Sketchdeck.ai

SketchDeck.ai builds AI and machine learning tools for the construction industry. Its flagship product, SketchDeck (formerly named LIFT), is cloud-based material counting software for structural steel estimating teams. Users upload project drawings and the software analyzes the blueprints to identify, measure, and count steel members, automating manual takeoff work. Core capabilities include automated quantification of main members, project document upload and management inside the platform, one-click bill of materials generation, and export of takeoff data to other industry-standard estimating programs such as Tekla PowerFab and Bluebeam.

The company states the software detects steel on most drawings with 95-99% accuracy and can reduce estimating time by up to 80%. In April 2026 SketchDeck released Revision Management (referred to by Taproot Edmonton as LIFT-Delta), which compares an uploaded revised drawing set against a completed takeoff and marks each member as changed, added, or removed, with an audit trail. The company also publishes education, AI adoption, and estimating-economics content for steel estimators through its blog.

Founding story

Founder and CEO Daniel Kamau worked as a structural engineer and began questioning the value he was adding to the construction industry in 2017, leading him to enroll in an MBA at the Alberta School of Business, which he completed in 2020. Graduating during the pandemic, he acted on a business idea developed in his final year and started SketchDeck.ai to automate the manual, repetitive work of assembling construction bids so companies could pursue more work.

Business model

B2B SaaS: the company sells access to its cloud-based takeoff software to structural steel fabrication and erection companies, offering a free trial period, personalized support, and customized integrations.

Software sold to steel fabricators and erectors on a subscription/trial-to-paid basis, with demos and free trial projects used to onboard customers.

Traction

Customers include King Steel, Motion Steel, Metals Fabrication, FabArc Steel, Maccabee Industries, and MSE, who report reductions in takeoff and bid time of 40-91%. The founder said the company had grown to 16 customers by June 2024, and later communications reference hundreds of estimators using the product. The company reports over $25 billion bid through the platform.

Latest developments

In April 2026 SketchDeck.ai launched Revision Management, demonstrated it at NASCC: The Steel Conference in Atlanta (April 22-24, 2026), and announced a funding round led by Boreal Ventures with participation from BDC Capital and BKR Capital. Boreal Ventures partner JD Saint-Martin joined the board of directors. The company said the round would fund an accelerated product roadmap and expansion into other stages of the steel project value chain beyond takeoff and estimating.