Dorairajan saw an opportunity to make improvements. He pitched the idea to longtime friend, Karuna Ammireddy, a software architect with an entrepreneurial itch. Together, the two figured out a software solution to change the processes for the construction industry and launched Chantilly, Va.-based Pype.

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The pitch

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Dorairajan, CEO of Pype Inc.

“Every construction project involves a lot of documentation surrounding drawings and specifications. This documentation is key to making sure contractors are following what needs to be built and the materials and products that need to be used in particular sequences, along with quality controls and assurances throughout the lifecycle of a particular project. Typically, for every construction project, project teams experience painful project startup and the closeout processes. Those are the pain points we are eliminating: We are automating construction work-flows for these two critical phases in the construction project life cycle using machine learning.

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“Pype seamlessly takes care of identifying all the requirements at the front-end of a project with our software product, Pype AutoSpecs. Pype AutoSpecs is a patent pending software solution. We take a four- to six-week manual process and condense it into a 30-minute software experience. A general contractor logs into the Pype platform, uploads the construction documents, and the platform will deliver exactly all the requirements they need to follow to build the job. With three clicks and less than 30 minutes, they have all the comprehensive and detailed results they need for a project. We are able to condense the process, provide superior high-quality data so that there are more actionable insights for the construction manager or the general contractor who is building the project.

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“Our second product is called Pype Closeout, which streamlines the backend of a construction project. With this program, everything can be tracked, indexed and organized and the final documentation that needs to go to the building developer is generated in a couple of clicks using the platform. We are taking a process that often takes as long as six months and condensing it to less than 60 days, allowing general contractors to close out jobs more efficiently, resulting in higher profitability and ability to collect early retention monies tied to their closeout process.

“We are working with and targeting big commercial contractors – in this town, names like Clark Construction, Foulger-Pratt, Whiting-Turner and Turner Construction. Right now, we have 20 clients spread across this region and in New York, Massachusetts and California. We are trying to fundraise and grow and expand to other U.S. regions.

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“What should our go-to-market strategies in other markets? We want to expand to other regions – Boston, North Carolina, Florida, Texas, etc. What are some things that we should do now so we are more successful once we deploy our sales teams to those markets? What strategies work well in geographies where we don’t have face-time with target customers. What kinds of marketing mechanisms are most efficient?”

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The advice

Liz Sara, board chair, Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business

“The company brands that you currently have as customers are big names in the construction industry, so the easiest way for you to enter new markets is to leverage and rely on the brands of your current clients. The first thing to do is to get some good testimonials from your current customers on how they like Pype’s software platform – how it has saved them time, what kind of value they’ve gotten from using it, etc. Having those testimonials from top-tier clients from people with the right titles goes a long way to getting attention in your vertical market.

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“The next thing to do is pick a couple of your current clients and do a full case study. Talk to those customers about specifics, such as an actual construction project (by name) and how long it took to close out a large construction project before using the Pype software vs. once it was deployed. Get detailed information about project and the outcomes: how the timelines were condensed and how much money it saved them or what bonuses they collected by completing the project early. People like to relate to very specific details which is what makes a case study compelling.

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“Next, get permission from some other clients to use their brands in your overall marketing – brochures, email marketing, website, digital advertising, etc. Being able to leverage all of those big names and the fact that they’ve all been using your technology will help you land the next group of big clients in other geographies.

“All software companies face challenges when trying to get large organizations to adopt their solution because big companies don’t want to take the risk. The best way to mitigate the risk for those perspective clients is to show that there are already other big companies using it. Having that third-party credibility goes a long way. The good thing is you’ve already cleared the hurdle of proving your software with initial clients. You have a very good list of clients with a lot of well-know large construction companies to use to your advantage. You just need to toot your own horn.”

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The reaction

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Ammireddy, chief technology officer of Pype.

“This is great advice and a key point for us to build credibility. In the past two months we have asked our existing customers to provide us with great video and print testimonials. This marketing medium builds confidence among our prospects and is helping us land meetings with prospects to closing these deals. We are revamping our website now and incorporating key video testimonials on our website. Strategic marketing combined with right product messaging are key ingredients for software-as-a-service businesses to scale.”