Optimuse raises €4.0M to scale AI building simulation platform

Vienna, Austria, October 2, 2025

News Summary

Vienna-based deep-tech startup Optimuse closed a €4.0 million Seed round to expand its AI-driven building design and simulation platform. Led by seed + speed Ventures and Blum Ventures with participation from Matterwave Ventures and Gründungsfonds, the funding will accelerate international growth and broaden distribution. Optimuse combines machine learning and physics-based modelling to create digital twins from existing plans, simulate heating, cooling and ventilation systems, and compare thousands of design variants. The company says the platform can speed preliminary engineering, reduce construction costs through better system sizing, and deliver significant emissions savings.

Vienna deep-tech startup Optimuse raises €4.0 million Seed to scale AI-driven building-simulation platform for greener, cheaper construction

A Vienna-based deep-tech startup has secured new seed funding to grow an AI platform aimed at making buildings cheaper to build and greener to run. Optimuse has raised €4.0 million in a Seed round reported in October 2025, led by seed + speed Ventures and Blum Ventures, with participation from Matterwave Ventures and Gründungsfonds.

Key facts

• Company name: Optimuse (Optimuse GmbH).
• Company base / headquarters: Vienna, Austria.
• Company type: deep-tech startup.
• Product: AI-driven building design / building simulation and optimisation platform.
• Funding raised: €4.0 million.
• Round: Seed.
• Funding date / reported date: October 2025.
• Lead investors: seed + speed Ventures and Blum Ventures.
• Additional / participating investors: Matterwave Ventures and Gründungsfonds (also referred to as aws Gründungsfonds in some sources).
• Company website: https://www.optimuse.com/
• Founding year: 2021.
• Founders: Dominik Pezzei, Fabian Pitscheider, and Felix Maximilian Hofer.
• Dominik Pezzei’s role: Managing Director and Co‑founder (quote attributed to him).
• Company team size: currently employs around 20 people (combining expertise in construction, building physics, building technology, and AI).

What Optimuse does and why it matters

Optimuse builds an AI-driven building design / building simulation and optimisation platform that uses machine learning together with building physics to help developers, builders and planners make early decisions with lower risk. The platform uses AI to simulate and optimise heating, cooling, ventilation, and building envelope systems early in the planning process and creates realistic digital building models (digital twins) from existing plans. It can compare thousands of design/engineering variants and recommend optimized solutions for new construction and renovation projects.

The company says the tool can make preliminary engineering 70% faster, cut construction costs by 10% through better sizing of systems, and deliver 20% additional emissions savings when used in design and renovation workflows. Typical application sectors include residential, commercial, and industrial projects, covering use cases such as modelling modernisation paths in renovation projects (for example heating replacement and conversions from gas to heat pumps) and optimising system sizing in new construction to reduce investment and operating costs.

Funding purpose and investor context

The fresh capital will be used to accelerate international growth and expand distribution of its AI platform for sustainable building design and renovation. Investors backing the round include Berlin-based seed + speed Ventures, which focuses on early-stage B2B software in the DACH region, and Blum Ventures, the corporate venture capital arm of the Austrian industrial company Blum Group.

Existing investors also took part in the round, with Matterwave Ventures and Gründungsfonds recorded as additional participants. Investor statements emphasise the blend of technology and practical application, and position the platform as a tool to reduce guesswork and demonstrate technically and economically viable renovation measures early in the engineering phase.

Technology and competitive positioning

Optimuse positions itself as focusing on deep, physics‑based energy modelling and transparent simulation of building systems, placing it apart from more generalised construction AI tools from larger incumbents. The reported market context notes that some startups focus on project management or scheduling automation but lack deep, physics‑based energy modelling that Optimuse offers. The product aims to balance initial investments, operational costs, and CO₂ savings when recommending solutions.

Market opportunity and regulation

The underlying market case highlights that buildings account for nearly 40% of global energy use and play a major role in carbon emissions; early design choices can lock in inefficiencies for decades. Tightening sustainability regulations in Europe are cited as a tailwind for tools that can reduce uncertainty and help planners prove compliance and optimise for both cost and emissions.

Team, timeline and next steps

Founded in 2021 by Dominik Pezzei, Fabian Pitscheider, and Felix Maximilian Hofer, Optimuse now currently employs around 20 people (combining expertise in construction, building physics, building technology, and AI). The company plans to use the seed funding to fuel European and global expansion and broaden distribution among developers, builders, and planners.

FAQ

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Key features table

Deeper Dive: News & Info About This Topic

Additional Resources

• TheSaaSNews: Optimuse raises €4 million in Seed round
• Wikipedia: Optimuse
• EU-Startups: Vienna-based Optimuse raises €4M Seed
• Google Search: Optimuse AI building simulation
• TechFundingNews: Optimuse seed funding
• Google Scholar: building energy modelling simulation AI
• EU-Startups: Propcorn secures €600k Pre-Seed
• Encyclopedia Britannica: proptech
• EU-Startups: Silana raises €1.5M for robotics
• Google News: Silana robotics clothing production

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