When Thibault and Simi Launay set out to build their dream home in Portugal nearly five years ago, they didn’t expect the process to turn into a personal and professional awakening. What began as a hopeful project turned into 14 months of delays, 20% budget overruns, and nonstop coordination headaches involving more than 10 subcontractors. “We realized if we’re struggling with this, so are millions of others,” Thibault said. That realization sparked the creation of Litehaus, a startup determined to make homebuilding more efficient, sustainable, and transparent — not just in Portugal, but across Europe and eventually the U.S. market.
Since launching in early 2024, Litehaus has positioned itself as a digital-first, modular construction platform — or, as Thibault puts it, “the Uber of construction.”
Fixing the System, One Modular Home at a Time
Litehaus connects landowners and developers with vetted professionals — from architects and interior designers to general contractors and modular builders. Users can track budgets, coordinate timelines, and monitor progress in real time. It’s a bold attempt to unify a fragmented industry and eliminate the inefficiencies that delay projects and drive up costs.
“As a go-to-market strategy, we focused on modular construction,” Thibault said. “It lets us build 30% cheaper, 40% faster, and 60% more sustainably.” Litehaus claims its methods generate 90% less waste and cut carbon emissions by half compared to traditional building approaches.
Other players in the modular space, like U.S.-based Ginosko Modular and India’s Schnelle Prefabs, have similar goals. But Litehaus is laser-focused on Europe, where the housing crisis continues to price people out of homeownership and the construction industry lags behind in innovation.
That’s one reason investors on both sides of the Atlantic are paying attention. Litehaus recently raised €1.46 million in pre-seed funding, led by the U.K.’s Cornerstone VC and Portugal’s Explorer Fund, alongside Claster Group and U.S. angel investor Pascal Levy.
A Founders’ Story Fueled by Frustration and Vision
Thibault, a serial entrepreneur from France, has founded gaming studios and invested in startups through French and American VC firms. Simi, born in Nigeria and raised in London, has run businesses in wellness, art, and consulting. Now, she leads design, marketing, and communications at Litehaus, while Thibault oversees business development, technology, and fundraising.
“I’ve always wanted to build businesses that change people’s lives,” said Simi. “Solving the housing crisis isn’t just a business opportunity — it’s a way to deliver real impact at scale.”
Rodney Appiah, managing partner at Cornerstone VC, echoed that belief: “When I met Thibault and Simi, I was struck by their vision to make building a home as simple as buying one. Litehaus has the potential to bring quality, transparency, and trust to the homebuilding process.”
Raising capital, Thibault said, came naturally thanks to longstanding relationships with their lead investors. The funds will go toward scaling Litehaus’s tech platform, growing its European network, and hiring across engineering, marketing, and operations. The company has already onboarded a U.S. construction partner as it eyes expansion.
Amusingly, the Litehaus team achieved all this — launching a startup, raising funding, and welcoming two children — before finally moving into the very home that inspired it all. “We’re moving in next month,” Thibault said. “That delay is the pain point we’re solving for millions.”
