Construction tech firm promises 291-worker office, $111,000 salaries in Raleigh
A billion-dollar startup that aims to help construction teams complete projects faster has pledged to open a 291-worker office in Raleigh.
Founded in 2018, the southern California firm BuildOps selected North Carolina for its third corporate office — after Los Angeles and Toronto. BuildOps creates software for commercial contractors to manage payments, orders and scheduling. In March, the company became a startup “unicorn” after raising $127 million at a valuation of $1 billion.
“Our platform uses technology to get everybody on one sheet of music and find out where you’re more efficient,” BuildOps vice president of implementation Clay Smith told The News & Observer in an interview Tuesday.
Contractors facing labor shortages have embraced the technology to cover logistics gaps, Smith said. The Raleigh office will be downtown, he said, but no location has been finalized.
The N.C. Economic Investment Committee approved an incentive for the software provider on Tuesday. Under this grant, BuildOps pledged to create these jobs between 2026 and 2029 at an average annual wage of at least $111,000.
If it meets these hiring and investment targets, BuildOps can receive just over $1.8 million in payroll tax breaks through a state job development investment grant, or JDIG. North Carolina’s total incentives for the project include an additional $1 million for job training. The city of Raleigh awarded its own incentive package worth up to $87,300.
“North Carolina has a great deal to offer companies from around the world,” Gov. Josh Stein said during an event celebrating the jobs announcement Tuesday. “We have really a full array of talent.”
BuildOps selected Raleigh among 10 finalist sites, with Smith saying the ultimate decision came down to Raleigh or Austin, Texas.
“We just felt like Raleigh was opening their arms,” he said.
This story was originally published June 24, 2025 at 12:06 PM.
