London-based Hammer Missions, an AI company innovating how owners, architects, engineers and contractors inspect built structures with drone technology, has raised €1.6 million in new funding to accelerate its AI technology development and strategic expansion into North America.
The round saw participation from ACF Investors, and angel investors including Graham Hunter (Founder and former Chair at GeoSLAM), Martin Grant (former CEO, Energy at Atkins) and Stephen Bullock (serial tech investor and former President at E100 Angels).
Varun Sarwal, CEO at Hammer Missions, said, “We built our drone software with simplicity at its core, to help industry stakeholders gather actionable data for any type of building structure. We’re working with exceptional clients and partners, and look forward to using the funding to expand internationally and improve our product offering to remain at the cutting edge of inspection technology in the built environment.”
Founded in 2019 by Varun Sarwal, Hammer Missions is an AI software firm specialising in helping owners, architects, engineers and contractors inspect built structures using drones and AI. Hammer Missions has been used in over 20,000 drone flights and 5000 3D data projects.
The firm has been working with leading AEC firms such as Thornton Thomasetti and SGH in the US and continues to add value to building assessments globally.
According to Hammer Missions, building inspections play a critical role in ensuring the safety, quality, and compliance of built structures. The UK’s Building Safety Act underscores the need for rigorous construction and maintenance practices for buildings.
However, Hammer argues that traditional inspection methods often require the deployment of specialised equipment on site, a process that is time-consuming and expensive.
Hammer’s AI software solution maps and inspects structures and generates tailored 3D inspection reports via automated drone flights. It captures comprehensive data on building assets, reportedly reducing the time and cost involved. It can be used for applications such as roof & facade investigations, defect detection and thermal forensics.
Its integrated AI software streamlines the data analysis and reporting process, allowing industry professionals to shift their focus from laborious data analysis to using their time to make informed, actionable decisions and recommendations on building safety.
Sam Fennell, Partner at ACF Investors, said: “Hammer Missions radically changes the economics for building owners who need to perform accurate assessments of the structures they own and manage. Many large buildings are hard and expensive to access, reducing the ability to assess them for safety or preventative maintenance. Thanks to Hammer they can now do this quickly, accurately and cost effectively. We are pleased to be backing Varun and his team as it builds through its next phase of growth.”
