Zacua Ventures, a San Francisco-based venture capital firm specialising in early-stage technology for the built environment, has closed its second investment fund at $135 million.
The new fund, known as Fund II, attracted backing from more than 30 corporate limited partners and institutional investors operating across over 20 countries.
Its investors represent several industries, including construction, engineering, materials, infrastructure, real estate and technology.
Among the organisations participating in the fund are Volvo Group Venture Capital, Holcim Maqer Ventures, Hilti Venture, Trimble Ventures, Acciona, DPR Construction, Mortenson and Dubai Future District Fund.
Fund II to Target Physical Industries
The investment vehicle will concentrate on what Zacua describes as Physical Industries, covering the essential sectors responsible for building, powering and operating the modern world.
Its investment focus includes construction, critical infrastructure, manufacturing, energy and mining.
The firm plans to support early-stage companies developing technologies to address challenges across these industries.
Three Companies Feature Among Early Investments
Zacua Ventures has already made several investments through Fund II, including companies working on construction robotics, clean energy technology and artificial intelligence.
One of its early investments is Origin Robotics, a construction robotics company developing autonomous solutions for interior wall finishing. Its OG1 robot is designed to complete interior wall-finishing tasks autonomously.
The fund has also backed CURA Climate, a cleantech company developing technology aimed at electrifying and decarbonising cement production.
Another investment is Neuron Factory, an AI-native preconstruction platform that uses a proprietary knowledge graph to identify project risks and coordinate decisions.
Global Investment Strategy Led by Three Founding Partners
Zacua Ventures is led by founding partners Vivin Hegde, Mauricio Tessi Weiss and Juan Nieto.
The firm invests in early-stage businesses developing technologies for the built environment, particularly across construction, manufacturing, energy, mining and infrastructure.
Its investment strategy involves partnering with founders building solutions to address major industry challenges, including labour shortages, fragmented workflows, ageing infrastructure and industrial productivity.
Fund I Portfolio Reaches 34 Companies Across 11 Markets
Since launching its first fund, Zacua Ventures has invested in 34 early-stage companies across 11 markets in North America, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
According to the firm, all companies in its Fund I portfolio remain operational, with no down rounds recorded to date.
Among its previous investments is Document Crunch, a construction risk-management platform that has been deployed across more than 10,000 projects.
The portfolio also includes Gravis Robotics, an ETH Zurich spinout developing physical artificial intelligence for autonomous construction equipment.
Another Fund I investment is Flexnode, a digital infrastructure technology company involved in designing, building and operating scalable, modular and liquid-cooled data centres.
