C.Scale, a San Francisco-based technology startup, has raised $2 million in pre-seed funding to modernize the fragmented $1 trillion building materials market and accelerate the shift toward low-carbon construction. The round was co-led by Active Impact Investments and Wireframe Ventures, both early-stage investors committed to supporting sustainable and profitable innovation.
The company’s AI- and machine learning-powered platform connects building product manufacturers directly with designers at the point of specification, addressing a significant inefficiency in how materials are sourced and selected. As regulatory pressures and owner demands drive the push for more sustainable construction, C.Scale’s data-driven platform enables architects to make informed design and procurement decisions while helping manufacturers connect with qualified buyers.
C.Scale’s platform integrates life cycle assessment tools to provide a holistic view of a building’s environmental impact, including the performance of materials and systems. It enables designers and owners to evaluate ecological and cost tradeoffs early in the project cycle. Manufacturers gain visibility into upcoming projects and early access to specifications, providing a steady stream of high-quality leads.
The company’s traction has grown rapidly, with hundreds of enterprise users modeling more than 1,200 projects representing over 120 million square feet of construction. Clients include two of the top three architecture firms in North America and nine recipients of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Firm Award. Global partners, including Autodesk and Schneider Electric, are integrating C.Scale into their own products, while Stanford University is piloting the platform to align its construction processes with its long-term sustainability goals.
C.Scale was also selected for inclusion in the Catalogue of Solutions for COP30, currently on display at the Building Pavilion in Belém. The listing highlights its potential to help governments, businesses, and cities accelerate the deployment of near-zero-emission and resilient building solutions by 2030.
Founded by architects Jack Rusk and Brad Jacobson, who incubated the technology at architecture firm EHDD before spinning out in 2024, C.Scale is structured as a Public Benefit Corporation focused on advancing sustainability through intelligent data use in building design and procurement.
KEY QUOTES:
“The building industry faces data problems that cost time and money on every project. High-impact decisions are made in a data-scarce environment, resulting in guesswork and rework. Our platform gives project teams the right data at the right time to simplify selection of high-performance products.”
Jack Rusk, Co-founder and CEO, C.Scale
“C.Scale is the connective tissue the building materials market has been missing. Their approach of embedding intelligence directly into design workflows creates a scalable marketplace that benefits everyone: designers get faster access to better materials, manufacturers get qualified leads, and projects achieve meaningful carbon reduction. Their early traction with top-tier firms signals this is the right solution at the right time.”
Paul Straub, Managing Partner, Wireframe Ventures
“What sets C.Scale apart is the team’s combination of deep building industry expertise and cutting-edge AI capabilities. They’ve identified a massive market inefficiency in a trillion-dollar industry. By bringing supply and demand together for low-carbon building products, they’re pairing a significant market opportunity with substantial emissions reduction. This is the kind of scalable infrastructure that can transform how an entire industry operates.”
Mike Winterfield, Managing Partner, Active Impact Investments
