Saudi startup WakeCap raises $28M to digitize construction sites with real-time worker intelligence

Construction is still one of the least digitized industries on the planet. Projects worth billions are run with spreadsheets, walkie-talkies, and a whole lot of guesswork. Outdated methods—manual headcounts, paper logs, delayed reports—leave project managers blind to what’s really happening on-site.

Workers go untracked. Safety issues fall through the cracks. Productivity? No one really knows—until it’s too late.

Now, Saudi startup WakeCap wants to fix that.

WakeCap, which builds sensor-based systems that track real-time activity on construction sites, just closed a $28 million Series A round to improve safety and productivity. The funding was led by UP.Partners, with backing from Graphene Ventures and several strategic investors across the U.S., Saudi Arabia, and Asia.

WakeCap was founded in 2017 by Dr. Hassan Albalawi to tackle the lack of digital infrastructure on job sites. Instead of forcing teams to change how they work, the company built a non-intrusive system that fits into existing workflows, offering a plug-and-play solution that helps projects run more efficiently. Ishita Sood joined as co-founder and Chief Operating Officer (COO) in mid-2017, stepping in to help shape the company’s early operations and growth.

Since launching eight years ago, WakeCap has equipped construction sites with hardware and software that track workforce presence, equipment usage, productivity, and safety, without disrupting daily operations. It’s already been deployed across $80 billion worth of active projects and has tracked more than 150 million labor hours to date. Clients include Aramco, NEOM, Qiddiya, and King Salman Park, along with projects in the U.S., UAE, and Japan.

“WakeCap’s ability to capture and act on real-time jobsite data is critical for high-performing project controls,” Albalawi said. “This round fuels our next stage of growth as we expand our global footprint, increasing the value we deliver to customers through richer insights, faster reporting, and greater operational efficiency. It will allow us to deepen integrations with key ecosystem partners such as Oracle and OpenSpace. We’re proud to be building a platform that puts workers first, makes jobsites safer, and brings clarity to the world’s most complex construction efforts.”

The company’s hardware is built to withstand the mess of the jobsite—dust, debris, rough handling—while quietly collecting critical data from wearables and equipment. According to the company, its system has led to a 91% reduction in safety incidents, a 25% bump in productivity, and a 70% improvement in how fast teams respond to on-site issues.

Adam Grosser, Chairman and Managing Partner at UP.Partners, said, “WakeCap sits at the intersection of two massive forces – the scale of global infrastructure investment and the digitization of construction. As governments and developers undertake trillion-dollar initiatives, WakeCap’s platform brings truth, transparency, and trust to the field. We are thrilled to back Hassan and the team as they scale globally and lead the transformation of this critical industry.”

The construction tech space has seen a surge of interest lately, especially as governments ramp up infrastructure spending and push for accountability. Saudi Arabia alone is investing close to $1 trillion in development projects. WakeCap, which operates in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Japan, and the U.S., is one of the few startups from the region to make a tech acquisition in Silicon Valley—a move that signals ambition beyond the Gulf.

“WakeCap exemplifies what the future of construction looks like: intelligent, connected, and global,” said Nabil Borhanu, Founder and Managing Partner at Graphene Ventures. “We continue to support WakeCap because they are uniquely positioned to lead this transformation, with a proven platform, a mission-driven culture, and deep partnerships across public and private sectors.”

With the new capital, WakeCap plans to scale its footprint in existing markets, enter new ones, and grow its integrations with major platforms. The team is also hiring across engineering, product, and customer success.

The bigger picture? WakeCap is betting that smarter data, not just for the boardroom but from the boots on the ground, is how future construction sites will run.