Bild AI

What do they actually do

Bild AI is a web app that reads construction drawings (PDFs/DWG) and turns them into structured quantities (takeoffs) and cost line items. Users upload plan sets, the system detects building elements like openings, doors, flooring, and framing, and it outputs counts/measurements plus a cost breakdown. The product also surfaces likely code/compliance issues for review before permitting (homepage, YC profile, blog).

The current workflow is upload → process → review → export. After processing, users can download structured data or export to common estimating/ERP systems; demo videos show exports into tools used by Division‑8 and other trades (e.g., Comsense, Emullion, Avaware) (YouTube demo, homepage). Early users include material suppliers and builders in framing, doors/windows, and flooring, primarily on multifamily projects. The company charges subscription fees (Business Insider, blog).

Who are their target customer(s)

• Material suppliers for doors, windows, flooring, and framing: They spend hours manually counting and measuring from PDFs/DWGs to prepare quotes, which slows response times and introduces errors that can lose orders (homepage, Business Insider).
• Specialty subcontractors (framers, door/window installers) bidding small to mid-size packages: They need fast, reliable takeoffs to price labor and materials; manual takeoffs cause missed quantities, rework, and schedule risk on tight bids (YouTube demo, blog).
• Estimators at general contractors and preconstruction teams: They must convert drawings into standardized quantities and cost lines quickly and push clean data into estimating/ERP systems without re-typing (YC profile, YouTube demo).
• Project managers or compliance leads handling permitting and plan sign‑off: Permit resubmissions and delays occur when drawings miss code items; they need automated checks to catch likely issues pre‑filing (homepage, blog).
• Procurement / ERP administrators: They must turn takeoffs into purchase orders or inventory plans; manual data entry from PDFs into ERPs leads to delays and mis‑orders, so they need structured exports or connectors (YouTube demo, homepage).

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

• First 10: Founder‑led pilots with nearby suppliers and specialty subs: run hands‑on uploads, review results together, and tune outputs/exports until trust is built, then convert to paid subscriptions (Business Insider, YouTube demo).
• First 50: Targeted outbound to regional suppliers, GC estimators, and subs with standardized 2–4 week paid pilots; pair with focused ERP/estimator export workflows and case‑study proof points to shorten cycles (YouTube demo, blog).
• First 100: Develop channel partners (distributors, ERP/estimator vendors) with referral agreements and launch a self‑serve product for smaller accounts; market permitting/compliance checks to drive org‑wide adoption while adding light account management for multi‑site customers (Business Insider, blog).

What is the rough total addressable market

Top-down context:

The immediate, directly addressable market is construction estimating/takeoff software, about $1.5B in 2024 (Grand View Research). Expanding into permitting, preconstruction, and deeper integrations puts Bild in the broader construction‑software market of roughly $9.9–11.0B (Fortune Business Insights, Grand View Research).

Bottom-up calculation:

As a cross‑check, assume 25k–75k US specialty subs/suppliers and small GC estimating teams in the relevant trades out of the hundreds of thousands of US construction firms, with an average of ~2 paid seats per account at ~$1.5k–$3k per seat annually. That implies roughly $75M–$450M US SAM; scaling internationally by 2–3x places a bottom‑up TAM in the low hundreds of millions, consistent with being a subset of the $1.5B estimating/takeoff market (industry counts context, IBISWorld).

Assumptions:

• 25k–75k US buyer organizations across targeted trades and supplier types is a reasonable subset of total construction firms.
• Average of ~2 paid seats per organization for trade‑level takeoff use cases.
• Per‑seat pricing in the ~$1.5k–$3k/year range for SMB construction software.

Who are some of their notable competitors

• Togal.AI: AI‑first cloud takeoff that auto‑detects rooms, symbols, and features to speed estimating; overlaps directly with Bild’s automated plan‑reading value proposition.
• STACK: Cloud takeoff and estimating platform for subs, suppliers, and GCs with collaboration and integrations that push quantities into downstream systems.
• PlanSwift: Desktop on‑screen takeoff and estimating used for precise counts and measurements; often chosen when teams want offline control rather than an AI‑first, cloud tool.
• Bluebeam Revu: Widely used PDF markup/measurement and document control; a default for manual takeoffs and plan review with strong auditability and collaboration.
• Procore (Estimating / Preconstruction): Integrated construction platform with estimating/takeoff and a large partner ecosystem; appeals to GCs seeking end‑to‑end linkage from preconstruction to project execution.