OnSite targets communication gaps in construction

The startup’s app seeks to cut information loss and simplify project coordination.

OnSite Pte. Ltd. will launch a web app and a more advanced artificial intelligence (AI) assistant for its construction messaging platform in the coming months after raising $1.7m in seed funding in April, as builders seek to reduce manual reporting and communication delays.

“You can always ask questions and get natural language responses, and create more sophisticated workflows to automate some of your work,” Liam Appelson, co-founder and chief product officer at OnSite, told Singapore Business Review via Zoom.

The web app is designed for workers moving between construction sites and offices, letting them access updates without relying solely on mobile phones.

Founded in December 2024 by Appelson and CEO Poh Yong Han, OnSite is developing a chat-based construction management platform that seeks to cut information loss and simplify project coordination.

The company is testing the platform with design partners in Singapore and Hong Kong ahead of a broader rollout later this year.

Poh said the founders focused on construction because of their families’ experience in the industry and the lack of communication tools built specifically for frontline workers.

“We want to solve the communication layer because we felt like this is overlooked in a lot of existing products in the market,” she said in the same Zoom call.

OnSite includes public and private group messaging functions intended to reduce notification overload whilst ensuring project-wide announcements reach workers.

Its AI system can analyse messages, identify tasks and suggest follow-up actions automatically. Voice messages can also be translated into eight languages.

Poh said construction companies often spend up to 20 hours a week manually compiling reports from chat discussions. OnSite structures the data automatically, letting users export daily, weekly, or monthly reports.

The startup also plans to expand beyond construction into other blue-collar industries.

“We've already seen a lot of interest in Singapore and Hong Kong, but we also have some leads in the US,” Appelson said. “That is definitely a market we're interested in pursuing in the future.”