Welcome on board, startups of LH Accelerator season one!
Start your engines and prepare for a high-speed take off, as the LH Accelerator program’s first season launches from May 23-25 with an Onboarding event held in our R&D Center in Lyon, France.
Startups step up to construction industry challenges
This year, for the first time, LafargeHolcim and the Corporate Partners Chinese Construction and Communications Company (CCCC) and Sika put a call out to startups around the world looking for creators of innovations in our industry. Ten applicants were chosen to enter LH Accelerator, a six-month program offering mentorship, funding and technical expertise to accelerate these smart ideas into viable products that will drive innovation and sustainability in our industry.
Of the many startup applicants seeking to benefit from the entrepreneurial, business and technical expertise of industry leaders, 10 were selected by a jury of representatives from LafargeHolcim, CCCC and Sika, on the basis of the realism and innovation of their projects and the overall strength of their pitch.
The solutions put forward by LH Accelerator’s startups reflect the breadth of challenges facing the construction industry today, with proposals ranging from digital solutions to new construction methods, CO2 reduction and new products. LH Accelerator was open to applicants worldwide, and in its first season will bring together startups from North America, Europe and Asia, and grant them insight into the challenges of other markets.
Accelerate to the future of our industry
Between May 23 and 25, LH Accelerator will bring together its 10 chosen startups, along with mentors and experts from LafargeHolcim, Sika and CCCC, plus invited industry guests, for the official opening of the first season of the program. Held in the LafargeHolcim R&D Center, the Onboarding session will kick-off the intensive six-month program.
During the two-day Onboarding, the startups will participate in tours of the R&D Center facilities, meet their mentors and prepare for the next six months with brainstorming sessions to define what success means in the context of the program. Each startup has been asked to come prepared to discuss the challenges they want to solve during the season.
You can check in with their progress on the website or through social media.
Meet the teams
On-site autonomous robot for rebar tying on bridge decks
Describe your startup in 3 words.
Transformative construction robots
What does your startup bring to the industry?
- TybotTM, an autonomous rebar-tying robot, is a reliable, flexible and scalable solution to meet labor needs by reducing the required rebar tying labor in bridge construction.
- Proof that robots can reliably, safely and competently work with crews, providing the necessary acceleration to meet the increasing demands on the construction industry.
Jeremy Searock, Co-founder & VP: “We were intrigued by the opportunity to receive assistance in accelerating our product internationally. We see a significant mutual benefit and we are seeking companies willing to start integrating our robots into their operations today.”
AI rule-based construction planner
Describe your startup in 3 words.
Artificial intelligence scheduling
What does your startup bring to the industry?
- It facilitates the translation of element metrics into project metrics, i.e. installation or drying time becomes a question of the effect of changing materials on the total cost and duration of the project.
René Morkos, Founder & CEO: “It seemed like a good way to start the relationship with LafargeHolcim, CCCC and Sika.
End-user oriented project management platform for construction and maintenance.
Describe your startup in 3 words.
Construction project management
What does your startup bring to the industry?
- Increased speed and accuracy of information sharing, allowing teams to add more value and take control of their operational projects while improving the overall excellence of the whole organization.
Stéphane Labrousse, Head Of Partnerships: “We look forward to upscaling our on-going collaboration and finding new international business opportunities with LafargeHolcim, Sika and CCCC.”
Fly ash treatment and its use as a concrete performance improver
Describe your startup in 3 words.
Nanoparticles, value, upcycling
What does your startup bring to the industry?
- Technologies around carbon reduction, accelerated setting agents, and corrosion-resistant coatings for concrete wastewater and sewage structures.
Apoorv Sinha, CEO: “We want to seize the opportunity to commercialize the use of our concrete-related additives and technologies through collaboration with some of the largest players in the global construction industry.”
CO2 treatment and full reuse of ready-mix production wash water
Describe your startup in 3 words.
Beneficial CO2 utilization
What does your startup bring to the industry?
- Innovations to help concrete producers lower their carbon footprint and reduce waste output.
- More sustainable concrete created from the industry’s biggest waste output – CO2.
Sean Monkman, VP Technology Development: “We were drawn to the LH Accelerator program by the opportunity to work on business development and technical barriers with world leaders in the industry.
Open BIM solution for construction industrialization.
Describe your startup in 3 words.
Smart, accurate, collaboration
What does your startup bring to the industry?
- Support for the adoption of precast technology and data integration through the use of open standard BIM, and construction data collection, analysis and feedback loops.
Zhao Bin, General Manager: “Through the LH Accelerator program we hope to get our industry to the future of smart construction engineering.”
New structural formwork/reinforcement
Describe your startup in 3 words.
Speed, innovation, success
What does your startup bring to the industry?
- Innovative formworks.
- Reduced construction site waste and carbon emissions.
- The sharing of know-how, savings and technical breakthroughs.
Firas Esreb, CEO: “We came to LH Accelerator through the recommendations of our professional peer group.”
Nano-fibrillated cellulose as a concrete additive
Describe your startup in 3 words.
Nanocellulose, biomaterials, nanotechnology
What does your startup bring to the industry?
- Recent successful R&D work developing new nanocellulose materials to add to concrete grouts and mortars.
- Dramatic performance-enhancing effects, from shrinkage-crack prevention to strength improvements, and flow and slump control.
Keith Gourlay, R&D Scientist: “The LH Accelerator program is a perfect fit for us, allowing us to rapidly bring our recent successful R&D work to market.”
Provider of a digital platform based on BIM Centric approach for Construction and Real Estate industries, covering entire lifecycle of the building.
Describe your startup in 3 words.
BIM collaborative platform
What does your startup bring to the industry?
- A unique BIM Centric platform including Electronic Document Management and IOT data management solutions in order to control the operation of your buildings for their entire life cycle.
Sébastien Brison, COO: “We are looking for new partners and opportunities to generate strong growth for our innovative solutions.”
3D drone data analytics platform for quarry blasting operations/roads.
Describe your startup in 3 words.
VISINT quarry blasting
What does your startup bring to the industry?
- Cutting-edge technology to predict hole depth, diameter and 360° view distance from the bench cliff to the excavation face.
- Real-time 3D analytics to predict efficient and accurate blast patterns.
- Decreased delivery time and improved safety measures for quarry blasting.
Ravi Sahu, Founder & CEO: “We came to LH Accelerator to develop a partnership with LafargeHolcim and the construction-material ecosystem for market expansion to accelerate our company’s growth.”
