Articulate

What do they actually do

Articulate builds an AI tool for contractors that ingests drawings and specs, checks for coordination issues (e.g., clashes across MEP/structural/architectural) and code/permit risks, drafts RFIs and submittals when information is missing, and speeds up takeoffs/estimating. It integrates with tools like Procore, Autodesk/Revit, Bluebeam, Outlook/Gmail, Google Drive and SharePoint so outputs land in existing project workflows. They also offer agents that automate routine communications with crews, subs and suppliers YC company site.

Today the company is early-stage and selling via demos and pilots, with an emphasis on integrations and enterprise security (the site highlights SOC 2 Type II) company site LinkedIn.

Who are their target customer(s)

• Project managers at general contractors: They lose time reconciling missing or conflicting details in drawings and chasing RFIs, which delays schedules and pushes fixes into the field YC company site.
• Preconstruction and estimating teams: Manual takeoffs and scope reconciliation slow bids and can miss costs or leave scope gaps that erode margins YC.
• Field superintendents and foremen: They get hit by coordination and permit/code issues that weren’t caught earlier, leading to rework and downtime on site YC company site.
• Subcontractors (MEP, structural, trades): They spend cycles clarifying ambiguous drawings and responding to RFIs and back‑and‑forth messages instead of executing planned work YC company site.
• Solar contractors and installers: They need faster, repeatable preconstruction: quick code/permit checks, tight procurement timelines, and rapid takeoffs to hit schedules YC.

How would they acquire their first 10, 50, and 100 customers

• First 10: Run tightly scoped free/low‑cost pilots with reachable GCs and solar installers, doing white‑glove setup on one active project and producing an ROI snapshot and demo showing outputs flowing into Procore/Drive YC company site.
• First 50: Convert pilot users to paid accounts and use them for referrals; run targeted outbound to similar contractors while productizing common integrations (Procore, Revit, Bluebeam) to speed demos and shorten cycles YC company site.
• First 100: Add channel partnerships and marketplace listings (e.g., Procore, Autodesk) and co‑sell with integrators/solar distributors; build a repeatable onboarding playbook and small CS team to reduce churn as sales scales beyond founder‑led pilots YC company site.

What is the rough total addressable market

Top-down context:

Articulate’s category aligns with construction/design and project‑management software, which is estimated at roughly US$9–11B globally around 2024–2025; the U.S. portion is in the low billions, depending on scope definitions Statista Fortune Business Insights Grand View Research. The broader construction sector is orders of magnitude larger, underscoring why even small productivity gains matter Deloitte.

Bottom-up calculation:

Illustratively, if targeting ~25,000–50,000 mid‑to‑large contractors and solar installers with an average ACV of US$10k–US$50k for preconstruction/coordination tooling, the near‑term SAM could be ~US$0.25–US$2.5B. Faster‑cycle solar accounts can accelerate penetration within that range SEIA McKinsey.

Assumptions:

• Focus on mid‑to‑large firms that actively buy preconstruction/coordination software; small firms contribute less to paid software spend.
• Average ACV between US$10k and US$50k per contractor based on scope (clash checks, RFIs/submittals, takeoffs, agent automation).
• Initial targetable customer count of ~25k–50k globally across GCs, larger subs, and solar installers.

Who are some of their notable competitors

• Autodesk (Navisworks / Autodesk Construction Cloud): Industry‑standard BIM/model coordination and clash detection that aggregates Revit/IFC models and pushes issues into project workflows; overlaps on clash detection and integrations but is a broader BIM platform rather than an AI system that drafts RFIs or automates outreach Navisworks features.
• Solibri (Office / CheckPoint): Rule‑based model checking for geometric clashes, code/requirements validation and QA; overlaps with automated issue detection but focuses on model validation/reporting rather than agent‑driven communications or procurement steps Solibri CheckPoint.
• Procore: System of record for contractors handling RFIs, submittals and project workflows; Articulate aims to layer AI detection and RFI drafting on top and sync outputs back into Procore Procore RFIs & submittals.
• Bluebeam (Revu): Widely used for plan review, markups and quantity takeoffs; competes on takeoffs and preconstruction review but is manual/markup‑driven versus automated detection and agent‑generated RFIs Bluebeam takeoffs.
• STACK: Cloud takeoff and estimating for preconstruction teams; competes on speeding takeoffs/estimates, while Articulate combines detection plus automated communications STACK overview.