Howie Secures Strategic AI Investment from Dar Ventures

Vienna-based startup Howie, which is building an AI-driven data-management and analytics platform for the AEC industry, has secured a six-figure strategic investment from Dar Ventures, the venture capital arm of Dar and founder of the Sidara design group. The funding will accelerate Howie’s work to centralise and analyse project information, ranging from drawings and images to reports and unstructured files, giving AEC firms a much clearer, data-driven view of project performance.

Commenting on the investment, Ewa Lenart, Founder and CEO of Howie, said the partnership offers far more than financial support. “This investment gives us access to Dar’s deep sector knowledge and global network as we continue to strengthen our product and scale our platform,” she explained. Lenart recently spoke at AEC Magazine’s NXT BLD, where she highlighted the growing need for intelligent, integrated data tools across architecture, engineering and construction workflows.

Nader Aboushadi, Group Chief Treasurer at Sidara and Director of Dar Ventures, emphasised the strategic alignment between the two organisations. “Howie’s focus on data management and automation fits directly with our priorities around adopting AI within AEC workflows,” he said, underscoring the relevance of Howie’s technology to future industry transformation.

This latest investment builds on earlier backing from Pi Labs and the Vienna Business Agency. As Howie prepares for its first priced financing round in Q1 2026, the company aims to expand its customer base from five AEC firms to approximately twenty enterprise clients, with a wider European and MENA rollout planned for 2027.

Howie is developing its platform in collaboration with major industry partners including Heatherwick Studio, M&P Group, and Sudop Group, ensuring the system reflects real-world requirements of large architectural and engineering practices. With the support of Dar Ventures, the startup plans to enhance its analytics engine, broaden integrations across BIM models, sensor feeds and archival data, and deepen its enterprise deployment capabilities.