What Sketchdeck.ai does

SketchDeck.ai (legally SketchDeck.AI Inc.) is an Edmonton, Alberta-based B2B SaaS company founded in 2021 that builds artificial intelligence and machine learning tools specifically for the structural steel fabrication industry. Its core product, LIFT, is a cloud-based steel takeoff platform that uses computer vision to read PDF structural drawings, automatically detect and count beams, columns, bracing, joists, and other members, extract attributes such as size, length, camber, studs, and piece marks, perform automated connection analysis (copes, holes, moment connections, labor coding), and generate Bills of Materials. The company reports 95-99% detection accuracy and customer-claimed time savings of 50-95%, with cumulative bid volume through the platform exceeding $25 billion. In April 2026, SketchDeck added LIFT-Delta, a revision management module that performs AI-driven change detection between drawing versions and produces delta tonnage reports for rebids and change orders.

The business operates a B2B SaaS subscription model with monthly billing, quote-based pricing, and a free trial; specific tiers are not publicly disclosed. Go-to-market is a demo-driven enterprise field sales motion targeting structural steel fabricators and erectors across North America (USA and Canada), supplemented by Gold Sponsorship of NASCC: The Steel Conference, content marketing (blog, ROI calculators, customer stories), and earned media in industry publications such as Modern Steel Construction and The Fabricator. LIFT exports directly into the fabrication industry's standard tooling stack, including Tekla PowerFab, Strumis, Bluebeam, EJE, and configurable Excel/CSV templates, embedding the product into downstream production workflows. The company remains privately held with 1-10 employees and a single disclosed $120,000 seed round from Techstars in July 2022; founder Daniel Kamau serves as CEO and Grayson Ingram as Head of Product.

Name

Sketchdeck.ai

Legal name

SketchDeck.AI Inc.

Website

https://sketchdeck.ai

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SketchDeck.ai builds LIFT, an AI-powered SaaS platform that automates structural steel takeoffs from PDF drawings for North American fabricators and erectors, detecting members and generating Bills of Materials.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Construction Estimating Software

NAICS

Drafting Services (541340), Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing (33451), Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing (334511)

SIC

Construction Machinery & Equip (3531), Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823)

akta.pro primary industry

Scan-to-CAD & Reverse Engineering Software (IMAAAHAE)

Keywords

• Steel takeoff software
• Construction estimating software
• AI takeoff automation
• Structural steel fabrication
• Bill of materials software

Headquarters

HQ city

Edmonton

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. SaaS Software Subscription: B2B SaaS subscription model for AI-powered steel takeoff software. Customers pay for access to LIFT platform with personalized support and customized integrations. Free trial period offered for new customers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

SketchDeck.ai builds and sells LIFT, an AI-powered, cloud-based steel takeoff platform that uses computer vision to automatically detect and quantify structural members (beams, columns, braces, joists) in PDF construction drawings. The software extracts attributes such as sizes, lengths, camber, studs, and piece marks, performs automated connection analysis (copes, holes, moment connections, labor codes), and generates Bills of Materials for structural steel fabricators and estimators. Its companion product, LIFT-Delta (Revision Management), automates comparison of drawing revisions and produces change documentation for rebids and change orders.

Product overview

SketchDeck.ai is a B2B SaaS company providing AI-powered automation tools for structural steel fabricators. The core product is LIFT, an AI-powered, cloud-based steel takeoff platform that automates material counting from PDF structural drawings using computer vision. LIFT processes drawings to detect structural members, extract attributes, perform connection analysis, and generate Bills of Materials. The portfolio also includes LIFT-Delta (Revision Management), a module that automates comparison of drawing revisions, change detection, and BOM updates for handling rebids and change orders. LIFT exports to industry-standard platforms including Tekla PowerFab, Bluebeam, Strumis, and Excel/CSV formats.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• LIFT: AI-powered, cloud-based steel takeoff software that automates material counting, B.O.M. creation, and connection analysis for structural steel fabricators.
• LIFT-Delta

Products and services

• LIFT AI-powered, cloud-based steel takeoff software that automates material counting from PDF structural drawings. Uses computer vision to detect beams, columns, braces, and other structural members; extracts attributes (sizes, lengths, camber, studs, piece marks); performs automated connection analysis; and generates Bills of Materials. Designed for structural steel fabricators and estimators in North America.
• LIFT-Delta (Revision Management) Revision management product for LIFT that automates comparison of drawing versions, AI-powered change detection between revised and original drawings, and generates Delta Reports with tonnage summaries and BOM exports with change status. Enables steel fabricators to respond to rebids and change orders in minutes instead of hours.

Quantifiable outcome

• 50-80% reduction in overall estimating time
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

AI capability6 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Tekla PowerFabcoreTechnology or IntegrationLIFT offers direct export to Tekla PowerFab, enabling seamless integration with fabrication management systems. BOMs with change status export to align with common estimation workflows.
• BluebeamcoreTechnology or IntegrationLIFT integrates with Bluebeam for PDF markup and collaboration tools, allowing data transfer to customer workflows.
• Excel / Custom SpreadsheetscoreTechnology or IntegrationLIFT supports CSV and Excel export using standard columns with configurable column mappings so exported fields line up with customer workbook inputs.
• EJE and Other Nesting SoftwaresupportingTechnology or IntegrationLIFT exports information to EJE and other nesting software for cutting and optimization workflows.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Togal.AI: Togal.AI is the closest direct competitor: an AI-powered takeoff tool for general construction estimating that similarly automates material quantification from drawings. Both target the same pain point (manual takeoff) with AI, though SketchDeck is verticalized specifically to structural steel while Togal.AI spans broader trades.

Broad incumbents

• Bluebeam (now part of Nemetschek Group): Bluebeam Revu is the dominant PDF markup, takeoff, and estimation platform for construction professionals. It is both an integration partner and a competitive incumbent — fabricators already use Bluebeam, so Bluebeam adding native AI takeoff would directly threaten SketchDeck's standalone value proposition.
• Trimble Tekla PowerFab: Tekla PowerFab is the dominant fabrication management system for structural steel — and a core integration partner for LIFT. As an incumbent, Trimble has the customer footprint and product breadth to embed AI takeoff natively, representing both a distribution channel and a long-term competitive threat.
• Procore Technologies: Procore is the largest construction management SaaS platform, serving general contractors and increasingly specialty trades. While its core focus is project management, its broad AEC footprint and AI investments (Procore AI) make it a relevant incumbent that could move into automated takeoff.
• Autodesk Construction Cloud: Autodesk's AEC portfolio (including AutoCAD, Revit, and the Construction Cloud) is the foundational design toolchain for the architects and engineers producing the drawings SketchDeck ingests. Autodesk's AI investments (Autodesk AI, Forma) position it as a long-term competitive threat if it extends AI downstream into takeoff.
• PlanSwift (Trimble): PlanSwift is a long-standing on-screen takeoff and estimation tool for construction trades. It represents the legacy 'manual but digital' approach that LIFT is disrupting with AI, and is now owned by Trimble — adding it to the same incumbent threat profile as Tekla.

Emerging players

• Buildots: Buildots applies AI/computer vision to construction site progress tracking rather than pre-construction takeoff, but operates in the same construction-tech-AI category with a comparable enterprise SaaS motion. Relevant as a same-stage peer raising the broader 'AI for construction' thesis.
• OpenSpace: OpenSpace uses AI-powered 360° image capture and computer vision for construction site documentation and progress tracking. While focused on the execution phase rather than pre-construction estimating, it is a comparable AI-for-construction peer with a similar enterprise SaaS motion and customer overlap with general contractors.
• Document Crunch: Document Crunch applies AI to construction contract and specification document review. It is comparable as a vertical AI applied to construction documents, though its target use case (contract review) is upstream of SketchDeck's takeoff use case.
• nPlan: nPlan uses AI to forecast construction project schedules and risks from historical project data. While its domain (scheduling) is adjacent rather than overlapping with takeoff, it is a comparable AI-construction-tech peer with similar vertical SaaS positioning and enterprise customer base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sketchdeckai

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors4 records

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 Sketchdeck.ai