Highwire
AcquiredFounded 2008 · 68 employees on LinkedIn · 2 known investors
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Highwire provides a contractor risk management and prequalification platform used by construction owners and general contractors to assess partner risk, collaborate on mitigation plans, and track performance data. Originally developed at Harvard University for construction safety, it serves companies engaging contractors, suppliers, and vendors.
Also known as Highwire · Highwire, Inc.
Founders & leadership
Highwire was founded in 2008 by Garrett Burke.
Investors · 2
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Highwire provides contractor risk management software for organizations that run capital projects and facility operations. Its core offering is a prequalification assessment covering four areas: company (experience, capabilities and manpower), finance (financial viability and capacity, to reduce default risk), safety (past safety performance and leading indicators) and insurance (policies, coverage and limits). Alongside prequalification, the company offers field applications intended to extend risk monitoring into active project execution, including serious injury and fatality (SIF) tracking.
The company frames its approach as a shift away from binary pass/fail contractor screening based on document checklists and stale data toward what it calls "Contractor Success" — understanding each contractor's specific risk profile and working with them on continuous improvement. Risk categories addressed include injuries, defaults, rework, cyber, environmental and diversity. Highwire also operates the Highwire Network, a directory clients use to find qualified contractors and that contractors join to gain visibility, benchmark against peers and pursue insurance savings.
Highwire is led by founder Garrett Burke and General Manager Kyra van den Bosch. Since October 2025 it has operated as part of Veriforce.
Business model
Highwire sells software to project owners, general contractors and facility operators that engage outside contractors, suppliers and vendors. Buyers use the platform to prequalify and continuously assess their contractor base, while contractors enroll on the Highwire Network to be assessed, benchmark themselves against peers and pursue new work. The company offers demos, a free trial and a direct sales team.
Software sold to owners and contractors that manage third-party contractor risk, with prequalification assessments and field applications; a free trial is offered alongside sales-led engagement. Specific pricing terms are not disclosed.
Traction
More than 60,000 contractors are assessed or enrolled on the platform. Publicly cited users include Google, Skanska, BOND, Rosendin, H. J. Russell and T5 Data Centers, with case studies covering safety incident reduction at LaGuardia, data center and renewables growth, and reduced insurance costs through EMR improvement.
Latest developments
In October 2025, Highwire joined Veriforce, a global contractor management and supply chain risk solutions provider. The company states the combination pairs its construction-focused risk insights with Veriforce's scale, safety expertise and worldwide network, and supports expansion into new markets. Highwire has also incorporated serious injury and fatality (SIF) tracking into its offering.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history
Market position
Highwire operates in contractor prequalification and supply chain risk management for construction and capital projects, with more than 60,000 contractors assessed on its platform and named customers including Google, Skanska, BOND, Rosendin, H. J. Russell and T5 Data Centers. It is now part of Veriforce, which is described as a global leader in contractor management and supply chain risk solutions.
Highwire positions its assessments as continuous and diagnostic rather than a one-time pass/fail document check, combining company, financial, safety and insurance evaluation with field applications and historical performance data linked to contractor profiles. Its origin as a tool built by a university occupational safety practitioner is presented as the basis for an enrollment and user experience designed around contractors themselves.
Technology
A software platform that captures and structures contractor data — company capabilities, financial viability, safety performance and leading indicators, OSHA history, incidents, inspection data and safety programs, and insurance coverage — into contractor profiles used for prequalification scoring and ongoing monitoring, complemented by field applications and serious injury and fatality (SIF) tracking.
Go-to-market
Direct enterprise sales supported by demo requests, a free trial, published customer case studies (Skanska, Rosendin, BOND, H. J. Russell, T5 Data Centers) and content such as articles, podcasts and industry interviews. Contractors are onboarded through a self-enrollment process into the Highwire Network, creating a two-sided adoption path.
Owners, general contractors and operators running capital projects and facilities across construction, data centers, facilities management, health systems, life sciences, manufacturing, property development, renewable energy, semiconductors and universities; contractors themselves also enroll on the platform.
Geography
The company originated at Harvard University in the United States and cites U.S. customers and projects, including work at LaGuardia. Following the combination with Veriforce, the company references access to a worldwide network and expansion into new markets.
History
The platform originated inside Harvard University, where founder Garrett Burke served as Associate Director of Occupational Safety for nearly a decade and built an internal contractor assessment system with support from Harvard faculty and staff. In 2008, at the request of the contracting community and with Harvard's backing, Highwire was spun out as an independent company. It subsequently sold to organizations including Google, Skanska and BOND. In October 2025, Highwire joined forces with Veriforce, a contractor management and supply chain risk company, in a combination the company describes as positioning it to accelerate innovation and expand into new markets.
Compiled by commissioned research from 8 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Timeline · 2
launches, deals, and filingsHighwire combined with Veriforce, a contractor management and supply chain risk solutions provider, bringing together Highwire's construction-focused risk insights with Veriforce's scale and global network.
At the request of the contracting community and with Harvard's backing, the internally developed contractor prequalification platform was spun out as the independent company Highwire.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
In the news
▸Research sources · 8
primary sources listed
- Highwirehighwire.com · web
8 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Highwire do?
- Contractor risk management and prequalification software for capital projects, spun out of Harvard in 2008 and part of Veriforce since 2025.
- Who founded Highwire?
- Highwire was founded by Garrett Burke in 2008.
- Who are Highwire's investors?
- Highwire's investors include Shamrock Capital, Summit Partners.