Construction tech Mooven expands into US

Construction technology platform Mooven will expand into the US, opening an office in San Francisco.

This is the first move in its global expansion plan and Mooven’s US main office will primarily focus its efforts on the west coast of North America, with the area frequenting heavier traffic congestion, and less developed public transport.

Micah Gabriels, CEO and co-founder of Mooven said there’s an expanding gap between what is being delivered and what is needed for transport infrastructure in the United States.

He said, “With 43 percent of the country’s roads in poor or mediocre condition, these challenges cannot be solved by maintaining the status quo. The industry has suffered flat productivity for decades, with other sectors speeding ahead in line with the digital economy.”

Founded in 2017, the New Zealand technology business successfully cracked the Australia and New Zealand market amid its efforts to help government authorities and construction companies implement smarter ways of working to reach the promise of our future cities, faster.  

Mooven brings data and contextual awareness closer to decision makers, enabling them to accelerate the speed at which infrastructure projects are completed, while minimising disruption to local communities.

The US expansion comes at a time when President Biden's US$1 Trillion infrastructure bill has passed, providing significant stimulus funding and growth for the sector, with an intention to repair a backlog in transport systems, modernise existing infrastructure and support the transition to a clean economy.

Gabriels said in the past, there hasn’t been enough money to maintain historic roads, nor enough to build new ones.

“Too often, we’ve seen the US treat infrastructure investment as a political football, but now the challenge is to spend Biden’s stimulus quickly and efficiently,” he said.

“However, this is a challenge in a sector McKinsey identifies less than three percent of projects are completed on time and in budget, largely due to historical inefficiencies that have too long impacted the way construction outfits work.”

In a political environment where complaints and public opinion matter, the pressure is on to implement wider productivity benefits and make sure progress can occur without grinding cities to a halt, Gabriels added.

“Mooven comes in as firebreak, providing context that spans far beyond what it has previously relied on, so teams can work faster and smarter.”

The company will capitalise on its existing Australia and New Zealand customer base with a presence in the US market – including Lendlease, Transurban, Jacobs, AECOM and WSP – to spearhead its ambitious goal of achieving a 20 per cent increase in US infrastructure delivered for the same budget.