What Ernest does

Ernest Energy LLC, operating as Ernest, is a Miami-based construction technology company founded in 2019 that runs a dual business model combining general contracting services with a proprietary AI-powered construction software platform. The company began as a mechanical, electrical, and plumbing subcontractor in 2019, expanded into general contracting in 2020, and launched its construction software platform in 2021, now operating across Florida with a stated 2024 expansion into Texas. The platform comprises three interconnected applications — Owner, GC, and Field — powered by Shackleton AI (marketed as the construction industry's first AI copilot), alongside Smart Counting computer vision and Real-time Project Forecasting capabilities.

Ernest targets property owners, general contractors, field teams, architects, and commercial construction clients across retail, healthcare, education, hospitality, food and beverage, real estate, and financial services verticals, with project values ranging from under $200K to over $100M in bidding scope. Revenue derives from three streams: one-time general contracting project fees, recurring software platform subscriptions tiered by project value, and construction consulting services. Pricing is quote-based across five project-value tiers ($0–$200K, $201K–$500K, $501K–$1M, $1.1M–$5M, $5M+), with a 10% sign-up discount and a price-match guarantee. The go-to-market is sales-led through website inquiry forms, a dedicated phone line (833-362-0071), and enterprise field sales targeting Florida and Texas markets.

The company reports $300M+ in completed and active construction projects, a 4.93/5 average rating from 2,916 clients, and a team with over 50 years of combined construction experience led by co-founder and CEO Michael Ragheb. Named customers include Walmart, Apple, Dior, Visa, Florida International University, Orange County Public Schools, CMX Cinemas, and ProMD. In January 2024, Ernest closed a $13,350,002 funding round (investors undisclosed). The company is privately held, headquartered at 5201 Blue Lagoon Drive, Suite 800, Miami, FL 33137, and reports a headcount of 1–10 employees.

Name

Ernest

Legal name

Ernest Energy LLC

Website

https://joinernest.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Ernest operates an AI-powered construction platform combining proprietary software (Shackleton AI copilot, Owner/GC/Field applications) with general contracting services for property owners, contractors, and field teams across commercial, residential, healthcare, education, retail, and hospitality verticals in Florida and Texas.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Construction Software

NAICS

Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151), Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416)

SIC

General Bldg Contractors - Residential Bldgs (1520), Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

Design-Build / EPC General Contracting (IMAFAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

AI/ML Engineering & Model Development Services (BPAEAHAF), iPaaS & Workflow Automation (BPAMAOAB)

Keywords

• Construction project management
• AI construction software
• General contracting services
• Construction estimating tools
• Commercial construction delivery

Headquarters

HQ city

Miami

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. General Contracting Services: Full-service construction delivery from bidding to owner turnover, ensuring projects are on time and under budget. Services include rapid estimating, tech-enabled project management, and real-time status updates.
2. Software Platform Subscriptions: SaaS platform with Owner, GC, and Field applications providing end-to-end construction project management, AI-powered insights, and real-time visibility. Pricing tiers based on project value ranges.
3. Construction Consulting: Partnership from design phase through project completion with software-enabled real-time access to project data for owners.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Ernest provides an AI-powered construction platform combining proprietary software (Owner, GC, and Field Applications plus Shackleton AI) with general contracting services to plan, estimate, manage, and deliver commercial construction projects. The company pairs full-stack project execution with AI-driven forecasting, smart counting, and stakeholder collaboration tools to build commercial projects faster and at lower cost.

Product overview

Ernest operates as a dual business model combining AI-powered construction services with a full-stack AI software platform. The core offering consists of three interconnected applications within the Ernest Construction Software Platform: the Owner Application (for real-time financials and milestone tracking), the GC Application (for budget and schedule management), and the Field Application (for drawings and field communication). The platform is powered by Shackleton AI, the construction industry's first AI copilot that eliminates ~30% of office workload. Additional AI-powered features include Smart Counting for automated plan counting and Real-time Project Forecasting for financial trend analysis. Ernest General Contracting provides full-service construction delivery from design phase to turnover, utilizing the software platform for real-time project visibility.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Shackleton AI: The construction industry's first AI copilot built on top of project data that eliminates approximately 30% of office team workload
• Smart Counting
• Owner Application
• GC Application
• Field Application

Products and services

• Ernest Construction Software Platform An integrated AI-powered construction software platform with three role-specific applications (Owner, GC, and Field) and the Shackleton AI copilot. Designed for commercial project owners, general contractors, and field teams to manage estimating, project execution, and stakeholder collaboration in one system.
• Ernest General Contracting Full-service general contracting for commercial construction projects, including rapid and transparent estimates and tech-enabled project management. Targeted at commercial project owners needing end-to-end delivery of retail, healthcare, education, hospitality, and real estate buildouts.

Quantifiable outcome

• Eliminate ~30% of office team workload
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability7 records

Feature6 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Buildots: AI-powered construction progress monitoring using computer vision on site imagery. Directly comparable to Ernest's Smart Counting and AI-driven automation ambitions, focused on construction-specific AI rather than full-stack project management.
• Reconstruct: Digital twin and AI-powered progress monitoring for construction and facility management. Comparable to Ernest's computer-vision Smart Counting and AI-driven forecasting capabilities within the built environment.
• nPlan: AI-driven scheduling and risk forecasting for large construction projects. Comparable to Ernest's Real-time Project Forecasting feature and its predictive analytics capability on construction data.

Direct peers

• Buildertrend: Construction project management SaaS targeting residential and light-commercial builders with project scheduling, customer management, and financial tools. Closely comparable in serving small-to-mid-market GCs and owners via subscription software.
• Fieldwire: Field-focused construction management app for task management, drawings, and punch lists. Directly comparable to Ernest's Field Application module serving field teams and subcontractors.
• CoConstruct: Construction project management software for custom home builders and remodelers. Comparable mid-market SaaS positioning to Ernest's Owner/GC applications, with similar pricing-by-project-value go-to-market.
• Suffolk Construction: A tech-forward national general contractor that has invested heavily in proprietary construction technology and AI tooling for project delivery. Closely comparable to Ernest's dual software + GC model, though at much larger scale.

Broad incumbents

• Procore Technologies: The leading cloud-based construction management platform serving owners, GCs, and specialty contractors. Procore is the most direct software comparable to Ernest's Owner/GC/Field application stack, though at vastly larger scale and without an in-house GC business.
• Autodesk Construction Cloud: Includes PlanGrid, BIM 360, and Assemble — an enterprise suite for construction project management, field collaboration, and estimating. Comparable to Ernest's platform capabilities, with deep AEC industry integration and rapidly expanding AI features.
• Oracle Construction & Engineering (formerly Textura and Primavera): Enterprise suite covering scheduling, project controls, and payment for large construction projects. Comparable in addressing the same GC and owner project management workflows Ernest targets, though at enterprise scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ernest