Engineering software startup ClearCalcs raises $1.65M in seed+

Australian engineering software startup ClearCalcs has secured $1.65 million in its seed plus round, led by EVP, with support from Shearwater Capital.

ClearCalcs' co-founders Chris Borzillo (left) and Steven Robinson (right)

The company says its eng-tech software is a global first, providing engineers, architects and designers with the tools to streamline their calculation into a single platform.

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ClearCalcs says the capital raised will support its expansion into North America with 5 additional hires in Ottawa, Canada, as well as the expansion of its Australian footprint. With 80 per cent of its operations already in the US, the business is also set to launch in Europe in the coming months.

According to co-founder Chris Borzillo, “We came up with the idea for ClearCalcs after our own experiences in the industry. Many still do calculations with pen and paper and while we appreciate the specifics of this, when you think about the number of houses and buildings being built across the globe, and then add the hours that could be streamlined with the right tech support, it’s overwhelming. The time that can be saved and errors avoided — there’s so much opportunity to be captured.”

“Our goal is to enable not only a more efficient industry, but for engineers and architects to have more control and ability to comfortably experiment with new structures, materials and concepts.”

ClearCalcs currently serves 15,000 customers across Australia and the US, assisting engineers and architechts to improve their accuracy and efficiency in managing complex calculations.

“We’ve strongly believed from day one that a faster, more accurate calculation software would open up industry creativity as well as generate more confidence — and it has. In a time where the sector is booming and materials are in short supply, we’re enabling engineers to think outside the box, meaning more can be imagined and achieved,” says Borzillo.

EVP’s investment manager Mark Velik says that the foundation of the business is driven by the co-founders' passion and creativity.

“ClearCalcs is growing rapidly in a vast global market that has been neglected by the advances of modern software. Add in two hyper-intelligent founders who deeply understand their engineering customers and the specific nuances of their industry, and you’ve got a great recipe for success,” says Velik.

“ClearCalcs is an intuitive and accurate product, designed with flexibility at its heart. This means it can scale and mould to the specific needs of several markets where other solutions are restricted by their rigidity. In a hands-on, somewhat old-school industry, the team's foresight to build in this fluidity is game changing. It’s an absolute joy to support them as they go from strength to strength both here in Australia and overseas.”

Zac Zavos, co-founder and managing partner at Shearwater Capital said that the co-founders are determined to solve important problems in the engineering and architecture industries.

“Mission critical software tends to codify best practice. ClearCalcs has found the sweet spot in the engineering space and we're excited to be on the journey with them.”