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CEMEX Ventures is CEMEX’s Corporate Venture Capital. With their global focus, they empower startups and entrepreneurs in the construction industry around the world. With investments in innovative construction startups, they aim to drive the industry forward - to a more sustainably built world. Through their follow up investment in Modulous, they’re creating a path towards smarter, more energy efficient cities.
The Construction Startup Competition 2021 set the stage for CEMEX’s press release, building coverage around their investment in Modulous.
Modulous first received investments from CEMEX in 2020, after winning the Construction Startup Competition. With the followup investment, CEMEX will help Modulous to expand their design and technology teams, as well as to fast-track the advancement of their software platform to modernise the design and construction of affordable housing.
With the focus on the competition and followup investment, the challenge was set to elevate awareness in front of the target audience and to increase CEMEX Ventures’ visibility across startups, construction, tech, and financial industries.
CEMEX Ventures is on a mission to lead the evolution of the construction industry, with ambitious climate action goals in place. The investments they make in construction companies, who share a purpose beyond profit, is a story worth sharing. With the followup investment in Modulous secured, PRLab was approached to assist in gaining global press coverage about the partnership, focused on the US and UK markets.
PRLab engaged in the collaboration with CEMEX Ventures mid-May 2021. As this was a two month project, we aimed to get 3 - 5 pieces of coverage per market (US & UK).
First, the CEMEX Ventures and Modulous partnership had to be written into a share-worthy news story. We used CEMEX Ventures involvement in The Construction Startup Competition 2021 to set the stage for the press release. Next to this, the investment in Modulous created the story’s vocal-point.
The press release kept to the original storyline of the startup competition and follow up investment; however, it was tailored and adapted according to the identified news sites’ character and their readership interest. This was done with the aim to get media appeal and recognition from the US & UK market.
With a short project timeframe, we started by setting realistic KPI. Next, we compiled lists of potential news outlets, partner journalists and platforms who could publish CEMEX Ventures’ announcement to secure a US & UK media presence for them.
The focus was on contacting news outlets and journalists with a construction, startup, tech and investment appeal. We began by compiling extensive media lists with contacts who matched the identified market criteria.
After creating the shortlist of media contacts, we jumped into the push for coverage around the Construction Startup Competition 2021 - salvaged the press release for coverage, secured interviews for CV leadership, and thought leadership underscoring the importance of the competition.
With our secured publishers and journalists, we landed a total of eighteen pieces of coverage!
The context of each piece covered CEMEX Ventures’ followup investment in Modulous, with the background set against the Construction Startup Competition 2021. The press releases also tied the story back to CEMEX Ventures’ contribution in evolving the construction industry.
The publications were carried out as news report, highlighting the information that innovative construction experts and enthusiasts would look for.
With our gathered research and compiled work, we pitched to multiple news sites and publishers. Keeping a strict deadline in mind, we had to be convincing in our approach. Great care went into ensuring that our pitches were successful and that they resulted in quick publications.
Since we matched the story as best we can to the orientation of the specific news sites and journalists, we were able to gain greater than agreed upon media buy-in.
