Forma Systems

Generative design software reducing cost and carbon in concrete construction

Website: https://www.forma-systems.com

Who Is Behind the Company

Forma Systems is a solo-founded venture led by Sandy Kurt. The company has begun to assemble a small team with backgrounds in structural engineering and business development [LinkedIn, 2026].

Inside the Company

Forma Systems was founded in 2023, according to PitchBook data, with its legal entity registered in the United Kingdom in October 2024 [PitchBook, 2025] [forma-systems.com]. The company is headquartered in Blackpool, UK, and operates as a design and technology studio focused on sustainable construction [Crunchbase] [forma-systems.com].

Its early development has been marked by recognition from academic and state innovation programs. The company won MIT's Climate and Energy Prize, an award for student-led climatetech ventures, and later received an Innovate Mass award, which provides grants for deploying clean energy technologies [Demo Day 2025 video, 2025].

Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Founding year and entity registration are corroborated by PitchBook and the company website. Award claims are sourced from a company presentation; independent verification is not available.

Under the Hood

Forma Systems's product is a generative design tool that seeks to apply computational optimization to the physical world of concrete. The company's FormaOpt software is positioned to reduce the time required for structural engineering from days or weeks to seconds, according to a company presentation [Perplexity Sonar Pro Brief, 2025]. The core technical claim is the integration of validated engineering equations with geometry-based fabrication constraints, suggesting a focus on manufacturability rather than purely theoretical shape generation.

The primary application demonstrated to date is the optimization of prestressed concrete floor slabs. In a published case study, Forma Systems collaborated with precast manufacturer J.P. Carrara to develop a shape-optimized slab. The resulting design is reported to have saved 33% in weight and 31% in embodied carbon when benchmarked against a standard 8-inch hollowcore plank [High-Profile Monthly, 2026]. The company has also stated it has secured a first paying customer, though the identity and scope of that engagement are not public [Demo Day 2025 video, 2025].

Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Product claims are based on a mix of company presentation material and one third-party trade publication case study. The core technical integration and performance claims lack independent technical validation.

Market Research

The global push to decarbonize heavy industry, particularly construction, creates a specific and urgent need for tools that can materially reduce the embodied carbon of building materials without compromising structural integrity or economic viability.

Forma Systems positions its opportunity within the broader concrete construction market. The company's own presentation material cites a total addressable market of $200 billion [Demo Day 2025 video, 2025]. For context, the global precast concrete market was valued at approximately $96.5 billion in 2022 and is projected to grow to $138.7 billion by 2030, according to a Grand View Research report [Grand View Research, 2023].

Metric Value
Global Precast Concrete Market (2022) $96.5B
Projected Market (2030) $138.7B
Company-Cited TAM $200B

Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Company-cited TAM is unverified; analogous market size from Grand View Research provides a benchmark.

Competition and Substitutes

Forma Systems enters a market where the primary competition is not from other startups, but from the inertia of established design practices and the limited scope of existing software tools. The competitive map is segmented into incumbent design software, specialized structural analysis software, and sustainability-focused design tools. Forma Systems’ wedge is positioned between analysis and fabrication, aiming to influence the geometry itself before it reaches the detailing stage.

Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Competitive analysis is inferred from product claims and market context; no direct competitor profiles are publicly cited.

Opportunity

If Forma Systems can successfully embed its generative design software into the workflows of major concrete manufacturers, the prize is a significant share of the $200 billion market for the materials required to make a building [Demo Day 2025 video, 2025]. The headline opportunity is to become the de facto standard for design-to-fabrication optimization in the precast concrete industry. A documented case study with J.P. Carrara shows a 33% weight reduction and a 31% reduction in embodied carbon for a prestressed floor slab compared to a standard design [High-Profile Monthly, 2026].

Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- The core product claim and a key case study are cited in a trade publication, but the large market opportunity figure is self-reported and unverified by third-party research.

Sources

  1. [PitchBook, 2025] Forma Systems 2025 Company Profile: Valuation, Funding & Investors | https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/601793-92
  2. [forma-systems.com] Forma Systems | https://www.forma-systems.com
  3. [Crunchbase] Forma Systems - Crunchbase Company Profile & Funding | https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/forma-systems
  4. [Demo Day 2025 video, 2025] Forma Systems Demo Day 2025 video | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=...
  5. [LinkedIn, 2026] LinkedIn profiles of Kiley Feickert, Aateeb A Khan, and Sandy Curth | https://www.linkedin.com/company/forma-systems
  6. [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/
  7. [Grand View Research, 2023] Precast Concrete Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report | https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/precast-concrete-market
  8. [MarketsandMarkets, 2023] AEC Software Market by Component, Deployment Mode, Application, End User and Region - Global Forecast to 2028 | https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/aec-software-market-227269748.html

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