Workorder, Inc., a construction technology startup, has raised a $1.1 million pre-seed round from UBMB and Mucker Capital to assist in the launch of its innovative software for the construction industry. Spencer Gaffney from UBMB has joined the company’s board of directors.
Workorder’s software is a first-of-its-kind for construction estimating, as it uses image recognition, deep learning, and optical character recognition, among other technologies, to automatically detect, measure, and count objects in construction blueprints. Workorder has been operating in a private beta with many of the largest construction companies in North America, including DPR Construction, PCL, and Performance Contracting, Inc (PCI).
“What has typically taken cost estimators days or weeks now takes minutes with Workorder,” said Marty Cornish, CEO of Workorder. “We strive to talk to as many estimators as possible, as often as possible. They tell us their pain points, and we listen with open ears. We are now saving the average estimator over 25 hours per week on quantity takeoffs, with more to come.”
Early customers have shared feedback and feature requests. One such customer is PCI.
"Working through drawings and getting takeoff completed for any project is about 75-80% of my estimating time,” said Jason Bough, Senior Estimator at PCI. “I see the potential for Workorder to cut the quantification time in half or better.”
Currently, Workorder supports interior finishes: paint, drywall, metal framing, and acoustical ceilings. As the company expands, additional construction areas will be added.
“Workorder is creating technology that allows people to do their jobs better, faster, and more easily than ever – that’s very powerful, especially in an industry like construction,” noted Spencer Gaffney, Partner at UBMB. “We are excited to partner with Marty, Henric, and the entire Workorder team to help them grow their business.”
Cornish and Henric Harutunian, Workorder’s CTO, teamed up following their respective exits from previous companies. Cornish previously founded EasyPaint, a tech-enabled paint and drywall contractor, which was acquired in 2021. Harutunian previously founded Notable Solutions, a pioneer and leader in document management technology, which was acquired by Nuance (NUAN) in 2014.
The serial entrepreneurs showed an initial prototype of Workorder to Mucker Capital and were promptly invited to join the Muckerlab program. William Hsu at Mucker Capital discovered the entrepreneurial duo and helped guide the early team in product and customer development. With this investment and support from UBMB, Workorder will make capital investments and will prepare for a widespread launch and a promising future.
“Our goal is to build the best product we can and get Workorder in front of as many customers as possible,” Cornish continued. “Customers are telling us that they have been waiting for something like this, and it’s a big market. We believe we can build a significant business here with tremendous value for the construction industry, and we have the partners and support we need to take our next steps.”
Workorder is launching at Worklaunch on Wednesday, March 23. Click to register: https://hopin.com/events/workorder-v1-release-aa73fb81-4165-4e43-a53e-f93cd6ac9dfd