Auctor

What do they actually do

Auctor sells a live web product that helps solution engineers, system integrators, and professional services teams turn client inputs (documents, notes, recordings, metadata) into structured requirements and “ready-to-build” implementation artifacts like SOWs, BRDs, user stories, diagrams, and configuration outputs. As requirements change, the system keeps related artifacts in sync so proposals, tickets, and documentation stay aligned (product).

Typical use: users connect or upload client context, Auctor’s agent extracts and models requirements, then generates the artifacts and handoffs for engineering and client-facing teams. Teams use these outputs to shorten discovery and handoff cycles; YC highlights claims of compressing “weeks into hours” for these phases (product, YC profile).

The product is accessed via the web and the company provides demos and enterprise-oriented security/trust materials. Auctor also lists integrations and appears in third‑party integration directories, signaling a focus on the data and tools used by vendor implementation teams (site, Gong listing).

Who are their target customer(s)

• Solution engineers / sales engineers at SaaS vendors: They must collect client needs and translate them into implementation plans. Discovery and handoff are manual and inconsistent, which slows deals and delays project starts (product, YC profile).
• Professional services / delivery leads at vendors: They have to keep proposals, SOWs, engineering tickets, and docs aligned as scope shifts. Current processes cause rework and timeline slips (product).
• System integrators / third‑party implementation teams: They repeat similar customizations across clients and spend billable hours drafting BRDs, configs, and diagrams that could be reused but often aren’t (YC profile, product).
• Engineering teams receiving handoffs: They get incomplete or poorly structured requirements and spend time clarifying instead of building, which slows delivery and increases defects (product).
• Sales/legal/finance approvers for SOWs and contracts: They face inconsistent, manually produced SOWs that require lengthy reviews and negotiations, delaying procurement and revenue recognition (product, terms/security).

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

• First 10: Run high‑touch pilots with solution‑engineering and PS/SI teams via YC and founder intros. Scope short engagements where Auctor delivers an approved SOW/BRD, measure one metric (e.g., discovery time or SOW rework), and convert pilots into paid contracts and case studies (YC profile).
• First 50: Turn early case studies into prebuilt templates/playbooks for top vendor stacks, publish in integration directories, and run co‑sell pilots with select SIs and vendor partners. Use targeted webinars and standardized POC contracts/success criteria to speed conversion (product, Gong listing).
• First 100: Launch SI partner certification/reseller programs, pursue vendor marketplace listings/co‑sell agreements, and add a light self‑serve trial with packaged connectors/templates for smaller teams. Invest in trust controls (audit logs, approval gates, security docs) and success playbooks to drive expansion (TechCrunch, security).

What is the rough total addressable market

Top-down context:

Auctor targets the enterprise software implementation and professional services spend. As anchors: global IT consulting & implementation is about US$79.3B in 2025, and cloud professional services (the most directly relevant slice) is roughly US$26.3B in 2024 (Statista, Global Market Insights).

Bottom-up calculation:

As a tool focused on discovery/spec/handoff, a practical bottom‑up view is to take the cloud/SaaS PS spend (~US$26B) and assume 10–20% of that spend is tied to these phases; if software captures 5–10% of that portion, the immediate software TAM is on the order of US$130M–US$520M, with upside as adoption and scope expand (Global Market Insights).

Assumptions:

• Discovery/spec/handoff represents ~10–20% of SaaS implementation effort and spend.
• Enterprises will allocate ~5–10% of that effort’s value to software that accelerates/standardizes it.
• Initial focus is on SaaS vendor PS and SI teams; broader SI/enterprise integration budgets expand the ceiling over time (Statista).

Who are some of their notable competitors

• ScopeStack: Scoping and SOW generation software for IT services/MSPs and SIs; notable as an existing tool purchases for SOW standardization and pricing.
• Kantata (Mavenlink + Kimble): Professional services automation used by PS organizations for resourcing, delivery, and financials; overlaps with proposal/SOW and delivery workflows.
• Certinia (FinancialForce) PSA: PSA on Salesforce used by vendor PS teams for project and services management; adjacent to scoping, SOWs, and handoffs.
• Jama Software: Requirements management for complex projects; relevant as an established system of record for structured requirements.
• Lucid (Lucidchart/Lucidspark): Diagramming and collaboration used to produce system/architecture diagrams during implementations; common alternative for manual artifact creation.