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AI-backed Roofer nails down $7.5M seed round

Craig C. Rowe; Canva

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A roofing technology company called Roofer has landed a $7.5 million seed investment to advance its computer vision-based roof analysis solution, according to a Feb. 1 company announcement shared with Inman.

Funding for the Dallas-based business was led by Mucker Capital, with a number of additional financial partners participating, including, Soma Capital, HF0, Asymmetric Capital Partners, Alumni Ventures, HustleFund, The Council, GoAhead Ventures, Mirada Capital and several prominent angel investors, according to the release.

“The team you build is the company you build and we’ve built an incredible team,” said Nathan Mathews, Roofer founder and CEO, in a statement. “Our leadership has extensive experience in early to later-stage startups, as well as helping those startups exit successfully for nine figures. With the combination of our team, technology, and streamlined processes, I believe Roofer.com is uniquely positioned to deliver the premiere roofing experience everyone will love.”

Roofer uses drones to scan a home’s roof, capturing comprehensive high-resolution photographs, which are then processed by an algorithm taught to identify damage severity, overall condition and areas in need of repair. The technology has a myriad of applications, from insurance and appraisals to common home inspections and roof company estimates.

Artificial intelligence seemingly has no limit to how it can impact the way real estate is searched for, bought, built, sold and maintained. Computer vision specifically can be applied to identifying outdated appliances and automating upkeep tasks to drastically improve how consumers identify their future home, able to recognize what photos help homes sell faster or what landscaping choices earn the most web traffic.

It’s also rapidly finding its footing in construction.

Daisy AI, for example, deploys its technology to floor plan renderings to produce faster and more efficient designs for timber structures, able to create plans and suggest smarter building methodologies in 30 minutes. Other uses include camera monitoring software equipped with augmented reality content tied into AI that can alert construction site managers to real-time injury hazards as well as analyze building quality as a project evolves.

Developers can use AI to analyze historical records of similar projects to quickly surface risks before approving plans and long before financing is considered, allowing for a much more streamlined and risk-averse project.

Roofer isn’t “all AI,” however, as the company deploys its own repair team, the result of acquiring Bearded Brothers Roofing & Restoration, a long-established Texas roofing company, in January. The company said it has plans to expand into the commercial office and multi-family sectors.

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