When did you first learn about Mobbot and what caught your attention?
Sylvie: It was at an event of the Singularity Group when Agnès Petit, the founder, presented. What caught my eye is that she talked about the most “unsexy” topic you can imagine, namely concrete elements for civil engineering, with a distinct sparkle in her eyes. And she has very good knowledge of details because of her professional background. Cable chambers are something most people don’t even realize they exist. But if you have some experience in real estate, you understand the importance of what Agnès is talking about, how time-consuming the classical approach is. What Agnès was presenting struck me as truly disruptive. So I talked to her after the event and later visited her workshop in Fribourg, and seeing the robot in action creates a big “wow” effect. This led to my decision to invest in the company and support her, especially since there are not that many female founders around.

Birgitta: It was Johanna Bartlomé-Demkow who invited me to become part of the startup jury of Switzerland’s first Construction tech startup competition organized by Swiss Prop Tech and hosted by Swissbau. Of the 50 startups that applied, some had strengths in their product, others had good presentation skills, but in the case of Mobbot, which later became a finalist in this competition, there was a balanced combination of both. For me, it became clear quite rapidly that Mobbot is not just a startup that makes concrete products, but a tech firm that can do much more than just that.

What exactly?
Birgitta: Infrastructure is much more than just cable chambers, on which Mobbot focuses right now. There are many more prefabricated concrete elements used in construction. Being able to build them on the construction site, not only faster but with much better quality than before, this will be a game-changer. It will transform the whole supply chain. Cable chambers are a start, but the possibilities for digital production are immense. There are, for example, applications such as canals transporting material, think about industries like oil, paper or chemicals. Then there is the possibility of replacing concrete parts on-site, even in very harsh conditions such as cold or heat. The technology could be used for foundations as well as replacing prefabricated elements used above ground. Finally, there are possibilities to be explored to make the fabrication even more sustainable, the usage of recycled material for example or the possibility to replace armoring iron by fibers. Mobbot already has this on the radar.

Don’t you think that the actors in the construction sector will be reluctant to try out such new ideas and prefer the way they’ve always worked?
Sylvie: It is true that construction is an industry that is usually slow to adopt innovation. But this inertia is what you have to fight against if you want to disrupt an industry, and that’s exactly what Agnès has in mind and is already successfully managing with her team. Making Mobbot be seen in the traditional building industry is not easy. However, if an innovation like this needs to be embraced by the right people, the people at the top, and this is where an investor from the industry can make a difference, by helping to make some contacts and introductions. I see our role as an active investor by not only writing a check but also by promoting a startup in every way possible and in opening the right doors, without interfering into the daily business of Mobbot.

Birgitta: The biggest resistance will not come from the companies that manufacture concrete elements, for them, it is a way to differentiate themselves. It will come from distributors, which just ship these elements from one place to another and take a huge margin. They will not like it at all. I think an interesting approach is to talk to the end client, in this case, the telecom or railway company, for example. If they are convinced of Mobbot’s benefits, they can urge their suppliers to work with Mobbot instead of using pre-fab because it is faster and less expensive. Then, the contractors have no alternative but to adopt this.

And what are the arguments that will convince such big clients to rely on a startup?
Sylvie: Speed, flexibility, and efficiency, hence cost reduction.

Birgitta: Quality and safety. Mobbot’s concrete elements are already superior but they can improve continuously with the feedback gained from production data. The elements don’t need approval on the construction site. And in these times, the ability to decouple workers from the production process increases safety on the construction site. This argument alone would be good enough.