Sidian
Founded 2025 · 2 employees on LinkedIn · 1 known investors
Sidian offers a software application that builds a unified data structure, or "company brain," around a company's data and connects to existing tools. It provides a structured, searchable memory so that institutional knowledge and precedent remain accessible to teams even after employees leave.
Also known as Sid
Investors · 1
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Sidian develops Sid, a software application for structural engineering firms that consolidates a firm's drawings, models, calculations, codes, reports and project decisions into a single structured, searchable memory. Rather than requiring migration into a new filing system, Sid indexes existing files and links each source to the project, member, code check and decision it relates to.
The product is organized around four functions: retrieving precedent from past projects, generating preliminary structural models from a grid, checking members against building codes such as AISC 360, ACI 318 and ASCE 7 while flagging failing demand-capacity ratios, and logging design decisions with the responsible engineer, date and associated drawing or RFI. Outputs include drafted revision notes with links to governing code clauses, with an engineer approving each step.
Deployment proceeds in stages: a crawler ingests the historical archive (PDF, DWG, Revit, calculation packages), a local connector links Sid to tools the firm already runs, and users then query for precedent, models or code checks. Data handling is a stated design focus — customer data is not used to train shared models, each firm runs in an isolated environment, access follows existing permissions, data is stored on Amazon Web Services in a region matching the customer's country, and an on-premises, air-gapped option is offered.
Business model
Software-as-a-service sold to structural engineering firms on a per-seat subscription, with an alternative on-premises deployment sold at custom pricing. Data processing for ingesting a firm's project archive is priced separately according to archive size.
Subscription revenue: a free trial tier (3 licenses, 7 days, up to 50 technical drawings, retrieval pipeline only), a Standard tier at $299 per user per month including automated file ingestion, plain-language search with sources, tool integration and continuous model improvement, and a custom-priced on-premises tier with on-site installation, air-gapped deployment and dedicated implementation support. Archive data processing is billed separately.
Traction
The website references existing customers and includes a named testimonial from Brian Waddell, CEO of Waddell Engineering, describing delivered integrations and hands-on training. The company lists Garage Capital as a backer and is hiring via a careers page.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market
Market position
Targets a niche vertical — AI knowledge and design-check tooling for structural engineering firms — framing the core problem as institutional engineering knowledge being locked in individual engineers' heads and scattered folders, which is lost when staff depart.
Positioned as domain-specific to structural engineering rather than general document search: it connects drawings, models, calculations, codes and decisions in place without file migration, operates inside the engineering tools teams already use, attaches sources to outputs with an engineer approving each step, and offers isolated or air-gapped deployment so customer data is not used to train shared models.
Technology
A crawler ingests existing project files (drawings, PDFs, DWG, Revit/BIM models, calculation packages, codes, specifications, reports and timesheets) and structures them into a unified data layer covering projects, members and details, code checks and decisions. A local connector integrates with ETABS, SAP2000, Bluebeam, Revit, CAD and Excel so retrieval, model generation and code checking occur inside existing tools. Code-checking references AISC 360, ACI 318 and ASCE 7 provisions and reports demand-capacity ratios. Architecture emphasizes training isolation, per-organization data siloing, permission-scoped visibility, encryption in transit, in-region AWS storage and optional on-premises air-gapped installation.
Go-to-market
Direct sales via demo bookings and a self-service free trial that exposes the retrieval pipeline while gating internal documents, building codes and BIM files behind a license. Adoption is supported by hands-on onboarding and training, with a customer testimonial from the CEO of Waddell Engineering citing in-person training and integration with the firm's design and project management work.
Structural engineering firms, including their senior engineers, principals and project managers, particularly those with large legacy project archives and teams working in Revit, ETABS, SAP2000, CAD and spreadsheets.
Compiled by commissioned research from 1 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
▸Research sources · 1
primary sources listed
- Sidiansidian.ai · web
1 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Sidian do?
- Sidian builds Sid, an AI platform that turns a structural engineering firm's archive into searchable, tool-connected memory.
- Who are Sidian's investors?
- Sidian's investors include Graphite Ventures.