selected to compete in Singapore:
Following the jury evaluation, Civils.ai was selected as the APAC Gold Winner for its AI-powered platform designed to automate some of the most repetitive and error-prone tasks in preconstruction. By combining AI-driven quantity takeoffs with intelligent review and cross-checking of complex construction drawings, specifications and project documentation, Civils.ai enables teams to significantly reduce manual effort, improve accuracy and identify potential issues earlier in the project lifecycle. Its construction-specific approach has the potential to increase the capacity of estimating and preconstruction teams while enabling faster, more reliable and data-driven decision-making across the industry.
The APAC Gold Winner award was presented to Civils.ai by Jesús Ortiz, Head of Cemex Ventures, and Mr Alvin Tan, Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of National Development of Singapore, recognizing the startup’s achievement as the first Gold Winner of Construction Startup Competition 2026.
The APAC Pitch Day was held in Singapore in the context of International Built Environment Week (IBEW), bringing together startups, construction companies, investors, technology providers and industry leadersfrom across the built environment ecosystem.
The first Gold Winner of Construction Startup Competition 2026
The Singapore event marks the beginning of the final stage of Construction Startup Competition 2026 and the first opportunity this year to recognize one of the startups selected through the competition’s global scouting process.
With its selection as APAC Gold Winner, Civils.ai becomes the first of three Gold Winners to be announced during the 2026 edition.
The competition will now move to its next two Pitch Days in Las Vegas and Helsinki, where additional finalists will pitch their solutions before industry experts and compete for the remaining Gold Winner titles.
Through this global format, Cemex Ventures and the competition partners aim to connect emerging technologies with some of the leading players across the construction value chain, creating opportunities forstartups to engage with corporates, investors and potential strategic partners.
A global competition backed by leading construction industry players
Construction Startup Competition is an initiative led by Cemex Ventures together with a global network of industry partners, combining their reach, sector expertise and innovation ecosystems to identify startups with the potential to transform construction.
The 2026 edition brings together Cemex Ventures, Caterpillar, Dysruptek by Haskell, Hilti Ventures, Leonard by VINCI, NOVA by Saint-Gobain, Trimble and Zacua Ventures, with BCA Singapore supporting the APAC stage of the competition.
Together, the partners evaluate technologies and business models across five strategic areas:
Preconstruction; Jobsite Productivity & Building Systems; ClimateTech for the Built World; Smart Manufacturing & Logistics; and Smart Buildings & Infrastructure.
This year’s edition received a record 798 applications from 62 countries, representing a 40.3% increase compared with 2025 and reinforcing the competition’s position as a global meeting point betweenconstruction innovation, startups and industry.
The initiative seeks not only to identify promising technologies, but also to facilitate connections between startups and leading construction companies, exploring opportunities ranging from pilots and commercialpartnerships to investment and broader strategic collaboration.
With the APAC Pitch Day now completed, Construction Startup Competition 2026 moves to the next stage of its global journey.
Singapore has revealed the first Gold Winner. Las Vegas and Helsinki will decide the next two.
