Litehaus, a Portugal-headquartered startup founded in 2024 by Simi and Thibault Launay, has secured €1.46 million in pre‑seed funding to develop its all‑in‑one digital platform aimed at revolutionising residential construction.
Born from the founders’ experience with 14 months of delays, a 20% budget overrun, and having to coordinate 10 contractors during their own home build, Litehaus now streamlines the construction value chain through a platform that integrates planning, professional matchmaking, project execution, and final delivery into a single scalable system.
Backing for the round, according to a company statement, came from Explorer Investments – one of Portugal’s prominent funds – alongside Cornerstone VC, Claster Group, and investor Pascal Levy‑Garboua.
The capital will accelerate development of Litehaus’s platform, strengthen its team in product, marketing, and operations, and consolidate its position as one of Europe’s fastest-growing construction technology startups.
“We don’t build houses – we build the ecosystem and infrastructure that make building houses scalable,” says Thibault Launay, co-founder of Litehaus.
Litehaus projects that its system will enable property owners to build with 30% cost savings, complete projects 40% faster, and achieve 60% better sustainability outcomes compared to traditional methods.
Rodney Appiah, managing partner at Cornerstone VC, stated that Portugal’s current housing shortage has pushed affordability to critical levels and commended Litehaus’s mission to make home‑building as straightforward as buying a property through transparency, sustainability, and trust.
Appiah’s concerns about affordability are supported by statistics. In major urban centers such as Lisbon, rents have soared by 94% and property prices have jumped by 186% since 2015, according to housing data firm Confidencial Imobiliário, as reported by Reuters. In response, the government has launched a €4 billion investment plan to build approximately 59,000 homes for low-income families by 2030.
Early traction for Litehaus is strong: to date, it has secured 17 B2C contracts totalling €4 million and established eight memorandums of understanding with developers representing €296 million in construction potential.
The company currently operates in Portugal, Spain, Estonia, and the United States, with a core focus on the Iberian market. It has overseen the completion of two homes and is managing the construction of fifteen further projects.
According to McKinsey, construction industry productivity has severely lagged behind other sectors despite technological advances. While the overall economy improved productivity by 50% and manufacturing by 90% from 2000-2022, construction managed only a 10% improvement over the same period. The situation has worsened recently, with global construction productivity actually declining 8% from 2020-2022.
This stagnation creates significant challenges: the industry struggles to meet growing infrastructure and housing demand, which threatens economic progress, social welfare, and environmental goals.
Litehaus positions itself as a comprehensive, asset-light platform that combines full-stack construction management with advanced manufacturing through 3D printing, delivering a customer-centered experience that prioritizes technology, efficiency, and sustainability throughout the entire building process.
Co‑founder Simi Launay says the goal is not merely to digitize construction but to democratize access to quality housing. “I’ve always wanted to build businesses that change people’s lives. Making affordable housing available at scale isn’t just a market opportunity – it’s one of the most significant ways to create a real and lasting impact.”
Featured image: The Portuguese team behind Litehaus’ efforts to revolutionize residential construction (Photo source: Litehaus)
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