14. FYLD: the work platform leading the field for construction AI

Founders: Shelley Copsey, Anish Patel, and Karl Simons
Year founded: 2020
Website: fyld.ai

Managing a team of fieldworkers was hard enough pre-COVID. But today, as a result of the rise in hybrid and remote working, 54% of project managers in the construction sector now work entirely from home (compared to 16% in 2021). 

Remote workforces present some unique health and safety challenges in infrastructure. Limited visibility can result in safety oversight, communication difficulties, and delays to decisions, negatively impacting project timelines and budgets.

FYLD is an AI-powered field management system that has arrived to oversee the transition, and flag any potential trip hazards. Appearing at #20 in last year’s Index, it uses intelligent image analysis to produce real-time video risk assessments (VRAs) of worksites.

The product is a triple threat in terms of benefits. First, safety. Access to VRAs has led to a 20% reduction in incidents and injuries, enhancing safety outcomes for onsite teams. On average, across 2024, FYLD conducted 1,522 safety assessments every day.

Secondly, productivity. Contractors and field workers don’t need to wait for a manager to arrive on-site, leading to an 8% increase in output. Managers can also analyse footage and images of sites to prioritise which to visit, significantly optimising resources.

Third, but by no means worst, collaboration. Legacy management systems (most of which are paper-based) have been known to trap vital information in silos, resulting in delays, budget overruns, and missed opportunities to address safety or bottleneck risks.

The infrastructure sector has got stuck in the mud. By tearing up the paper trail, FYLD has been able to help large clients such as Kier, Southern Water, and Balfour Beatty to digitise their operations and ensure that the remote work revolution doesn’t hinder field teams.

Of course, paper isn’t always unwelcome. Last October, FYLD announced it had raised £7m from NatWest ahead of a planned Series B this year. The money will enable the startup to accelerate its expansion into the US, where the construction workforce is ten million strong.

As the demand for remote work and digital solutions grows, FYLD’s innovative approach will undoubtedly position it as a leading player in the field management space. We don’t need AI to predict that great things are on the horizon for FYLD in 2025.