Architects Are Ditching 30-Year-Old Software for This AI Platform

Jan de Vries · 2026-08-10

There's a quiet revolution happening in architecture studios, and it's not about new building materials or design trends. It's about how architects actually get their work done. For three decades, the same rendering software has dominated the industry, and most professionals just accepted it. But a small team in Oslo is changing that narrative with artificial intelligence. Visoid, an AI-powered visualization platform, just secured $2.5 million in fresh funding to accelerate its growth. The round was led by Skyfall Ventures, with participation from existing backers like StartupLab, OBOS, and Antler, plus new investors Farvatn and byFounders Angel Collective. That's a solid vote of confidence from both early believers and new players in the European startup ecosystem. ### Why Architects Are Making the Switch Here's the thing about the old way of doing things: traditional rendering is slow, technical, and often requires specialized skills. Architects have to either wait hours for a render or hand off their work to a visualization specialist. That's not just inefficient; it kills momentum during the design process. Visoid takes a different approach. Instead of replacing the architect's creative workflow, it plugs into existing 3D models and transforms them into high-quality visualizations in minutes. The design intent stays intact, but the output looks like it came from a top-tier rendering studio. Mark Szoke, CEO and co-founder, put it simply: "Architects have been using the same software for the past 30 years, and they were reluctant to try new ones. It's amazing to see how fast they adapt to this technology. We don't need to sell it to them, they simply want it themselves." That's the kind of product-market fit every founder dreams about. When your users are pulling your product into their workflow without a hard sales push, you know you're onto something real. ### More Than Just Pretty Pictures It would be easy to dismiss this as just another AI tool that makes things look nice. But the team at Visoid is aiming higher. They're building AI that actually understands architectural models, not just one that applies a fancy filter. "Architecture requires much more than beautiful images," said Joachim Holwech, CPO and co-founder. "Architects need AI that understands their models, preserves design intent and fits naturally into professional workflows." That distinction matters. A generic AI renderer might give you a striking image, but if it doesn't understand the structural logic or the design choices behind the model, it's not useful for real decision-making. Visoid wants to be the tool that helps architects iterate faster and communicate ideas more effectively without losing the soul of their design. ### Traction With Global Players Visoid isn't just a promising concept. It's already being used by some serious names in the industry, including OMA, LEO A DALY, Sweco Group, and Nordic Office of Architecture. Landing clients like that in a short time frame says a lot about the platform's practical value. Preben Songe-Møller, Partner and co-founder at Skyfall Ventures, noted: "Mark and Joachim combine deep domain expertise with serious technical depth in AI and machine learning, and a commercial instinct that comes naturally to them." ### What's Next for the Company The fresh capital will go toward expanding the engineering, product, and commercial teams. Right now, Visoid has nine employees, and they expect to double that headcount by the end of the year. They're also planning to accelerate development of new AI capabilities, grow their international customer base, and deepen partnerships with leading architecture firms. For anyone watching the intersection of AI and professional creative work, this is a space worth keeping an eye on. The architecture industry is ripe for disruption, and Visoid seems to be positioning itself right at the center of that shift. If they can keep up the momentum, they might just be the ones to finally retire that 30-year-old software for good.