Picture this: A bustling construction site in Riyadh, where cranes loom overhead and the air is thick with dust and ambition. This is the ground zero of Saudi Arabia’s trillion-dollar infrastructure dream, but beneath the hum of activity lies a tangled web of procurement inefficiencies that threaten to stall progress. Enter BRKZ, a Riyadh-based construction tech startup that’s not just disrupting the status quo but redefining it.
BRKZ has just secured a $9 million investment—$8 million in equity and $1 million in debt—bringing its total Series A funding to an impressive $17 million. This vote of confidence from existing investors, including Aramco’s Wa’ed, BECO Capital, and Better Tomorrow Ventures, among others, signals a significant shift in the construction procurement landscape. But what sets BRKZ apart?
At its core, BRKZ is a tech-enabled managed marketplace that streamlines procurement and provides tailored financing solutions. It’s a lifeline for contractors tired of juggling multiple suppliers, enduring lengthy negotiations, and grappling with delayed payments. Ibrahim Manna, BRKZ’s founder and a former Uber subsidiary Careem executive, recognized the opportunity firsthand after experiencing the frustrations of the construction supply chain. “After Careem’s exit to Uber, I bought a family house in May 2020 and faced the inefficiencies of the construction supply chain—lack of visibility in material selection, uncertainty around the whereabouts of goods, and price volatility,” Manna told TechCrunch. “That frustration made me realize how outdated the industry is and that it presented a huge opportunity worth exploring.”
Manna’s journey took him across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan, where he met with over 100 suppliers and contractors. The consensus was clear: the market was broken, and Saudi Arabia, with its Vision 2030 and strong market tailwinds, stood out as the most promising opportunity. BRKZ’s solution is a platform where contractors and factories can procure essential building materials like cement, steel, and wood with transparent pricing, competitive quotes in just 20 minutes, and buy now, pay later financing.
The platform’s impact is already tangible. Over the past year, BRKZ has grown from 1,200 SKUs and 350 suppliers to over 7,000 SKUs and 1,100 suppliers. Revenue has quadrupled in 2024, with more than 850 contractors and factories using BRKZ for major projects like King Salman Park, Neom, and the Red Sea Project. The company has expanded into over 40 cities across Saudi Arabia’s Central, Eastern, and Western provinces, boosting its RFQ volume from $170 million to $350 million (SAR 1.3 billion).
But BRKZ is not content to rest on its laurels. The company plans to diversify its revenue streams, which it currently generates through transaction fees and financing solutions. Manna envisions BRKZ becoming a full-service construction ecosystem, addressing procurement, financing, workforce supply, and equipment procurement/rental. This ambition aligns with China’s efforts to strengthen ties with Middle Eastern markets, potentially benefiting from government-level trade incentives and financing deals.
BRKZ’s move to import hard-to-source construction materials directly from global markets, starting with China, marks a strategic shift. “We’re quite excited about building or enabling a corridor of trade between China and Saudi as we start importing goods we know our contractors, suppliers and others would like to get from China. If materials are needed outside of Saudi, we’ll get them, white label these goods, and sell them to contractors, developers, and suppliers in Saudi. Our focus is to go deeper into Saudi Arabia,” Manna shared.
The newly raised capital will fuel BRKZ’s expansion and its transformation into a comprehensive procurement hub. Dany Farha, co-founder and managing partner at BECO Capital, echoed the enthusiasm: “The BRKZ team has executed its product and operational roadmap to drive efficiencies in this rapidly scaling sector, and we’re excited to continue supporting them in their next chapter. BRKZ’s financing product will complement their digitized procurement platform and address customer cash flow challenges.”
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