Governments are responsible for managing the physical world around us—from permits and inspections to long-term infrastructure assets—yet much of that work still runs on fragmented, outdated systems. Forerunner Flood is setting out to change that.
The company recently closed $39 million in funding to build what it calls the system of record for the built environment: a unified digital platform designed to help municipalities track, manage, and maintain physical assets with far greater clarity and efficiency. Today, many local governments rely on disconnected tools—one for permitting, another for inspections, and still others for code enforcement or asset management—making it difficult to understand what’s happening on the ground in real time.
Forerunner Flood’s platform brings these functions together into a single, cloud-based system. By connecting permitting, inspections, code enforcement, and long-term asset tracking into one searchable database, the company aims to give governments a shared source of truth—while also improving transparency for residents, contractors, and developers.
Bringing Civic Infrastructure Into the Digital Age
For decades, municipal operations have been shaped by legacy software and paper-based workflows that were never designed to scale. The result is slower approvals, limited visibility across departments, and operational inefficiencies that affect everything from housing development to public safety.
Forerunner Flood addresses this by creating a centralized view of the built environment. Whether it’s a new construction project, a routine inspection, or a decades-old public asset, the platform allows multiple departments to access and update information in one place. This reduces duplication, minimizes errors, and enables data-driven decision-making across government teams.
The new funding will be used to expand the platform’s capabilities and support adoption across additional cities and counties. The company is already working with municipalities that are seeking to modernize operations that have remained largely unchanged for years.
Why This Matters Now
The timing is notable. Cities are under increasing pressure to improve service delivery, manage aging infrastructure, and increase transparency—often with limited budgets and staffing. At the same time, developers and property owners are calling for faster, more predictable permitting and inspection processes.
Forerunner Flood’s approach is to meet governments where they are, integrating with existing systems while gradually replacing outdated workflows. The result is a more efficient, resilient model for managing the built environment—one that benefits both public agencies and the private sector that depends on them.
As infrastructure challenges grow more complex, digital systems like Forerunner Flood’s are becoming less optional and more foundational. With $39 million in new capital, the company is positioning itself to play a central role in how governments manage the physical world in the years ahead.
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