Zero RFI, an AI company for the construction industry, has closed a $13.8m seed round led by General Catalyst, according to Hypepotamus. The article was published on 16 March 2026, and Inforcapital reported the same amount and lead investor on the same date. No other investors were named in the sources reviewed, and no valuation was given.
Inforcapital said the money is earmarked for a strategic acquisition initiative aimed at buying technology-forward service companies and consolidating them into AI-powered infrastructure for construction. Zero RFI is led by KP Reddy, who Hypepotamus described as an Atlanta-born entrepreneur now based in San Francisco.
“Let's triple the business with the same number of people.”KP Reddy, founder, Zero RFI
A roll-up with AI at its core
Hypepotamus said the raise is part of General Catalyst's broader AI roll-up strategy: a bet that the future of AI lies less in selling software subscriptions than in buying real businesses and rewiring them from the inside. Paul Kwan, a managing director at General Catalyst, said in a press release quoted by the outlet that Zero RFI extends that strategy into the physical economy, applying AI to how critical infrastructure is built.
Reddy described the company as a new-age private equity platform that can invest, build a team and build technology to use inside its portfolio companies. He said change management is very easy when you own the business. The model is to acquire established companies at low multiples, deploy AI agents across their operations and grow without cutting headcount. Reddy said the goal is to triple the revenue and profitability of the businesses in three years with the same number of people.
First acquisitions
Hypepotamus listed Zero RFI's first acquisitions as Brookwood Group, an owner's representative services operator; BuildingWorks, a construction-closeout service provider; and KP Reddy Co., Reddy's own advisory firm for the architecture, engineering and construction sector.
The company is headquartered in both Atlanta and San Francisco by design, the outlet reported. Reddy moved to San Francisco a year and a half earlier to tap what he called a consolidation of leading-edge AI engineers, and Atlanta is home to chief technology officer Barrett Clark and a growing group of engineers.
Why owners
Hypepotamus set out the problem Zero RFI wants to address. The global construction industry manages roughly $10tn in capital projects a year, yet productivity keeps declining, and McKinsey data put the average construction project 80% over budget. Upwards of 150 entities can work on a single project, which leaves owners buried in notifications, emails and change orders.
The outlet argued that most construction technology is designed to reduce risk for contractors rather than for the owners who pay for buildings, such as school districts and hospital systems, and that Zero RFI is betting that supporting owners is the real opportunity. These are the outlet's framing and the company's thesis, not independently verified findings.
The sources reviewed did not report Zero RFI's headcount, founding year or revenue.