CRH Ventures accelerates water infrastructure innovation with VODA.ai investment
- Strategic expansion into smart water management solutions through AI technology investment
- Commercial partnership with Oldcastle Infrastructure enhances market access and collaboration
- Platform has proven track record analyzing over 1 million miles of pipe across multiple countries
- Investment strengthens CRH's position in the growing water infrastructure technology sector
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Insights
CRH's strategic investment in VODA.ai enhances its water infrastructure capabilities with AI-driven predictive analytics for aging pipe systems.
CRH Ventures' Series A investment in VODA.ai represents a significant strategic enhancement to CRH's water infrastructure portfolio. VODA.ai's AI-driven analytics platform has demonstrated substantial market validation, having analyzed over one million miles of pipe across 26 U.S. states and six countries. This technology enables utilities to proactively assess pipe conditions and prioritize maintenance before costly failures occur.
The investment creates natural synergies with Oldcastle Infrastructure, CRH's North American water infrastructure business, following their recently announced commercial partnership. This dual approach鈥攆inancial investment plus commercial integration鈥攁llows CRH to both participate in VODA.ai's growth and enhance its own product offerings.
For CRH, this move represents an evolution beyond traditional building materials into higher-value technology solutions that address critical infrastructure challenges. The water infrastructure maintenance market presents substantial growth opportunities, as municipalities worldwide grapple with aging systems and limited maintenance budgets. By integrating AI-driven decision support tools with its existing infrastructure products, CRH positions itself as a more comprehensive solutions provider rather than merely a materials supplier.
This investment signals CRH's commitment to digital transformation in infrastructure management鈥攁n emerging trend among forward-thinking infrastructure companies seeking to differentiate themselves in increasingly competitive markets. The focus on water infrastructure is particularly strategic given the critical need for maintenance optimization in this sector and increasing public funding directed toward water system improvements.
Founded in 2017, VODA.ai's platform helps utilities to manage aging water infrastructure by providing AI-driven predictive analytics to assess pipe condition and risk across transmission, distribution, and collection systems. To date, the
"This investment expands CRH's existing smart water management solutions and represents a significant step forward in our mission to support technologies that make infrastructure smarter, more resilient, and more sustainable," said Eduardo Gomez Mendoza, Head of CRH Ventures. "VODA.ai is a standout innovator in AI-driven asset management that can play a critical role in helping utilities around the world to deliver safe, reliable and clean water to the communities they serve."
The investment will support VODA.ai's growth, expand its R&D capabilities, and accelerate innovation to better serve municipal utilities and private water operators worldwide. It builds on a commercial partnership announced earlier this week between VODA.ai and Oldcastle Infrastructure, CRH's leading water infrastructure business in
"CRH brings more than capital - it brings global reach, deep infrastructure expertise, and a shared vision for innovation," said George Demosthenous, CEO of VODA.ai. "We're excited to work together to scale our impact and help utilities make smarter, data-driven decisions."
"This investment in VODA.ai reflects CRH's commitment to supporting transformative solutions that address the world's most pressing infrastructure challenges," added Jason Jackson, President, Oldcastle Infrastructure. "We're excited to support its next phase of growth."
About CRH Ventures
CRH Ventures is the venture capital unit of CRH, a leading provider of building materials solutions. With access to CRH's Venturing and Innovation Fund, CRH Ventures partners with and invests ambitiously and strategically in ConTech and ClimateTech start-ups across the entire construction value chain. For more information visit 听
About CRH
CRH plc (NYSE: CRH) is the leading provider of building materials solutions that build, connect and improve our world. Employing 80,000 people at over 3,800 operating locations in 28 countries, CRH has market leadership positions in
About听VODA.ai
VODA.ai is a
About Oldcastle Infrastructure
Oldcastle Infrastructure, A CRH Company, is a leading provider of infrastructure solutions for the water, communications, and energy markets. With an extensive network of manufacturing facilities and a focus on operational excellence, the company delivers innovative and sustainable products and services throughout
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