Litehaus, a construction tech startup founded by husband-wife duo Thibault and Simi Launay, has raised €1.46 million in a pre-seed round to simplify and accelerate the home-building process.
The funding round was co-led by Cornerstone VC (UK) and Explorer Fund (Portugal), with additional backing from Claster Group and angel investor Pascal Levy.
From personal pain point to scalable platform
The idea for Litehaus was born from the Launays’ frustrating experience trying to build their own home in Portugal. After facing 14 months of delays, 20% budget overruns, and mismanagement involving over 10 subcontractors, they launched Litehaus in early 2024 to help others avoid similar challenges.
The platform connects landowners and developers with architects, contractors, and designers, offering real-time tools to track costs, progress, and project timelines. Its focus on modular construction enables homes to be built 30% cheaper, 40% faster, and with 60% less environmental impact.
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Strategic growth and impact
Litehaus is currently targeting the European market and aims to become the region’s fastest-growing construction tech startup. It also has at least one U.S. construction partner in its network to support international expansion.
Simi, who leads marketing and design, described their mission as more than commercial: “Providing affordable homes at scale isn’t just a market opportunity — it’s one of the most meaningful ways we can create deep, lasting impact.”
Thibault, who handles business development and tech, said the fresh capital will go toward scaling operations and expanding the engineering and product teams. Despite building a company and raising funding, the couple only just finished their own home — a delay they hope Litehaus will help others avoid.
