Velocity Company DraftingSPACE Acquired By BuildDirect

BuildDirect has acquired DraftingSPACE. The acquisition by BuildDirect is yet another successful step for the DraftingSPACE team as they continue their startup journey.

DraftingSPACE moved into the Velocity Garage workspace in February of 2013, coming off a $25K win at the Velocity Fund Finals. The mission was to create an online tool that can automatically create customized design options for home renovations. The two Co-Founders Beth Nenniger and Laura Austin, were committed to bring this idea to life after meeting in 2013 while they were attending the University of Waterloo, studying architecture.

We caught up with Beth to talk about DraftingSPACE’s time at Velocity, and the exciting news on the acquisition.

Where did the business idea for DraftingSPACE come from?

Well, I joke about this but it’s true — the reason we created an online bathroom designer is that we never wanted to design another bathroom.

Laura and I studied architecture together at the University of Waterloo. During our job placements, we worked on various projects across the world, including New York, Tokyo, Seoul, Amsterdam and Vancouver. We kept coming back after these various job placements and sharing similar experiences about doing repetitive condo, kitchen and bathroom layouts. After you have designed 100+ bathrooms, you very quickly realize that there are only so many ways you can fit a toilet in a room.

On the other side, I’ve seen my own parents, and many of their friends spend years procrastinating simple renovation projects, because they simply don’t know what is possible. Did you know the majority of renovations are still designed using a pencil and graph paper?

We created DraftingSPACE because we realized that by automating the boring parts of the design process, we could empower homeowners to become their own designers. We’re making this world a more beautiful and functional place — one renovation at a time.

What were the most notable early struggles your team faced as a new startup?

When you start a company, you usually have 2-3 people and then you quickly realize that there are 15+ people’s jobs that need to get done. And you don’t have any budget to hire so you just have to learn how to do things that you have no idea how to do.

When we started DraftingSPACE, we didn’t have a business plan and neither of us had much coding experience. But we knew we were onto something big. We learned how to code, wrote the first version of bathroom designer, convinced a bunch of organizations to give us money and tried different business ideas until we found our niche.

How will this acquisition impact DraftingSPACE?

DraftingSPACE enables homeowners to design their own renovation projects. BuildDirect has an wide-reaching distribution network for renovation materials. It’s the perfect partnership and we are super excited to have been offered a seat on BuildDirect’s rocketship.

What new opportunities will be available?

Our team is currently in the process of setting up BuildDirect’s first Waterloo Office.

We have some unique opportunities for developers. On the back-end, we are solving complex constraint and pathfinding problems. On the front-end we are using new technologies to give homeowners 3D renderings, like three.js(WebGL).

Working with us is unique because we are a small team that has the benefit of moving fast and deploying often but we also have the security and benefits that come from being supported by a larger company. It’s the best of both worlds.

How has Velocity, and the Garage space helped your company grow?

If it weren’t for Velocity, DraftingSPACE wouldn’t be where it is today. They provided us with vast support, mentorship, and resources that helped guide us through our journey. For every struggle in any area, there was always someone to talk to that had embodied experience. Also, thanks to competitions for grants, like the Velocity Fund, we were free to work on our idea full time after graduating.

Speaking of growth, is that something that you are expecting to happen far more rapidly now with the acquisition?

Absolutely. BuildDirect’s website has 10,000+ daily visitors. Our mission is to help all of those people with whatever design project they need help with. We have audacious goals for the near future, and will need to put together an all-star team to reach those goals.

What are some future goals you have for DraftingSPACE?

I can’t give too much away here. We are planning to help everyone achieve their dream home and love the space they live in.

What are you going to miss most about Velocity, and what is your favorite memory here?

Donut Days (just kidding).

I would say I am going to miss all the friends we have made at Velocity — but we will still see them, because our office will be located nearby.