Spacemaker
AcquiredRaised Since FeaturedAI for urban development
Cloud-based AI software helping architects and developers optimize building site designs for sustainable urban development.
About
Spacemaker developed the world's first AI-assisted design and construction simulation software for real estate developers and urban planners. The platform enabled professionals to rapidly evaluate multiple site design options while considering environmental factors like sunlight, noise, wind exposure, and regulatory constraints. Using generative AI and optimization algorithms, Spacemaker could explore thousands of design alternatives and surface optimal solutions — compressing weeks of manual analysis into hours. Founded in 2016 in Oslo, Norway by Håvard Haukeland (CEO), Carl Christensen (CTO), and Anders Kvale, the company grew out of a four-year research initiative supported by major Norwegian real estate firms and institutions including SINTEF and The Research Council of Norway. After raising $25M in a Series A led by Atomico and Northzone, Spacemaker was acquired by Autodesk for $240M in November 2020. The product has since been rebranded as Autodesk Forma.
DailyDropout Take
Spacemaker stood out as a textbook example of AI applied to a massive, underdigitized industry. While most proptech startups focused on transactions or property management, Spacemaker attacked the design phase itself — using generative AI to optimize urban site plans before a single brick was laid. The $240M Autodesk acquisition validated both the technology and the market opportunity.
Discovery signal: Novel application of generative AI to construction design, strong Nordic real estate industry backing, rapid adoption by major developers like Skanska and OBOS
What Makes Them Unique
Spacemaker was the first platform to apply generative AI to urban site planning at scale, analyzing thousands of design alternatives against environmental constraints (sunlight, noise, wind) simultaneously — something no manual process or competing tool could match.
$240M
Acquisition Price
Autodesk
Acquirer
~4 years
Time to Acquisition
Target Markets
Founders
Håvard Haukeland
Co-Founder & CEO
Led Spacemaker from founding through its $240M acquisition by Autodesk in 2020. Background in technology and real estate.
Carl Christensen
Co-Founder & CTO
Deep experience in software development. Led the engineering and AI research behind Spacemaker's generative design platform.
Anders Kvale
Co-Founder
Business-focused co-founder who brought together the founding team. Played a key role in strategy and business development.
Funding History
Lead: The Research Council of Norway
Lead: CBRE
Lead: Atomico & Northzone