What SC Builders does

SC Builders Inc. is a privately held commercial general contractor founded in 1999 by Sam Abbey and Chris Smither and headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, with a second office in San Francisco. The firm delivers construction services across five verticals: Corporate Office / tenant improvements, Life Sciences, Mission Critical (including data centers), Educational / Institutional, and Ground-Up construction. Marquee Bay Area clients include Meta, Google, Slack, Qualcomm, Sony Interactive Entertainment, Equinix, GitHub, Workday, and Stanford University, with projects ranging from 7,000 SF tenant improvements to 460,000+ SF ground-up office developments.

The company operates a relatively flat, principal-led organization that emphasizes direct access to founders and a policy of hiring only the top 20% of industry professionals. Its core technology stack is built around Building Information Modeling (BIM) via Revit and Navisworks, supplemented by 4D sequencing, model-based quantity take-off, MEP coordination, laser scanning, and total station integration for preconstruction and constructability analysis. In-house LEED expertise supports a sustainability practice that has delivered over 10 million square feet of LEED certified space and targets net zero carbon by 2030. Bonding capacity stands at $200 million per single project and $300 million in aggregate.

SC Builders' commercial model is project-based, relationship-driven, and overwhelmingly reliant on repeat and referred clients, with more than 87-90% of revenue from existing relationships. Pricing is quote-based and project-specific, combining negotiated work and competitive bids, and revenue is recognized as professional services revenue through long-cycle multi-year contracts. Go-to-market is direct enterprise sales via bid submission, principal-led preconstruction involvement, and subcontractor enablement through BuildingConnected, supported by an internal client-survey program that consistently returns average ratings of 9.28 out of 10.

Name

SC Builders

Legal name

SC Builders Inc.

Website

https://scbuildersinc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

SC Builders is a Bay Area commercial general contractor founded in 1999 delivering corporate office, life sciences, mission critical, educational, and ground-up construction for tech, biotech, and institutional clients across Silicon Valley and San Francisco.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Construction Services

NAICS

Commercial and Institutional Building Construction (23622), Nonresidential Building Construction (2362), Industrial Building Construction (23621)

SIC

General Bldg Contractors - Nonresidential Bldgs (1540), Operative Builders (1531)

akta.pro primary industry

Office & Corporate Building Construction (IMAFACAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Renovation, Remodeling & Tenant Improvements (General Contracting) (IMAFAAAE)

Keywords

• Commercial construction services
• General contracting services
• Tenant improvement construction
• Mission critical construction
• Life sciences construction

Headquarters

HQ city

Sunnyvale

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Construction Services: General contracting services for commercial construction projects including tenant improvements, ground-up construction, mission critical facilities, life sciences facilities, and institutional buildings. Revenue is project-based with a mix of negotiated work and competitive bids.
2. Preconstruction Services: Early-stage project planning, estimating, and value engineering services that set the trajectory for successful construction projects

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

SC Builders is a commercial general contractor delivering tenant improvements, ground-up construction, mission critical facilities, life sciences laboratories, and institutional buildings for enterprise clients in the San Francisco Bay Area. The firm offers preconstruction planning supported by BIM, Navisworks, and Revit, with in-house LEED and sustainable construction expertise. Revenue is project-based and earned through a mix of negotiated work and competitive bids, with over 87-90% of business coming from repeat clients and referrals.

Product overview

SC Builders is a mid-sized commercial general contractor offering a unified construction service portfolio organized by project type: Corporate Office (tenant improvements and interiors), Life Sciences (laboratory facilities), Mission Critical (data centers), Educational/Institutional, and Ground-Up construction. The company provides preconstruction planning and BIM technology integration as supporting services across all project types, with LEED/sustainability expertise available as an add-on capability. Founded in 1999 with offices in Silicon Valley and San Francisco, the company serves Bay Area technology firms, mission critical, life science, and institutional clients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Corporate Office Construction Tenant improvement and corporate interior construction services for enterprise technology and corporate clients, including office buildouts, headquarters expansions, campus renovations, and space transformations. Representative projects include GitHub SF HQ (20,000 SF), Slack HQ at 500 Howard (242,000 SF), Sony Interactive Entertainment HQ in San Mateo (450,000 SF), Meta Menlo Park Campus (1M+ SF), and Meta Palo Alto Campus (337,000 SF).
• Life Sciences Construction Specialized laboratory and research facility construction for biotechnology, pharmaceutical, and life sciences companies. Includes lab improvements, histopathology labs, lab/office co-location renovations, and life science facility buildouts. Representative projects include Achaogen Lab Improvements in South San Francisco (45,000 SF), Exact Sciences Lab and Office Renovations in Redwood City (38,000 SF) and Histopathology Lab (50,000 SF), 10x Genomics Life science facility in Pleasanton, and Layton Bioscience Lab and Office Buildout (30,000 SF).
• Mission Critical Construction Data center and critical facility construction for continuous-uptime operators. Covers redundant systems, specialized cooling and power, security-controlled builds, and testing facilities. Representative projects include Equinix Santa Clara Data Center (66,000 SF), Equinix Sunnyvale Data Center (100,000 SF), Equinix Los Angeles Data Center (60,000 SF), and Oracle Lab and Testing Facility SC09.
• Educational Construction Institutional and educational building construction for K-12 schools, universities, religious institutions, and non-profit organizations. Includes new construction, phased renovations, and ground-up facilities with community-engagement-sensitive delivery. Representative projects include Bowman Learning Village (17,000 SF), Carondelet STEM Innovation Center (18,000 SF), St. Matthew School Multi-Use Facility (11,425 SF), Stanford Black Community Service Center (7,000 SF), Stanford Windhover Contemplative Center (4,000 SF), Stanford Humanities Center, and Khan Academy HQ (15,000 SF).
• Ground-Up Construction New construction projects from foundation to completion for developers, landlords, and institutional owners. Includes core and shell buildings, full new structures, and integrated commercial developments. Representative projects include Lawrence Station Development (460,000+ SF office building) and Parking Garage (287,100+ SF) for Bayview Development Group, Oracle Campus SC10 (120,000 SF), and Stanford Windhover Contemplative Center.
• Preconstruction Services Standalone early-stage project planning and consultation including estimating, value engineering, scheduling, and constructability analysis using BIM technology. Preconstruction is offered independently as well as embedded in full general contracting engagements and sets the trajectory for project success by virtually building the project before breaking ground.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 87-90% repeat client and referral rate
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers28 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• LEAPminorOthers · 1 January 2019Annual participation in the LEAP Sandcastle Classic at Ocean Beach, San Francisco. SC Builders team ('Sandy Potter') competes alongside companies and Lawton Elementary students to raise funds for Leap, a nonprofit providing art programs to Bay Area schools.
• Shared AdventuresminorOthers · 1 January 2013Annual partnership since 2013 for Day on the Beach event. SC Builders partners with Shared Adventures to provide fun-filled outdoor activities for people with special needs. SC Builders volunteers built plywood platforms for accessibility to kayaking, canoeing, and scuba diving activities.
• TurningWheels for KidsminorOthers · 1 January 2012Annual partnership since 2012 for the Big Bike Build event. SC Builders staff join over 1,000 community volunteers to build over 2,500 bikes for children of low-income families. TurningWheels for Kids partners with charities and community health organizations to encourage outdoor activities and prevent childhood obesity.
• Habitat for HumanityminorOthers · 1 January 2012Annual playhouse build partnership since 2015 (with Habitat for Humanity) and ongoing support for construction of actual Habitat homes. SC Builders employees and families build and paint playhouses that are donated to local families in the military through Blue Star Moms.
• Campo di BocceminorOthers · 1 January 2012Venue partner for annual Charity Bocce Tournament since 2012. The autumn event gathers clients, architects, and friends to compete, with proceeds donated to non-profit organizations selected by winning teams.
• Rebuilding Together Silicon ValleyminorOthersPartnership for home improvement projects where groups of 30-40 SC Builders volunteers perform repairs and upgrades to homes for low-income and/or disabled residents, including fixing dry rot, painting, and installing appliances.
• Blue Star MomsminorOthersCollaboration partner for playhouse donations to military families. Blue Star Moms receives playhouses built by SC Builders employees and families during annual Habitat for Humanity playhouse build events.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Swinerton: Large West Coast-headquartered commercial GC with deep Bay Area presence across corporate office, life sciences, and mission-critical builds. Most directly comparable in geography, vertical mix, and tenant-improvement-heavy project mix.
• Hathaway Dinwiddie Construction: San Francisco-based commercial GC specializing in corporate office, life sciences, and education projects for Bay Area clients. Closely comparable on regional footprint, tenant-improvement focus, and tech-tenant client roster.
• Webcor: Bay Area commercial GC with strong corporate office, life sciences, and institutional portfolio. Comparable on regional focus, commercial building mix, and tech-sector client overlap.
• XL Construction: Silicon Valley-based commercial GC focused on corporate office, life sciences, and technology clients in the Bay Area. Highly comparable on regional focus, vertical mix, and mid-size scale.
• Devcon Construction: Bay Area-headquartered commercial GC serving corporate, life sciences, and education clients. Comparable on regional footprint, mid-market scale, and tenant-improvement project mix.
• Level 10 Construction: Sunnyvale-headquartered commercial GC specializing in corporate office, life sciences, and tech-tenant projects in the Bay Area. Direct competitor in the same geography and client base, comparable in scale.
• BCCI Construction: San Francisco-based commercial GC focused on corporate office, life sciences, and institutional projects. Comparable on regional footprint, client verticals, and mid-size project profile.

Broad incumbents

• DPR Construction: National, employee-owned commercial GC with a major Bay Area office and extensive tech-sector project history. Overlaps heavily with SC Builders on corporate office, life sciences, and mission-critical, but operates at substantially larger national scale.
• Turner Construction: Largest commercial GC in the U.S. with significant Bay Area presence across corporate office, mission-critical, and institutional sectors. Comparable in core services but operates at vastly greater scale and geographic breadth.
• Skanska USA: Global construction firm with significant Bay Area presence in commercial office, life sciences, and mission-critical sectors. Comparable in core capabilities but operates at much larger national/international scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/scbuilders99
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCHVbVu5k0WPkwwbD-RISLbg
• Facebookfacebook.com/scbuildersinc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/936787
• Instagraminstagram.com/scbuildersinc

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SC Builders