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§ Private Profile · Pleasanton, CA, USA
Planera is a technology company.
Planera has raised $27.0M across 3 funding rounds.
Key people at Planera.
Planera has raised $27.0M in total across 3 funding rounds.
Planera develops modern Critical Path Method (CPM) scheduling software designed specifically for the construction industry, unifying planning efforts between office and field teams. The platform offers an intuitive, visual interface with drag-and-drop functionality, enabling users to build, update, and share project schedules efficiently. It manages everything from master schedules down to task-level tracking, incorporating features for risk management, constraint identification, and change adaptation, while also integrating with other construction management tools like Procore and Autodesk.
The company was founded by Nitin Bhandari, Erik Swenson, and Saif Lodhi, a team combining experience from both software technology and the construction sector. Their insight stemmed from the need to address the inherent complexities of construction project planning and scheduling, aiming to provide a more collaborative and adaptable alternative to traditional, often cumbersome, legacy software solutions. They sought to streamline workflows and improve communication across diverse project stakeholders.
Planera serves construction companies by providing solutions for every workflow and project phase, from preconstruction planning to enterprise-level portfolio management. Its vision is to transform the project schedule into a powerful planning tool that aligns teams, proactively identifies potential constraints, and guides projects towards more predictable and successful outcomes. The company aims to empower leadership with real-time insights and foster enterprise-wide transparency across their construction portfolios.
Planera has raised $27.0M across 3 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $8.0M Series A in October 2025.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 1, 2025 | $8M Series A | — | Bowery Capital, Brick & Mortar Ventures, Sorenson Ventures, Prudence Holdings, Sierra Ventures, KEN Elefant, Ranjeet Gadhoke | Announced |
| Aug 1, 2024 | $14M Series A | Shashank Saxena | Bowery Capital, Brick & Mortar Ventures, Sorenson Ventures, Firebolt Ventures, Prudence Holdings, Sorenson Capital | Announced |
| May 1, 2023 | $5M Seed | — | Bowery Capital, Brick & Mortar Ventures, Sorenson Ventures, Firebolt Ventures | Announced |
Planera has raised $27.0M in total across 3 funding rounds.
Planera's investors include Bowery Capital, Brick & Mortar Ventures, Sorenson Ventures, Prudence Holdings, Sierra Ventures, Ken Elefant, Ranjeet Gadhoke, Shashank Saxena, Firebolt Ventures, Sorenson Capital.
Key people at Planera.
Planera is a San Jose-based construction-tech startup founded in 2021 that builds modern CPM (critical path method) scheduling software for commercial construction projects, replacing legacy tools like P6 and Microsoft Project with an intuitive, visual digital whiteboard interface.[1][2][3][5][6] It serves general contractors, subcontractors, and field teams—particularly ENR 100 firms and data center builders like HITT Contracting, Ralph L. Wadsworth, and Ryan Companies—solving chronic scheduling challenges such as delays, risk assessment, resource allocation, and collaboration across office and field.[2][4][5][6] With over 500 live projects, 50M+ schedule days managed, and 30+ top contractors using it, Planera has raised $26.5M total funding, including a $13.5M Series A in 2024 and an additional $8M for data center expansion, fueling 5-8X revenue growth year-over-year and a team expansion to 45-50.[2][3][4][5]
Planera emerged from CEO and co-founder Nitin Bhandari's collaboration with construction industry colleagues, addressing pain points in project scheduling that his prior tech experience highlighted.[1] Bhandari, an engineer and three-time founder with 17 years in startups—including Skyfire (acquired by Opera) and Zenlabs (acquired by Life360)—launched Planera from stealth in 2024 with $5.4M pre-seed funding after founding in 2021.[1][2][3] Pivotal early moments include rolling out its industry-first Risk Analysis tool for scenario simulation and securing integrations with Procore and Autodesk, quickly gaining traction with two dozen customers on 500+ projects.[1][2] The founding team blends software tech veterans and construction experts, humanizing a shift from rigid tools to collaborative planning.[1][5]
Planera rides the construction-tech wave amid booming data center demand driven by AI adoption, where hyperscale projects face intense schedule pressures, liquidated damages, and subcontractor coordination.[2][4] Timing aligns with a shift from fragmented tools (Excel, P6) to unified platforms, as contractors seek visibility amid market forces like supply chain volatility and labor shortages.[1][2][6] By enabling precise planning and risk mitigation, Planera influences the ecosystem, modernizing outcomes for mission-critical builds and fostering safer, faster delivery for tech giants' infrastructure.[4][5]
Planera is poised to dominate construction scheduling with AI integrations rolling out by late 2025 for assistant-like functionality and data models, plus expansions into subcontractor tools and daily/weekly planning.[1][2] Trends like AI-fueled data center proliferation and proptech digitization will amplify growth, potentially scaling to thousands of projects as the 30-person team hits 50.[2][4] Its influence may evolve from niche disruptor to industry standard, empowering builders to preempt delays in a $1T+ market—transforming scheduling from a bottleneck to a strategic edge, much like its whiteboard roots unlocked collaboration from day one.[1][6]
