Sitegeist, a Munich-based construction robotics startup, has secured €4 million in pre-seed funding to accelerate the development and deployment of its automated robots designed for concrete renovation projects. The investment will support team expansion, hiring of engineering talent and scaling of pilot projects across active construction sites.
Across Europe and North America, aging infrastructure such as bridges, tunnels and public buildings requires urgent repairs. In Germany alone, the backlog for infrastructure renovation runs into hundreds of billions of euros, while shortages of skilled labour continue to slow progress. Labour-intensive processes such as concrete removal are difficult to scale, costly and physically demanding. Sitegeist aims to address these challenges with modular robots designed to operate directly on existing structures.
Unlike traditional automation systems that depend on digital site models or controlled environments, Sitegeist’s robots use advanced perception systems, AI-supported decision tools and adaptive control technology to work on complex, real-world structures without prior digitisation. This allows faster deployment on renovation sites and supports construction firms facing workforce shortages.
Dr Lena-Marie Pätzmann, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Sitegeist, said infrastructure repair is reaching a critical point, particularly in concrete renovation, where manual work dominates. She noted that the company’s specialised robotic platform can help scale operations while improving efficiency and safety.
The funding round was led by b2venture and OpenOcean, with participation from industry backers and angel investors. The investors highlighted the growing demand for automation in construction, where rising safety requirements and limited skilled labour are creating long project backlogs.
Sitegeist works directly with renovation contractors to integrate its modular robotic systems into existing workflows. The company plans to expand testing with additional partners and sites to refine its technology and broaden applications across the infrastructure repair process.
Founded as a spin-out from the Technical University of Munich, Sitegeist combines robotics research with practical construction expertise. The founding team includes Dr Lena-Marie Pätzmann, Julian Hoffmann, Nicola Kolb and Claus Carste, who bring backgrounds in robotics, artificial intelligence and engineering.
With the new funding, Sitegeist plans to expand operations and bring automated renovation tools to more markets. The company said its goal is to help construction firms increase productivity, improve working conditions and address the growing global need for infrastructure repair through advanced robotics technology.
