ServiceTitan hit in ARR serving US home service businesses. Jobber crossed $150M revenue. In Australia, tradies spend half their day writing quotes that never convert -- using Word docs, text messages, and the back of envelopes. I did the research. Now I need a co-founder who knows trades.
"Contractors complain about wasting half their day on estimates that may never lead to paying work."
"Only 18% use apps beyond email or spreadsheets."
"52% of rework comes from communication failures, costing AU construction $31.3B/year."
"Trade licensing varies by state and affects what can be quoted and by whom. No tool handles this."
$500+/month minimum. Doesn't operate in Australia. Serves large US contractors, not independent Aussie tradies who need a $99/month tool that works from their ute.
NSW Fair Trading, VIC VBA, QLD QBCC -- every state has different trade licensing rules. What you can quote, who can sign off, what compliance docs are needed. No US tool handles this.
The tool must be dead simple: photo-based, voice-input, works from a phone on a job site. Previous attempts failed because they built desktop software for people who work with their hands.
Fergus (NZ) and ServiceM8 (AU) exist but are basic job management -- not AI-powered estimation. Neither uses computer vision, voice input, or material databases to generate quotes automatically.
Revenue model: Per-quote pricing at $2-$5 per AI-generated quote, or $49-$149/month subscription. Premium at $199-$299/month with invoicing, scheduling, payments. 1,000 tradies at $99/month = $1.19M ARR.
The AI engineering, product, and infrastructure.
The domain expertise, trade connections, and first users.
This is a co-founder search, not a job ad. I'm looking for someone who wants to own half of this company and build it together from day one.
Domain expertise in AU trades. Industry network. Knowledge of materials pricing, labour rates, and compliance. First 10 pilot tradies.
AI/full-stack engineering. Computer vision. Voice AI. Mobile development. Product design. Infrastructure and deployment.
We'll figure out the right structure together. What matters first is whether we're the right fit.
R&D Tax Incentive (43.5%), hipages partnership, Antler Australia ($260K), then Flying Fox / TEN13 / Blackbird seed round.
"Tradies won't use complex software. But they WILL use a tool that lets them take a photo and get a quote in 2 minutes."
Find them via hipages and Google. Ask: "How many quotes per week? How long does each take? How many convert? What would you pay to cut quoting from 30 minutes to 2 minutes?"
Mobile-first AI quoting. Tradie takes photos, speaks a description, AI generates a professional quote with materials, labour, and pricing based on local rates. Send via SMS link.
Real-world validation across plumbing and electrical. Iterate on material databases, pricing accuracy, quote formatting. Apply for R&D Tax Incentive and Antler.
Add job scheduling, invoicing from completed quotes, payment collection via Stripe. Expand to painting, HVAC, building. Target 500 tradies. Approach Blackbird or Flying Fox for seed.
If you know the trades industry, have connections with tradies, and want to co-found something massive, I'd like to hear from you.
Thanks for reaching out. I'll get back to you within 24 hours.