Multi-million-pound boost for Qflow’s ambitions to clean-up construction

Qflow, a climate-focused construction tech company, has secured £7.2m to drive decarbonisation in the construction sector. 

The funding will now be used to scale operations in the UK and expand the company’s presence in the US and Australia.

Qflow is also aiming to increase its staff numbers across commercial and technical roles, hoping to grow its team of 30 by 200% by the end of 2024.

Founded in 2018, Qflow is the brainchild of its joint founders Brittany Harris and Jade Cohen. 

Qflow is a digital platform enabling construction teams to collect real-time materials and waste data at the source, enabling project teams to make informed decisions on cost, carbon, and quality.

It has raised £7.2m in Series A funding. The funding round was led by Climate Tech VC Systemiq Capital and includes Bridge Investment Group and Grosvenor, amongst others.

The company was founded by Harris and Cohen after they met in New York while volunteering for World Merit, a platform for young and collaborative global citizens trying to make a positive impact in the world. 

Having both started careers in construction, they shared a love of the industry and the huge frustrations that came from working in the space. 

They joined forces to create Qflow with the sole purpose of leaving the world in a better place than they found it.

Harris, co-founder and CEO of Qflow, said: “Jade and I love the construction industry, it literally builds the world around us. 

“But for it to build the sustainable future we need, it must change and reduce its negative impacts on our planet. 

“To us, it was clear we had to tackle our own industry to have a chance of leaving this world in a better place, and this is why we founded Qflow. 

“We are thrilled with the investors that have joined us in this round. The support we’ve received from big players in the sector shows they also see the importance of changing processes and accelerating this transformation towards a more sustainable future.”

Construction is one of the world’s most carbon-intensive industries. According to a report from the Royal Academy of Engineering, it accounts for 11% of global carbon emissions. 

This is largely to do with the linear way it extracts, refines, transports, builds with, demolishes and disposes of materials. 

To decarbonise construction, Qflow says there is a need to turn this linear approach into a circular one. 

Qflow’s digital platform drives transparency and efficiency that enables cost and quality control and sustainability management. 

Its unique features and benefits include reducing waste by providing real-time data and analytics; increasing efficiency by automating and digitising a currently manual process; providing transparency over carbon savings; enabling the circular economy; and enhancing performance.

Companies already using Qflow include Berkeley Group, Canary Wharf Group, Grosvenor, Landsec, Morgan Sindall, Multiplex and Workplace Futures.

Amongst the investors for Qflow’s Series A are Ascension Ventures, Bridge Investment Group, Gravel Rd, Greensoil Proptech Ventures, Grosvenor, John Emrey; CEO of Alder properties and former CEO of Lendlease; MMC, and Suffolk Tech.

Qflow has previously raised £2.4m across two seed rounds, with investment from PiLabs, MMC, Goldacre, Entrepreneur First (EF London 10) and angel investors. 

Matthew Goldstein, general partner at Systemiq Capital, said: “Qflow uniquely aligns the goals of construction CFOs and sustainability executives, accelerating customers’ decarbonisation ambitions while saving them time, money, and reducing regulatory risk. 

“We are leading their Series A, at a time when most VCs are scaling back their activities, to accelerate and capitalise on this unique opportunity and critical mission. 

“Further commitment from real estate and construction heavyweights Grosvenor, Bridge Investment Group and others is a testament to the value of Qflow’s solution and the work they are doing to transform the industry.”