Build

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Overview

Build is a U.S.-based AI-native development services firm focused on commercial real estate and infrastructure projects. Its platform combines autonomous AI agents with domain specialists to automate pre-development work such as site selection, technical due diligence, power assessment, underwriting, design analysis, and permitting. The company is particularly associated with data-center and other digital-infrastructure development, while also targeting energy, industrial, and broader built-environment projects.

The company operates between enterprise software and professional development services, providing technology-supported deliverables rather than selling a conventional standalone software application. Its notable characteristics are the use of multiple specialized agents, continuously updated geospatial and regulatory data, and human review intended to make outputs traceable to source material.

History

Build was founded in 2024 by James Stirrat-Ellis and Ben McClusky. Stirrat-Ellis previously worked at Heatherwick Studio, while McClusky has a background in multi-agent reinforcement learning and prior experience at Gorillas. The company developed an AI-native operating model for commercial real estate and infrastructure development, initially focusing on data centers and other large physical projects. In 2025, Build raised an $8.5 million seed round led by Index Ventures and reported work across more than 100 infrastructure projects in North America and Europe.

Product Lines

Product Line	Positioning	Price Range
Site Selection and Geospatial Intelligence	Infrastructure-aware discovery and screening of development sites	Custom pricing
Due Diligence and Feasibility	Automated technical, environmental, zoning, and market assessment	Custom pricing
Underwriting and Investment Materials	AI-assisted financial analysis and investment-committee preparation	Custom pricing
Design and Test Fit	Early-stage feasibility, massing, and block-fit analysis	Custom pricing
Permitting and Compliance	Regulatory submission preparation using live jurisdictional data	Custom pricing
Development Lifecycle Operations	Centralized coordination of tasks, documents, and project status	Custom pricing

Manufacturing

Build does not manufacture physical products. It delivers software and technology-enabled development services, combining proprietary AI agents, geospatial data, automation, and human domain experts; its team operates across New York, San Francisco, and London.

Notable Products

Dougie - Multi-agent AI platform that automates site selection, desktop due diligence, underwriting, investment-committee memoranda, zoning analysis, environmental diligence, and ESG reporting.
Geospatial Intelligence Platform - Geospatial intelligence system covering power, fiber, environmental, zoning, and related infrastructure data across more than 18 countries.
Development Operating Platform - Workflow system for coordinating tasks, documents, owners, and project status across the development lifecycle.
Site Feasibility and Test Fit - Automated feasibility, massing, and block-fit analysis for evaluating development options.
Permitting and Compliance Automation - Regulatory workflow for producing permitting and other compliant submissions using current regulatory data.

Reputation

Build is presented by industry observers as an early-stage company applying agentic AI to a traditionally manual real-estate and infrastructure workflow. Its reported strengths include combining domain expertise with automation, handling large quantities of technical and geospatial data, and producing auditable outputs. Publicly available information is still limited because the company is young, and claims about speed, cost reduction, and workflow automation are primarily company-reported rather than supported by a broad independent review base.

Sources (10)