Cascade raises $3.5M to help builders find projects faster

Manaal KhanJuly 23, 2026 at 12:46 AM4 min read

Key Takeaways

Cascade raised $3.5M from Andreessen Horowitz Speedrun, Ada Ventures, and Snowball VC
The platform uses AI to predict which developers are likely to win upcoming construction projects
Customers include firms that built JFK airport, La Guardia, and Four Seasons hotels

Cascade, a startup that helps architecture, engineering, and construction firms find and win projects, has closed a $3.5 million seed round. Andreessen Horowitz Speedrun led the investment alongside Ada Ventures and Snowball VC. The funding will go toward market expansion, industry events, and engineering hires.

Why construction firms still hunt for work manually

Finding construction projects in the U.S. is fragmented. Firms must log into portals run by individual states, cities, counties, districts, and federal agencies. There is no unified marketplace. A company specializing in suspension bridges, for example, must search dozens of disconnected systems to locate relevant opportunities.

Co-founders Hannia Zia and Joana Ferreira both saw this problem up close. Ferreira's mother sold materials to construction companies, while her uncle built mansions in the Middle East. "They're incredible at their craft but just don't have access to the right tools to get more work," Ferreira told TechCrunch. Zia's father tried starting a construction business in Pakistan but couldn't secure enough projects to stay afloat.

How Cascade's AI actually works

Cascade aggregates tender data from U.S. state, local, private, and federal sources. When a company signs up, the platform uses AI to assess which upcoming projects match that firm's strengths and track record. It then predicts winners.

The prediction engine relies on historical patterns. If a state announces a $100 million affordable housing grant, Cascade analyzes which developers won similar grants in the past. It then tells customers: "Most likely one of these five developers will win this newly announced grant, so go start talking to them to win projects."

Ferreira claims this feedback loop makes the model smarter over time. "Every time a customer wins a bid, they give feedback, so the system keeps getting smarter. Over time, we'll have a complete map of the industry that our AI can traverse to predict the best projects and leads for each customer."

a16z Speedrun's stamp of approval

Zia and Ferreira applied to Andreessen Horowitz's Speedrun accelerator in September 2025. They credit the program's demo-day pressure and peer environment with helping them close contracts with large firms. Their current customer roster includes companies that built the JFK and La Guardia airports, Four Seasons hotels, and data centers.

“Speedrun gave us visibility and a stamp of approval to close big deals.”

— Hannia Zia, Cascade co-founder

How Cascade stacks up against GovWin and ConstructConnect

Cascade is not the first to tackle construction lead generation. GovWin IQ, owned by Deltek, focuses on government contracting intelligence, while ConstructConnect provides bid management and project leads for commercial construction. Both are established players with broad datasets.

Ferreira argues Cascade is more AI-native. Where incumbents offer searchable databases, Cascade actively predicts which firms are likely to win and surfaces outreach targets. Whether that differentiation holds as incumbents add their own machine-learning layers remains an open question.

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Logicity's Take

Construction is a $1.8 trillion industry in the U.S. alone, yet its sales cycles still run on cold calls and portal logins. Cascade's bet is that predictive lead scoring, already standard in B2B SaaS, can translate to brick-and-mortar trades. The risk: construction firms are notoriously slow to adopt software, and the incumbents have decades of data. Still, if Cascade's feedback loop genuinely sharpens predictions, the compounding advantage could be difficult to replicate. For founders building vertical software, the playbook here is clear: solve an unglamorous workflow problem, win a few marquee logos, and let those names close the next deal.

What the $3.5M will fund

Cascade plans to invest the seed capital across three areas: go-to-market efforts, industry events to build credibility with contractors, and engineering talent to expand the product's data coverage and prediction accuracy.

Given the fragmented nature of U.S. construction permitting and bidding, geographic expansion alone will require significant engineering work. Each state and municipality structures its tender data differently, and the startup will need to keep those integrations current as agencies update their portals.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Cascade do?

Cascade is a platform that helps architecture, engineering, and construction firms discover upcoming projects and predicts which developers are most likely to win them, so firms can target the right partnerships.

Who invested in Cascade's seed round?

Andreessen Horowitz Speedrun led the $3.5 million round, with participation from Ada Ventures and Snowball VC.

How does Cascade's prediction model work?

Cascade analyzes historical tender data to identify patterns in who wins specific grant types or project categories, then alerts customers when similar opportunities arise.

Who are Cascade's competitors?

GovWin IQ and ConstructConnect both provide construction project leads and bid management, though Cascade claims a more AI-native approach to predictions.

When was Cascade founded?

Cascade launched in 2025 and went through a16z Speedrun in September of that year.

Need Help Implementing This?

If you're building a vertical SaaS product or exploring AI-powered lead generation for an underserved industry, reach out to Logicity's editorial team. We cover the playbooks and pitfalls of founder-led sales, AI integrations, and go-to-market strategy for technical products.

Source: Venture Capital News | TechCrunch / Dominic-Madori Davis