Key facts
- Cascade has raised $3.5 million in seed funding.
- The platform uses AI to help architecture, engineering, and construction firms find and win projects.
- Andreessen Horowitz Speedrun led the funding round.
- The startup aims to simplify the project acquisition process for construction businesses.
- Funds will be used for market entry, industry events, and hiring engineers.
Cascade, a startup aiming to streamline the process for architecture, engineering, and construction firms to find and secure projects, has successfully raised $3.5 million in seed funding. The investment was spearheaded by Andreessen Horowitz Speedrun, with contributions from Ada Ventures and Snowball VC.
Founded in 2025 by Hannia Zia and Joana Ferreira, Cascade was born from their firsthand observations of the challenges construction businesses face in consistently obtaining work. Ferreira noted that many skilled professionals lack access to the necessary tools to expand their client base, while Zia recalled her father's struggles to sustain a construction business due to a lack of projects.
Zia described the current method of finding construction projects as a "constant treasure hunt," requiring firms to navigate numerous disparate government and agency portals. Cascade's platform seeks to centralize this process. It tracks ongoing and upcoming projects and employs AI to analyze past tender data, predicting which developers are most likely to win specific deals.
Upon signing up, Cascade's AI tools assess a company's suitability for various projects and forecast future opportunities by analyzing data from U.S. states, local districts, private contracts, and federal agencies. For instance, if a state announces a grant, Cascade identifies developers who have previously secured similar grants, advising its clients to engage with these likely winners.
The founders participated in A16z's Speedrun program, which they credit with providing visibility and credibility, enabling them to secure contracts with firms involved in major projects like JFK and La Guardia airports, Four Seasons hotels, and data centers.
The newly acquired capital will be allocated towards market entry, hosting industry events, and expanding the engineering team. While competitors like GovWin IQ and ConstructConnect exist, Cascade differentiates itself with a more AI-native approach, continuously learning from customer feedback on bid wins to refine its predictions.