Solvera raises $6.3M pre-seed to rebuild engineering with AI

Oslo-based startup Solvera has raised $6.3 million in a pre-seed funding round. The company, founded in 2026, is building an AI-native engineering firm for the construction industry. It delivers end-to-end engineering services using AI agents alongside experienced engineers, focusing initially on mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) systems.

Solvera operates as the engineering firm of record, not a software vendor. Its model combines proprietary AI systems with experienced building engineers to manage projects from initial requirements to construction-ready designs. The AI agents automate tasks like testing design alternatives and coordinating technical information. Engineers then oversee decisions requiring professional judgement. The company's operating system reuses knowledge from completed projects. Clients pay for engineering outcomes, not software licences or billable hours.

Early traction and client validation with Betonmast

Since launching in July 2026, Solvera has grown to a team of nine. It secured over $1 million in contracted revenue during its first three months of operations. The firm is already working on several building projects in Norway, including commercial projects with contractor Betonmast.

Betonmast selected Solvera to address fragmented engineering workflows, delays, and unnecessary costs. Kristian Gjestemoen, Managing Director of Betonmast Buskerud-Vestfold, explained the contractor's rationale. "We don’t believe adding more hours will solve this, so we want partners who are willing to challenge established ways of working," he said. That challenge is why Betonmast chose Solvera for several projects.

Seedcamp-led $6.3M pre-seed to scale AI engineering firm

The $6.3 million pre-seed round was led by Seedcamp. It included participation from Construct Venture, Inception Fund, Momentum, Obos Ventures, PSV Tech, Sondo, and The Nordic Web Ventures. Angel investors included Spacemaker founders Anders Kvale and Håvard Haukeland, and former OBOS CEO Daniel Kjørberg Siraj.

The funding will be used to expand the Oslo team, open a London office, and accelerate development of the Solvera operating system. It will also support expansion into more markets. Tom Wilson, a Partner at Seedcamp, said the investment reflects the opportunity to redesign how engineering services are delivered and paid for.

Co-founder and CEO Arif Mirza highlighted the industry's stagnation. "We’ve had twenty years of better building engineering software, and now AI, but productivity and the fundamental way engineering gets delivered has barely changed," Mirza said. He argued that technology alone is not the answer, necessitating a rethink of how a firm operates and makes money. That is why Solvera is building the engineering firm itself around AI, not another tool.

Co-founder and CTO Pål Eskild Rasmussen noted that engineers spend much of their day on manual data entry and coordination. The goal is to free up their time for high-impact decisions, with AI agents handling the rest. Tom Wilson of Seedcamp endorsed this ambitious approach. We invested in Solvera because Arif, Thorvald and Pål are not just building software for engineers, they are rebuilding the firm itself, Wilson stated. He called it the next generation of professional services firms.

The founding team includes Arif Mirza, Pål Eskild Rasmussen, and Thorvald Thorsnes, who serves as co-founder and CCO. The company is located at Youngstorget 3 in Oslo. Solvera plans to enter additional markets as its AI-native engineering model evolves.