Fonn

Fonn (Fonn AS) is a Norway-based software company that develops a project management platform for the construction industry, connecting site teams and office staff around a single record of project information. The product is available as mobile apps and a web/desktop application, and is marketed both in Norwegian and, as "Access Fonn", in the UK market. Core functionality covers drawing and document management with automatic version control and side-by-side revision comparison, task and workforce management, snagging/defect lists with geo-tagged photo evidence, digital forms, tender package handling, change orders and variations, RFIs and submittals, timesheets with geo-fenced check-in, Gantt-based planning, a Scope of Works work breakdown structure, and IFC/BIM viewing in the browser and on mobile.

The platform emphasises audit trails: actions are timestamped and geo-tagged, read receipts record drawing acknowledgement, and compliance workflows target UK requirements such as Part L photo capture and Building Safety Act "Golden Thread" documentation. Desktop dashboards give project managers cross-project views of issues, progress and tasks, one-click daily reports, and batch visibility of open RFIs. Subcontractors can be added to projects at no extra cost, and the vendor states unlimited projects and users. Fonn exposes a REST API (JSON over HTTP, secured with a subscription key and access token, with user impersonation and workspace tokens for multi-organisation access) via a developer portal, and integrates with Access Coins Evo so that projects created in Coins Evo flow automatically into Fonn. [0][1][2][3][4][6]

Founding story

Fonn originated as Fonn Byggemappen, developed by the Norwegian company Lean Konseptutvikling. Co-founder Jan Tore Grindheim, who had roughly 15 years of experience in the oil and gas industry in management and completion roles, identified a gap in collaboration and completion tools for small and medium-sized building projects and validated the idea through client interviews. Co-founders Ingvald Grindheim and John Levi Jørgensen were involved in starting Lean Konseptutvikling, and Tor Gjøsæter contributed app development experience and introduced the team to the software house Zaven, which built the iOS, Android and web applications. Innovation Norway and Connect Norway funded most of the start-up costs. The pilot customer was Idealhus AS, whose manager Nils Eirik Ådnanes backed the project early on. Grindheim has described the first months, with expenses but no income and the need to sell an idea rather than a product, as the main early challenge. [5]

Business model

B2B software sold on a subscription basis to construction sector customers, with service tiers for different project needs; a Premier Success Plan tier adds a dedicated Customer Success Manager and a dedicated lead technical support engineer. Subcontractors can be invited onto customer projects at no additional cost, and the vendor advertises unlimited projects and users. Pricing is quoted on request. [0][1][6]

Subscription revenue from construction companies, with tiered service levels; implementation, onboarding and support are delivered by Access Construction. [0][1][6]

Traction

The company states more than 100,000 construction projects delivered through the platform and over 60,000 users on its Norwegian site; Preqin cites adoption by more than 50,000 professionals and, in the context of the Access Group acquisition, more than 50,000 users worldwide. Named customers and referenced case studies include Excel Group, Natta, Ascia Construction, Bygg-Team Romerike AS and BOB Eiendomsutvikling. Preqin reports revenue of USD 4.73m in 2021 (down 14.9% year on year from USD 5.56m in 2020) with negative EBITDA, and separately cites 2022 figures of NOK 767,111.5 revenue and NOK -1,616,812.5 EBITDA. [0][1][6]

Latest developments

Fonn AS was acquired by The Access Group effective May 2025, becoming part of Access Construction; the product is now marketed as Access Fonn, with onboarding, training and support delivered by Access Construction and an integration that automatically flows projects created in Access Coins Evo into Fonn. Preqin also records a funding deal dated 5 May 2025 with investors including Idekapital, Investinor and Skagerak Capital. [0][1][6]