What KnowHow does

KnowHow, operated by Manifest Labs Inc., is a cloud-based SaaS platform that provides AI-powered operational knowledge management and workforce enablement for trade service companies, with primary vertical focus on the property restoration industry. The platform combines a mobile (iOS/Android) and web application with a Chrome Extension for in-flow process documentation, enabling restoration companies to capture, translate, and surface standardized operating procedures to field technicians in real time. Its central differentiator is "Howie," an AI mentor (launched 2023) trained on company-specific documentation, SOPs, and policies that delivers plain-language answers, step-by-step guidance, drafted processes, and quizzes on demand.

The core technology stack draws on third-party AI providers including Anthropic for generative content and ElevenLabs for AI Audio Content (podcast-style text-to-speech summaries), layered with proprietary pipelines for video-to-process conversion, automatic multilingual translation across 14+ languages, and a content library of 600+ restoration-specific templates. SOC 2 Type 1 compliance, Okta and Google SSO, Stripe-based subscription billing, and offline mobile access (iOS 13+ and Android 5+) reflect enterprise-readiness for large franchise deployments.

KnowHow monetizes through per-seat SaaS subscriptions (monthly, quarterly, or annual billing with automatic renewal) supplemented by professional services for standardization, documentation migration, and onboarding. The go-to-market is a consultative, demo-led direct sales motion that has landed flagship enterprise accounts including PuroClean (500+ locations), Rainbow Restoration (400 locations), Restoration 1 (397+ awarded locations via Stellar Service Brands), FRSTeam, and BluSky Restoration. The platform is sold both to independent restoration operators (where Thomasville Restoration scaled 5-6 to 23 employees across five states and FP Property Restoration reported a 20x ROI) and to franchisors seeking to standardize training across hundreds of franchisees without proportionally scaling support headcount. The company is headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, was founded in 2019, and operates with 11-50 employees under a largely bootstrapped capital structure with only ~$172,000 in disclosed external funding.

Name

KnowHow

Legal name

Manifest Labs Inc.

Website

https://tryknowhow.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

KnowHow is a Calgary-based AI-powered SaaS platform that helps trade service and restoration companies capture, translate, and deliver operational SOPs to field technicians on demand via web, mobile, and an AI mentor called Howie.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Operational Knowledge Management Software

NAICS

Software Publishers (513210), Computer Training (61142)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

Talent Acquisition (Recruiting) & Applicant Tracking (ATS) (BPACAPAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Digital Learning & Course Subscriptions (CRAFAIAD)

Keywords

• Knowledge management software
• SOP standardization platform
• AI workforce enablement
• Trade services software
• Operational training platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Calgary

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. SaaS Subscription (Per-Seat): KnowHow operates as a subscription-based SaaS platform. Fees are billed monthly, quarterly, or annually in advance. The Terms of Service reference subscription plans, automatic renewal, and prorated charges for seat upgrades. Third-party payment processing via Stripe. Enterprise customers may have Master Subscription Agreements with custom terms.
2. Professional Services (Onboarding & Migration): KnowHow offers expert-led services including: (1) Expert-led standardization to guide companies becoming process-driven, (2) Centralized documentation/migration from dusty binders to KnowHow, (3) KnowHow-led migration from existing solutions. These professional services support the core software subscription.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

KnowHow is a SaaS platform that captures the operational know-how of trade service companies (especially restoration franchises) and converts it into standardized, AI-accessible SOPs, training content, and process documentation. The platform includes an AI mentor (Howie), mobile apps, a Chrome extension, and pre-built restoration industry templates that let field technicians, franchisees, and corporate teams learn and execute expert processes consistently.

Product overview

KnowHow is a unified cloud-based knowledge management and workforce enablement platform designed for restoration and trade services companies. The core offering consists of the KnowHow mobile and web application, with Howie (an AI-powered mentor) as the central intelligence layer that provides instant, on-demand answers to on-the-job questions based on company-specific SOPs and policies. Additional modules include the Chrome Extension for process documentation capture, automatic Process Translation supporting 14+ languages, AI Knowledge Checks for training verification, and a library of 600+ restoration industry templates. The platform also offers professional services for standardization, documentation consolidation, and system migration. Supporting content includes The Restoration Playbook Podcast and restoration industry research reports. The platform operates on a subscription model with SSO integration (Okta, Google) and payment processing via Stripe.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Howie: AI-powered mentor feature that answers on-the-job questions from staff, delivering step-by-step support based on company documentation and SOPs.

Products and services

• KnowHow Platform (Operational Knowledge Management SaaS) Core SaaS platform that captures expert operational know-how and converts it into standardized SOPs, training content, and process documentation for trade service companies, with mobile, browser, and AI mentor access.
• Howie AI Mentor AI-powered mentor that delivers expert processes, answers field questions, and supports technicians and franchisees with contextual, in-workflow guidance built on AI/LLM integrations (Anthropic).
• KnowHow Mobile App Mobile companion application for field technicians and franchisees to access SOPs, training content, and AI mentor guidance from job sites on iOS and Android devices.
• KnowHow Chrome Extension Browser extension delivered via the Chrome Web Store that brings KnowHow knowledge, SOPs, and AI mentor access directly into users' web workflows on the desktop.
• Restoration Industry Templates Pre-built, industry-specific SOP and process templates tailored for restoration and remediation operations, accelerating time-to-value for new franchise and trade service customers.
• Expert-Led Standardization Service Professional services engagement in which KnowHow experts work with customers to capture tacit knowledge and convert it into standardized SOPs and training assets on the platform.
• KnowHow-Led Migration Service Migration service that transitions customer documentation from legacy systems (e.g., paper, SharePoint, traditional LMS) onto the KnowHow platform, with appropriate reformulation into the KnowHow knowledge model.

Quantifiable outcome

• FP Property Restoration achieved 20x ROI by training staff with KnowHow
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

AI capability8 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Rainbow RestorationcoreTechnology or Integration · 10 February 2026KnowHow announced a collaboration with Rainbow Restoration to deploy an AI-powered knowledge management platform across the franchise network of nearly 400 locations worldwide. The platform enables franchise owners to instantly search and access documented solutions and best practices from across the network, reducing downtime and improving service delivery. The partnership addresses a common challenge in multi-location franchise operations where owners independently solve similar problems without efficient knowledge sharing.
• PuroCleanflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 January 2026PuroClean, a North American restoration franchise with over 500 locations, announced a partnership with KnowHow to enhance its training infrastructure across its international franchise system. KnowHow provides AI-powered mobile access to operational procedures, technical protocols, and over 300 processes through KnowHow's mobile platform. The partnership strengthens consistency and delivers on-demand training for water damage restoration, fire remediation, mold removal, and biohazard cleanup processes. PuroClean recently surpassed 500 franchise locations, achieved by fewer than 4% of franchise networks nationwide.
• C&R MagazinecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKnowHow and C&R Magazine co-produced the 2025 State of the Industry Pulse Check survey, revealing restoration companies are navigating challenging environment of delayed insurance payments, declining claim volumes, and rising costs. Survey data showed nearly 70% of surveyed restorers reported wage increases despite Q2 2025 insurance claims falling 9.6% year-over-year. Partnership provides industry research and positions KnowHow as thought leader.
• Restoration Industry Association (RIA)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerKnowHow worked with the Restoration Industry Association to produce the 'Cost of Doing Business Report' breaking down the cost of doing business in restoration. This research positions KnowHow as an industry partner and provides valuable content for marketing.
• Stellar Service BrandscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerParent company of Restoration 1 (397+ locations awarded). Kyana Shamloo, Director of Strategic Initiatives at Stellar Service Brands, provides testimonial: 'Using KnowHow has made it easier and more efficient to support our franchisees.' Restoration 1 case study on KnowHow website demonstrates partnership value.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Jobber: Field service management software widely used by home-service and restoration SMBs. Competes indirectly by owning the daily workflow of restoration owners and able to add knowledge/SOP features.
• ServiceTitan: Largest vertical SaaS for trades (HVAC, plumbing, restoration, electrical). A broad incumbent in KnowHow's customer base that could embed training/knowledge management features into its marketplace and compete for the same budget line over time.
• Notion: All-in-one workspace with AI-powered knowledge management. A horizontal incumbent that captures how-to documentation and is increasingly being adopted by ops teams as an alternative to dedicated SOP tools.

Direct peers

• Process Street: Process and workflow management platform with checklists, SOPs, and approvals. Direct overlap with KnowHow's SOP management, templates, and recurring process execution use cases for distributed teams.
• Slab: Team knowledge base and internal wiki product targeting ops and HR documentation. Overlaps with KnowHow's centralized playbook and search-by-question capabilities for multi-location teams.
• Trainual: Employee training playbook and SOP software for small and mid-sized businesses. Closest direct competitor — both target operational knowledge, role-based onboarding, and consistent process execution, though Trainual is horizontal while KnowHow is verticalized into trades.
• Tango: Software that turns browser/SaaS workflows into step-by-step documentation, similar to KnowHow's Chrome Extension video-to-process capture. Competes for the same workflow-to-SOP capture use case in browser-based environments.
• SweetProcess: SOP, procedure, and process documentation tool for SMBs. Directly comparable on the SOP-management pillar of KnowHow's offering, especially for companies standardizing how-to across multiple employees.
• Tallyfy: Workflow and process management software with templates, checklists, and approvals. Competes for the same operations-led process documentation and approvals use case that KnowHow serves franchise networks with.
• Connecteam: Mobile-first workforce management app covering scheduling, training, communication, and knowledge for deskless workforces. Direct overlap with KnowHow's mobile-first, field-staff training and SOP delivery model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=vNPMLemr5-4&list=PLQYVEMK4J60fRhdGmbLy2XDYrzHvOMsSc
• Xx.com/tryknowhow
• Facebookfacebook.com/tryknowhow

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors3 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 KnowHow