Plancraft receives seed funding & funding to digitize crafts

Hamburg, September 07, 2022 — The software-as-a-service start-up Plancraft receives 1.9 million euros from institutional investors and 200,000 euros in funding in its seed financing round. The trio of Hamburg founders is thus encouraging the marketing of their billing software, which is focused on simplicity, in the craft market, which has been little digitized to date. The vision behind Plancraft is getting closer: to create the basis for companies to be economically successful. More info on www.plancraft.de

Enormous potential in construction and crafts

In Germany, around 500,000 craft businesses work in the construction and finishing industry¹. The majority is equipped with IT solutions that date back to the last three decades. Shortage of skilled workers and demographic change are increasing pressure on companies to become more efficient. In his father's carpentry near Hamburg, founder and source of ideas Alexander Noll experienced first-hand which fundamental processes are decisive and where craftsmen lose valuable time.

“When an offer takes several hours, people in companies suffer from enormous stress and are unable to concentrate on their craft,”

Alexander Noll reports.

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Financing should enable scaling

With a web application for office work designed for ease of use, Plancraft is now bringing a breath of fresh air to the somewhat digital craft. In order to actively shape the digital transformation of the industry, the Plancraft team has now secured 1.9 million euros in seed financing following initial federal funding in 2020 and an angel investment in 2021.

“A very motivated team, a simple product that was in demand by customers and a potentially gigantic market convinced us. Plancraft has prepared to scale, and we're excited to be on board,”

Louis Heinz, senior investment manager at the High-Tech Gründerfonds, summarizes the investment decision. In addition to existing investors and HTGF, three other VC companies invested BitStone Capital, XDECK and RealPace. The Hamburger Investitions und Förderbank is funding the innovative start-up with a further 200,000 euros as part of the InnoFinTech funding program.

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Modern technologies for contemporary work

In times of greater networking and new work culture, the need for flexible and decentralized work is growing. With their approach, the Plancraft team focuses on reducing the technical load for the chronically overloaded target group. By eliminating the need for initial installation or manual updates, the cloud creates new technological foundations in companies. On the other hand, users can work on their preferred devices, regardless of whether they are a tablet computer, Apple laptop or smartphone.

“We all depend on craftsmanship, today and especially in a climate-friendly future. With the help of the new capital, our team can now provide thousands of small businesses with a modern tool,” says Julian Wiedenhaus, co-founder and CEO of Plancraft.

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About Plancraft

Plancraft allows craftsmen to focus on what they love. With apps designed for user-friendliness, Plancraft makes office work easier and saves valuable working time when calculating offers, writing advance invoices or when communicating with employees. The cloud-based app impresses small craft businesses with unique performance to date and is the only tool completely optimized for use on tablet devices. With a starting price of 29 euros per month, major investments in IT are a thing of the past and thus support the urgently needed start-up culture in the craft sector. As early as 2019, the three founders Alexander Noll, Richard Keil and Julian Wiedenhaus came together. Around 16 employees at Plancraft GmbH are now pursuing the common mission: “Less office space. More craftsmanship.” More info on www.plancraft.de

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About the High-Tech Gründerfonds

The seed investor High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF) finances technology start-ups with growth potential. With a volume of around 900 million euros spread across three funds and an international partner network, HTGF has supported more than 670 start-ups since 2005. With the launch of HTGF IV in autumn 2022, more than 400 million euros in fund volume will be added. The team of experienced investment managers and start-up experts supports the young companies with know-how, entrepreneurial spirit and passion. The focus is on high-tech start-ups in the areas of digital tech, industrial tech, life sciences, chemistry and related business areas. To date, external investors have invested more than 4 billion euros in the HTGF portfolio in more than 1,900 follow-up financing rounds. In addition, the fund has already successfully sold shares in more than 160 companies. To the Fund investors The public-private partnership includes the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection, KfW Capital, the Fraunhofer Society and numerous companies from a wide range of industries.
https://www.htgf.de/de/
 

About BitStone Capital

BitStone Capital is a venture capital investor with a focus on innovative and sustainable technology companies in the construction and real estate industries. In addition to financing, BitStone Capital catalyzes the growth of its real estate and construction-tech portfolio companies with its extensive network, unique industry know-how and access, and specific expertise in new technologies. With its investments, BitStone Capital wants to make a contribution to the sustainable and future-oriented transformation of the construction and real estate industry.
https://www.bitstone.capital/

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About xdeck ventures

xdeck ventures is a venture capital investor focused on early-stage technology companies with outstanding solutions in the areas of process automation, applied big data/AI and sustainability. xdeck ventures invests in inspiring teams with deep expertise and a strong understanding of the problem they are trying to solve. They are also looking for differentiated products or services that solve a real pain point for customers, and for teams that want to build something significant with the will to go the extra mile. As an investor on equal footing, xdeck ventures encourages founders to continuously question their status quo by being their biggest critic and at the same time their trusted sparring partner.
https://xdeck.de/

About real Pace

real PACE is an independent investor and company builder with a focus on the construction and real estate sector and invests from a deep understanding of the market. The focus is on innovative and disruptive technology companies, scalable business models and teams that change the industry in the long term. Real PACE market understanding and network are based on a team that combines founder experience with relevant industry expertise and specialist competencies critical to success. With its own market intelligence team, real PACE provides long-term support to portfolio companies and provides access to a broad network of powerful partners.
https://realpace.de/

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Printable images are available if required. Our contact:

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Plancraft GmbH

Flora-Neumann-Strasse 6
20357 Hamburg, Germania
tel. +49 (0) 40 3289 0243-0
email: info@plancraft.de

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Press

Julian Wiedenhaus
CEO & Co-Founder
Mobil +49 172 2914 017
email: julian@plancraft.de

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Sources‍

(1) Central Association of German Crafts, accessed online on 26.08.2022, at: https://www.zdh.de/fileadmin/Oeffentlich/Wirschaft_Energie_Umwelt/Themen/Daten_Fakten/Kennzahlen_des_Handwerks/2021/Flyer_2021-PDF_Daten_und_Fakten_NEU.pdf