PataBid lands $2M pre-seed to automate construction estimating
What's the deal? Calgary-based PataBidDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → has raised $2 million in pre-seed funding to help contractors turn construction drawings into priced estimates using AI. Graphite VenturesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → led the round, with Sprout Fund, Bluesky EquitiesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, Inverted VenturesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, and previous angel investors taking part.
What's the endgame? Founded by Melvin Newman, a developer with more than 15 years of construction estimating experience, PataBid targets a process still reliant on spreadsheets, manual calculations, and legacy desktop software. Its platform, Quantify, pairs AI-powered takeoff — identifying and counting materials from drawings — with supplier pricing and direct material ordering for electrical, mechanical, plumbing, and fire protection contractors.
The company says more than 200 contractors use Quantify, processing over $2 billion in bid value to date, and that its tools cut the time to produce a priced estimate from days to hours.
What's the money for? AI product development, expanded supplier partnerships and distribution, and faster commercialization across North America. PataBid is building Newton, a conversational AI estimating agent that lets users query drawings in natural language and test how material or labour changes affect an estimate. It is in beta, with a commercial launch planned for 2027.
"PataBid has built something contractors genuinely need," said Adrian Mitchell, principal at Graphite Ventures. "Melvin and his team bring decades of industry knowledge to estimating, one of construction's most outdated processes."
By the numbers: At $2 million, the round sits around the 34th percentile for deal size — modest beside better-capitalized rivals. Berkeley-based QuotrDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → raised $4 million in September for a takeoff, estimating, and procurement platform, while Higharc's $95 million Series C in June included an expansion into AI estimating.
The signal: Investor interest is building in AI tools that automate construction estimating and preconstruction work, connecting plan-reading and cost estimation with bidding and supply chains. PataBid's focus on specialty-trade contractors gives it a narrower entry point; the funding will matter most if it drives adoption beyond its current customer base.
Read more: calgary.tech
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