Autodesk, a Nasdaq-listed 3D design software company, has joined the venture consortium investing $6m in Vela Systems’ series B round.
Vela provides mobile field software for the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry and raised $6m in its series A round in 2007 from venture capital firms Commonwealth Capital Ventures and GrandBanks Capital and individuals. All these A round investors repeated in the B round.
Vela said it would use a portion of the investment to expand the Autodesk partnership signed a year earlier to bring Building Information Models (BIM) to the point of construction.
Jim Lynch, vice president of the BIM product group at Autodesk AEC Solutions, said: "A year ago we announced our collaboration with Vela Systems to integrate Vela Systems’ construction field management software with Autodesk Navisworks Manage.
"Today’s investment announcement marks the next significant step in our growing relationship aimed at helping general contractors, construction managers and design-build firms streamline the BIM process from design through construction and into handover."
Autodesk had previously backed the series C round of online gaming company OnLive as part of its corporate venturing strategy.