Concrete is a math problem. A structural engineer has a set of loads to bear, a set of fabrication constraints, and a set of material costs. The answer, for decades, has been a standard slab: heavy, carbon-intensive, and safe. Forma Systems, a UK-based startup, is betting that the answer can be lighter, cheaper, and greener, if you let a machine run the numbers.
Sandy Kurt, the company's CEO, has built FormaOpt, a generative design-optimization tool that integrates engineering equations with fabrication rules. The promise is to let a concrete manufacturer redesign a structural element in seconds, not days, shaving weight and embodied carbon while keeping the thing buildable [Perplexity Sonar Pro Brief, 2025]. The company's early proof point is a prestressed floor slab developed with J.P. Carrara, a manufacturer. According to a trade publication, the shape-optimized design saved 33% in weight and 31% in embodied carbon compared to a standard eight-inch hollowcore plank [High-Profile Monthly, 2026]. For a material responsible for roughly 8% of global CO2 emissions, those are the kind of percentages that get an engineer's attention.
The wedge into a $200 billion material
The market Forma Systems is chasing is not subtle. The company cites a $200 billion opportunity, framing its value proposition with a stark comparison: for the material required to make one building, we can make two [Demo Day 2025 video, 2025]. This is the core of the climate tech pitch, translating joules and tons into unit economics a procurement officer can understand. The target customer is the precast concrete manufacturer, a business that runs on thin margins and standardized products. Forma's software is a wedge into that process, offering a SaaS tool that could simultaneously cut material costs (less cement, less aggregate) and unlock premium pricing for lower-carbon products. It is a bet on manufacturers wanting to do both.
Early signals and the team taking shape
Forma Systems is extremely early. It was incorporated in the UK in late 2024 and has no disclosed funding rounds [PitchBook, 2025]. Its traction so far rests on academic and state-level validation: it won MIT's Climate and Energy Prize and an Innovate Mass award [Demo Day 2025 video, 2025]. The company also claims to have secured a first paying customer, though the name is not public [Demo Day 2025 video, 2025]. The team is assembling, with LinkedIn profiles showing a small group forming around Kurt, including roles in business development and operations [LinkedIn profiles of Kiley Feickert, Aateeb A. Khan, Sandy Curth, 2026].
| Role | Name | Note |
|---|---|---|
| CEO & Founder | Sandy Kurt | Led development of FormaOpt [Perplexity Sonar Pro Brief, 2025] |
| Team Member | Kiley Feickert | Profile lists Forma Systems [LinkedIn, 2026] |
| Business Development | Aateeb A. Khan | Profile lists Forma Systems [LinkedIn, 2026] |
| Team Member | Sandy Curth | MIT-educated, based in Cambridge [LinkedIn, 2026] |
Where the pour could crack
For all the promise of its algorithm, Forma Systems faces the classic hurdles of any software selling into heavy industry. The sales cycle to a precast plant is long, and adoption requires convincing engineers to trust a black-box optimization over decades of proven standards. The 31% carbon saving is a compelling data point, but it is a single case study from a collaboration; proving that saving translates across dozens of product types and fabrication setups is the real challenge. Furthermore, the competitive landscape, while not named in sources, is not empty. Large incumbent CAD and finite element analysis software suites are adding generative modules, and specialized startups are likely emerging in parallel. Forma's advantage must be a deep, proprietary understanding of precast fabrication constraints that generalist tools lack.
Its path forward hinges on a few clear milestones. The next twelve months will show if the first customer becomes a referenceable case study, if a seed round materializes to fund commercial hires, and if the software can move from optimizing singular elements to entire building systems. The risk here is not the physics; it's the pace of change in a conservative industry.
Run the numbers on that floor slab. A 31% cut in embodied carbon on a single element is impressive. Scale that across a mid-rise building's structure, and you are talking about hundreds of tons of CO2 avoided per project. The incumbent Forma must beat is not another software company, but inertia,the default, heavy slab that has been poured a billion times because the math was too hard to redo. If FormaOpt can make that math trivial, the pour might finally change.
Sources
- [High-Profile Monthly, 2026] Shape Optimization Is Ready for the Precast Production Line | https://www.high-profile.com/shape-optimization-is-ready-for-the-precast-production-line/
- [Demo Day 2025 video, 2025] Forma Systems Demo Day Presentation | https://www.youtube.com/
- [PitchBook, 2025] Forma Systems 2025 Company Profile | https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/601793-92
- [LinkedIn, 2026] Kiley Feickert Profile | https://www.linkedin.com/in/kiley-feickert-06999169/
- [LinkedIn, 2026] Aateeb A. Khan Profile | https://www.linkedin.com/in/aateeb-a-khan-853ba8110/
- [LinkedIn, 2026] Sandy Curth Profile | https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandycurth/
- [LinkedIn, 2026] MIT Climate and Energy Prize Post | https://www.linkedin.com/posts/mit-cep_thats-a-wrap-on-the-2025-mit-climate-activity-7320443712252100609-A7Cu