Visidraft Secures $250K Seed Investment

April 28, 2015 | By Business Wire News

CHEVERLY, Md.

Visidraft, a Washington D.C. area Augmented Reality startup focused on solving communication between clients and contractors in Architecture and Construction, recently closed $250K in seed funding. The round was led by angel fund, Hivers & Strivers, which invests in Veteran led start-ups, particularly graduates of the US Military Academies; West Point, Annapolis, Air Force and Coast Guard.

Founded by Air Force Academy grad and Iraq War Veteran Andrew Kemendo, Visidraft has developed a first of its kind markerless Augmented Reality (AR) tool which gives architects, contractors and interior designers an innovative way to share and visualize 3D CAD designs with clients, investors and the public using an iPad or iPhone. Visidraft is the first AR tool to give users full freedom to physically walk around designs without cumbersome printed markers or images.

Andrew Kemendo, CEO of Visidraft, said: “We are thrilled to have Hivers & Strivers lead this round and excited to work with their team. Visidraft’s vision is to transform the way Architects, Engineers and individuals visualize 3D CAD designs across multiple platforms.”

David Olive, an early investor in Visidraft that includes experienced partners such as former Amazon CIO Rick Dalzell, states: “For us it is all about investing in the jockey, and Andrew Kemendo is a superb jockey who has founded a company with a very bright future.”

Visidraft implements breakthrough computer vision technologies, similar to those used in driverless cars and robotic navigation, to give 360 degrees of movement around CAD designs in the real world without printed markers. Using industry standard CAD software, Visidraft users can easily and accurately estimate costs, view design options, select materials and tools, and improve communication across the design process. Early users have stated that the freedom of movement offered by Visidraft transforms the design and development process, making it faster and easier with happier clients and investors.

For the angel group Hivers & Strivers, Visidraft makes the 7^th investment made in veteran led start-ups. “Our experience shows that military officers make superb entrepreneurs and they are outperforming their peers by wide margins,” said Doug Doan, founder of Hivers & Strivers.