MOD is a Switzerland-based construction-tech company revolutionizing the building industry with AI-powered prefab checks for all construction projects. Recognized for their groundbreaking innovation, MOD secured first place at the 7th Smart Building / Smart Construction Innovation World Cup® at BIM World MUNICH 2024.
We had an insightful conversation with the MOD team. Let’s explore their journey and the steps they took towards this remarkable achievement.
HOW DID IT ALL START?
We started MOD to solve a persistent and overlooked inefficiency in construction: the difficulty of integrating prefabrication into traditional building workflows. Despite being faster, more affordable, and significantly more sustainable, prefabrication is still used in fewer than 2% of projects worldwide. The barriers were clear to us early on: most architects and developers struggle to access reliable prefab suppliers, design tools don’t support seamless prefab integration, and fragmented data makes comparison and collaboration nearly impossible.
We founded MOD in Zurich in 2024 with the goal of changing that. Our platform is built to make prefabrication accessible, intelligent, and seamlessly embedded in the tools professionals already use — especially during early-stage planning and design. The name “MOD” reflects this mission: to modularize and modernize construction using scalable, AI-powered infrastructure. It’s also inspired by “modding” in gaming — we’re reprogramming the traditional building process to unlock new features and capabilities, without forcing users to change the game they’re playing.
WHAT ARE THE KEY MILESTONES YOU HAVE REACHED SO FAR?
Since founding MOD, we’ve made meaningful progress towards transforming how prefabrication fits into the built environment. We published the first open-source version of mod-dlm, our domain-specific language for standardized prefab data exchange. We also built the world’s largest structured database of over 4,500 vetted prefab suppliers, offering project teams real-time access to manufacturing capacity worldwide.
We’ve launched pilot projects across the DACH region, validating different use cases. Our work has been strengthened by partnerships with three of the world’s top academic institutions — Stanford University, ETH Zurich, and the Technical University of Munich (TUM) — who share our belief in the future of modular, data-driven construction.
These milestones earned global recognition: we were invited to present our vision at the Industrialized Construction Forum at Stanford, honored as Winners of the Innovation World Cup in Smart Building / Smart Construction, and named among the Top 10 Startups at MIPIM.
WHAT WERE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES YOU HAVE FACED?
A key learning for us has been that, to succeed as a startup in the real estate and construction space, you must focus relentlessly on delivering clear value and measurable results. Copying business models from other industries rarely works here — the market has different rhythms, decision cycles, and risk appetites. That’s why we listened carefully to developers, architects, and prefab suppliers before building.
The biggest challenge when introducing a truly innovative product is avoiding being typecast or misunderstood — it’s easy for something new to be dismissed or oversimplified. We’ve had to work hard to ensure MOD isn’t seen as just another plugin or marketplace, but as a foundational shift.
We wouldn’t fundamentally change our approach. One of our strengths as founders is our prior experience building startups in adjacent sectors. That perspective helped us avoid common traps and focus early on the right strategic levers.
Our advice to other founders: respect the industry’s slow adoption cycles, but don’t let them discourage you. Build with long-term intent, but deliver real value from day one. That’s how trust and traction are earned.
WHAT IS COMING IN THE NEAR FUTURE?
In the coming months, we’re focused on making it even easier for architects and developers to integrate prefabrication into their projects. Our next steps include launching new features that help users check whether prefab works for their design in minutes, not hours, and explore supplier options with full transparency on cost, sustainability, and delivery.
We’re also continuing to build partnerships with manufacturers and industry leaders to ensure our platform reflects real-world production capabilities and regional regulations. Looking ahead to 2026, our goal is to make MOD the go-to platform for prefab decisions in early-stage design, helping teams move faster, reduce waste, and unlock better outcomes from day one.
DESCRIBE YOUR JOURNEY IN THE SMART BUILDING / SMART CONSTRUCTION INNOVATION WORLD CUP® AND BEING THE TOP TECHPRENEUR?
The Innovation World Cup has been a valuable experience for MOD. It offered exposure to a broader innovation community, direct engagement with peers tackling similar challenges, and recognition that helped accelerate investor and partner conversations.
What stood out most was the quality of the dialogue — grounded, practical, and driven by real use cases. It affirmed our belief that a platform like MOD is not only timely but necessary.
YOUR THREE TIPS FOR UP-COMING STARTUPS
- Work Closely with End Users – Real adoption comes from solving real problems, not hypothetical ones.
- Stay Modular – Build flexible systems that can evolve as your understanding of the market deepens.
- Balance Vision with Execution – Ambition is critical, but delivering consistent, incremental value builds trust and momentum.
- Leverage Open Source – Building in the open accelerates learning, trust, and community. It also forces clarity in your architecture and increases your chances of long-term adoption.
Yashar Moradi, Co-Founder and CTO sums up: ”We joined the Innovation World Cup to pressure-test our product and vision against a global standard. It delivered. The exposure, feedback, and network have helped sharpen our strategy and expand our reach. This is not yet another vanity startup award — it’s a real challenge that compares the relevance and novelty of what you’re building against many other startups in the same space. In our case, over 140 were evaluated. We highly recommend it to any startup serious about transforming the built environment.”
Thank you for sharing these valuable insights. We look forward to following your future endeavours and the exciting milestones you will achieve moving forward!
Visit MOD and learn about their innovative approach to evaluating and integrating prefab solutions into construction projects.
Are you ready to write your own success story? The 8th Smart Building / Smart Construction Innovation World Cup® is open for submissions. Participation is free of charge.