Billdr, the software company building the AI-native operating system for construction, is relaunching its platform as an all-in-one operating system for small and mid-sized general contractors. Billdr has raised USD $3.2 million in new seed funding towards its new business model, led by White Star Capital with participation from One Way Ventures, Desjardins Capital, asterX, and Formentera Capital.
Billdr PRO is an all-in-one construction management platform for small and mid-sized general contractors (SMB GCs), covering sales, clients, team management, finances, and project management. The software unifies estimating, scheduling, to-dos, change orders, purchase orders, timesheets, daily logs, payments, communications, and procurement under one roof. It replaces the fragmented mix of spreadsheets, texts, and disconnected apps that 75% of SMB GCs rely on today.
Since launching its beta version just 18 months ago, Billdr PRO has grown to serve hundreds of general contractors across the U.S. and Canada, reaching seven-figure annual recurring revenue (ARR) and processing more than $10 million in payments volume.
As it builds the “centralized brain for construction,” Billdr is working towards deploying a more integrated fintech infrastructure (bill pay, corporate cards, lending, insurance) and real-time material pricing from the top construction material vendors.
But two years ago, Billdr was a completely different company.
From Marketplace to Operating System
Billdr’s journey began as a home renovation marketplace connecting homeowners with contractors in the U.S. and Canada. After supporting thousands of projects and over $100M in construction spend, Billdr identified that the real bottleneck wasn’t demand, it was the lack of modern software for contractors to manage their businesses efficiently.
“The horizontal software tools SMB contractors use were never built for the construction industry – we saw this firsthand in our early years in the trenches with GCs,” said Bertrand Nembot, Founder and CEO of Billdr.
75% of SMB GCs run their back office with a combination of Excel and accounting software like Quickbooks or SAGE. Each workflow – estimating, scheduling, invoicing, cost tracking, client management – lives in a different spreadsheet. None of these files communicate with each other, creating operational chaos and wasted hours.
So, in 2023, the company pivoted to focus entirely on building a vertical SaaS – one modern, intuitive, AI-native operating system for construction. The result was Billdr PRO, an all-in-one construction management platform that helps SMB GCs handle everything from estimates to sales, contract management, and invoicing in one place.
“For over two years, we focused on building software, one feature at a time. We gained trust from GCs, one customer at a time. Today, we serve hundreds of construction businesses across the US and Canada,” said Bertrand.
Under its new model, Billdr has grown rapidly, acquiring hundreds of paying customers across the U.S. and Canada, with a seven-figure ARR growing over 4x year-over-year and strong customer retention. Over $1B worth of quotes are now being sent annually via the Billdr platform, and thousands of construction workers interact with Billdr’s software every month.
Building the Digital Backbone of Construction
Billdr centralizes all construction management workflows under one platform, allowing GCs to:
- Generate accurate estimates in minutes with real-time material pricing
- Manage project changes, purchase orders, and schedules seamlessly
- Track budgets, expenses, and invoices with integrated cost codes
- Communicate and manage field teams via mobile app
- Capture job site photos and notes for documentation
- Keep clients informed through a collaborative dashboard
What previously took the average SMB GC 10 – 20 hours per week using spreadsheets now takes half the time. Billdr plans to go even further with upcoming AI-native features like voice-to-action commands, AI receptionists for construction, and text-to-action agents that help contractors manage workflows hands-free.
“Trades like plumbers or electricians have benefited from modern operating systems like ServiceTitan, Housecall Pro, or Jobber,” said Bertrand. “But SMB general contractors haven’t seen the same wave of innovation. We’re here to make it easy for GCs to scale their business profitably.”
The company plans to use the new funding to launch a suite of fintech products (i.e bill pay, corporate cards, lending, insurance) and launch a materials procurement module that embeds live materials pricing from multiple construction suppliers directly into the estimating workflow, —making it easier for contractors to buy materials smarter and faster. It will also expand its engineering and go-to-market teams and develop an AI receptionist for GCs to capture leads..
“Construction is one of the largest and least digitized sectors in the economy,” said Sanjay Zimmermann, General Partner at White Star Capital. “With a focused product, Billdr really stood out to us with a platform designed exclusively for the backbone of the industry: SMB GCs. They’re building a product that understands their workflows deeply and leverages AI to eliminate friction, not add complexity.”
“Billdr has found a glaringly obvious flaw in the $1.7 trillion residential and commercial construction market,” says Lex Zhao, General Partner at One Way Ventures. “Bert and his team are harnessing AI to transform foundational aspects of the industry. I couldn’t be more excited to re-invest in Billdr as they automate operations so GCs can focus on building in the real world.”
About Billdr
Billdr builds the AI-native operating system for construction. Its flagship product, Billdr PRO, is an all-in-one platform designed for small and medium-sized general contractors to manage estimates, schedules, budgets, and payments seamlessly. Founded in 2020 and headquartered in Montreal, Billdr operates across the U.S. and Canada.
