Aldagram raises $12.5M Series B to turn KANNA into an on-site AI platform

What's the deal? Tokyo-based Aldagram has raised ¥2 billion (about $12.5 million) in a Series B round from three existing investors: JAFCODealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → Group, MonotaRO, and Panasonic Electric WorksDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →. The round brings the startup's total funding to roughly ¥5.13 billion since its founding in 2019.

What does it do? Aldagram builds KANNA, software that helps digitise on-site work in construction, real estate, and manufacturing. Launched in July 2020, the service now counts more than 100,000 companies across over 100 countries and supports six languages.

Where the money goes. Aldagram plans to evolve KANNA from a digitisation tool into an "on-site AI platform" that supports and automates field work. It also intends to accelerate overseas expansion and hire for AI, product, and global roles.

Why now? Japan's labour-shortage bankruptcies hit a record for a third straight year, with construction also at an all-time high, according to Teikoku DatabankDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →. As the pool of workers shrinks, Aldagram argues that scattered site information — kept on paper, in Excel, or spoken aloud — must first be structured before AI can help.

What investors say. "The current of 'DX' has evolved into 'AI,' and the range of problems that can be solved has widened," said Atsushi Fujii, partner and head of investment at JAFCO Group (translated from Japanese). MonotaRO chief executive officer Sakuya Tamura pointed to deepening collaboration since its 2022 investment.

The signal: The round lands mid-sized for its category — a moderate but real bet that AI's next frontier lies with the desk-less workers whose information has yet to be captured.

Image credit: Aldagram