Cosuno

High-Level Overview

Cosuno is a Berlin-based SaaS platform that digitizes procurement, tendering, and subcontractor management for the construction industry, serving general contractors, property developers, architects, and subcontractors.[1][2][3] It solves the inefficiencies of traditional manual, paper-driven processes by automating bid comparison (using AI), communication, document storage, and negotiations, enabling 60% faster crew sourcing, 50% higher response rates, 25% higher contract profits, and processing billions in construction volume.[1][2][4] With over 180,000 subcontractors in its European network (primarily DACH region), Cosuno has raised $45.2 million in funding, including a $30 million Series B, fueling product development and international expansion amid rapid growth—processing $1.5 billion in volume within 12 months of scaling.[1][4][6]

Origin Story

Founded in 2019 by Christoph Berner (Co-Founder & MD, former Global Head of Operations at Move24 Group), Fritz Cramer (Co-Founder & MD, former Global Head of Operations at Move24 Group), and Maximilian Seifert (Co-Founder & CTO, former Head of Engineering at IONIQ Group), Cosuno emerged to tackle the construction sector's outdated procurement practices, which lack transparency, holistic insight, and efficiency.[1][3][4] The idea stemmed from the founders' operations expertise, recognizing how manual bidding and awarding wasted time and obscured pricing in a complex industry.[3][5] Early traction was swift: by 2021, it onboarded major clients like SIGNA Bau and Eiffage Infra Bau via a lead-user approach, doubled headcount, built a 80,000+ subcontractor network, and hit $4 billion in processed volume by 2022, validating its digitization of a "slow-to-adopt" market.[1][2][4][5]

Core Differentiators

• Massive Subcontractor Network: Largest in Europe with 180,000+ qualified partners (primarily DACH), enabling broad bid access and 50% higher response rates versus manual methods.[2][4][7]
• AI-Powered Automation and Transparency: AI for bid comparison/negotiation, full procurement cycle management (planning to payment), document storage, and communication—delivering 60% time savings, 25% profit uplift, and 18% margin gains on average.[1][2][4]
• End-to-End Platform: User-centric SaaS for tenders, price comparisons, contracts, invoicing, and payments; flat hierarchies and modular adaptations ensure ease for medium/large-scale users.[3][5][7]
• Proven Traction and Backing: $45M+ raised from Avenir Growth, Spark Capital, Cherry Ventures; 10,000+ projects awarded, serving industry leaders with rapid adoption in a legacy sector.[1][4][6]

Role in the Broader Tech Landscape

Cosuno rides the construction tech (ConTech) wave, digitizing a $10 trillion global industry plagued by fragmentation, manual processes, and opacity—trends accelerated by post-pandemic labor shortages, rising costs, and sustainability demands.[1][2][3] Timing is ideal amid Europe's green building push and DACH infrastructure booms, where procurement inefficiencies erode 10-20% of project margins; Cosuno's network effects and AI create a moat, processing billions in volume to influence ecosystem standards.[1][4][5] It fosters transparency and collaboration, empowering smaller subcontractors while optimizing for giants, and sets benchmarks for SaaS in "unsexy" verticals, inspiring similar proptech plays across Europe.[2][6]

Quick Take & Future Outlook

Cosuno is poised for pan-European dominance and beyond, leveraging its Series B for international rollout, AI enhancements, and network expansion to hit new volume milestones amid ConTech's projected 20% CAGR.[1][6] Trends like AI-driven predictive bidding, ESG compliance tools, and integrated BIM (Building Information Modeling) will shape its path, potentially doubling revenue as adoption barriers crumble in a digitizing industry.[3][5] Its influence could evolve from DACH leader to global standard-setter, amplifying efficiency gains and margins—cementing why Cosuno exemplifies how targeted SaaS transforms trillion-dollar legacies.[1][4]