DigiBuild is issuing a SAFE for incoming investors to buy, which is subject to a $7.5 million valuation cap and a 20% discount upon conversion. For a company that is generating some revenue and that has the other traction that DigiBuild does, these terms appear appropriate. The 20% discount is also an attractive feature for potential investors. Due to these factors, DigiBuild scores strongly in the price metric.

Rather than being part of the massive global construction industry, DigiBuild’s market opportunity is better examined from the perspective of the supply chain management market. According to one source, this industry was worth $15.85 billion in 2019. The expectation is for this space to grow at 11.2% per year through at least 2027. If that comes to fruition, then the opportunity should climb to $37.41 billion. A more niche market is the global construction software space. In 2019, it was valued at $1.6 billion and is expected to climb to $2.8 billion by 2025, implying an annual growth rate of about 9.8%.  Another source estimated that the US market for blockchain technology used specifically in construction was worth $116.3 million in 2019. Through 2025, it should grow at an annualized rate of 39.4%, taking it to $1.189 billion by the end of the forecast period. 

Each of these industries are quite niche in nature, which limits DigiBuild’s overall opportunity. Additionally, their growth is steady but not stellar — with the exception of blockchain technology in construction. As a result, the market score for DigiBuild is below average.

The individual in charge of DigiBuild is Robert Salvador, the company’s founder as well as its CEO. At present, he is also the president of SLP Enterprises Companies, which focuses on subcontractor and general contractor operations for the construction of apartments and hotels. As of this writing, SLP has been involved in more than 300 hotel projects. Salvador is also currently a consultant for SLDB Construction Consultants, a business focused on construction maintenance and consulting services for the industry. He is also a consultant for Techemy, a blockchain consulting company. In the past, Salvador has served as a blockchain consultant for Goldfingr, a global investment club. Before that, he was the chief operations consultant for Newfinish Construction. 

Though not a founder, another important member to the team is Scott Malabarba. Malabarba currently serves as DigiBuild’s CTO. In the past, he served as a principal for Spinkick Consulting, where he focused on strategy and implementation services for AI, agile development, and more. He was also at one point a principal engineer at Veritone, focusing on work related to an API platform. Other prior roles that Malabarba had include working as a senior software engineer at both IBM and Akamai Technologies. In between those roles, he served as a consulting engineer for FileNet Corp. All of these posts demonstrate leadership and a significant understanding of today’s cutting-edge technologies. 

Although Salvador brings amply industry experience, it is important to note that he does not have any past entrepreneurial experience. Additionally, as a single founder, the network available to Salvador — for both recruiting and funding — is limited. Weighing these factors against his industry knowledge, the team score for DigiBuild is middle of the road.

At present, there are a lot of construction software and service companies on the market. Examples of these include Procore, Autodesk, and PlanGrid, each sharing at least some similarities with DigiBuild. Autodesk, for instance, also focuses on 2D and 3D computer-aided design, and PlanGrid provides construction software and a blueprint app. What really differentiates DigiBuild at the end of the day is its reliance on blockchain. Because of how blockchain operates, it is the only service that can clearly manage the progress of a project across many different parties. This functionality provides DigiBuild’s platform with a key distinction from existing construction software. However, it is important to note that the platform has not been patented, which reduces the defensibility of DigiBuild’s solution. Balancing all this together, DigiBuild’s differentiators score is quite strong. 

DigiBuild has succeeded in getting seven construction companies to sign on to its MVP launch in addition to three firms referred to as “industry leaders.” The company estimates its monthly recurring revenue from this at $6,000. The firm has also managed to land 15 letters of intent as of last November. 

In terms of past financial results though, the picture has not been great. Revenue in 2019 was $123,700 but declined to $65,340 in 2020. Over this window, the company’s net loss has grown from $12,400 to $85,455. Its operating cash outflows also expanded from $7,214 to $23,380 over the same time period. While declining revenue is concerning, investors should note that DigiBuild is still pre-product at this time. In this light, it is more encouraging that the company succeeded in bringing in revenue while it was still developing its solution. Thus, the performance score for DigiBuild is slightly above average.

At present, the market opportunity for DigiBuild is quite small. The company’s team also seems limited, and the founder has multiple other positions that he is also filling at this time. DigiBuild does not have a strong financial track record for investors to judge its performance by. The company also has a significant amount of competition from other players in the space. While the use of blockchain separates the platform from its peers, the construction industry has been slow to adopt new technologies. DigiBuild may face difficulty in convincing firms to use its platform. It is entirely possible that DigiBuild is too early an entrant in this industry.

Although the market opportunity for DigiBuild is small,  it is growing at a strong pace. The management team, while sparse, is definitely experienced and qualified. The price of the business is reasonable and attractive for investors. If DigiBuild can leverage being a first-mover in its space and show early success, it could grow to be a major name in the construction software space. Assuming its MVP launch goes smoothly and many of its letters of intent pan out, DigiBuild may have created a strong foundation for its growth as a cutting edge technology solution for construction projects.

DigiBuild is creating a blockchain-based platform for the management of construction projects across multiple parties. While this solution is well-differentiated from current competitors, the construction industry is notoriously slow to adopt new technologies. Being a first-mover could hurt DigiBuild in the long run if it cannot convince enough firms to use its platform. However, if its MVP launch shows the usefulness of the platform, the company could be well-positioned to carve out a new niche in construction software. DigiBuild is offering an attractive price to investors, but the market opportunity is very niche and limited at this time. Due to all these factors, DigiBuild is a Neutra Deal.

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Analysis written by Daniel Jones.