Interview with PlanRadar

PlanRadar offers a cloud-based SaaS (Software as a Service) solution for construction and real estate projects. Originally, the start-up from Austria focused on tracking defects. But there is much more to an effective project than that. Documentation, task management and communication via PlanRadar save their clients an average of 18% of their working time. Sander van de Rijdt, co-founder of PlanRadar, explains how their cloud based business model works.

This interview is part of a larger dossier called " Construction Start-up Radar ".

1. How will the construction industry look like in 2020? What role does digitalization play?
   Digitalization in the construction and real estate industry, like in many other industries, is only at the beginning. From our experience 60-70% of the companies are still not dealing with digitalization, but most of the people in charge are aware that they need to do something to succeed in their competitive market.
   Right now there is a lot of focus on topics like financing (crowd), augmented & virtual reality (AR & VR) and commercialization (online brokering). But the optimization of the processes inside the companies without B2C aspects has much more potential and will be the focus in the upcoming years. With PlanRadar, our users already realize time savings of seven working hours per week on average, this is around 18% of their working time. Expect even bigger advantages in terms of transparency, consistent communication and the avoidance of subsequent errors or defects in projects.
   In the next years many megatrends like IoT and AI will reach the construction and real estate industry. There is a lot of potential and use cases, but it will take at least 3-4 years until the existing solutions will be applicable in day to day operations.
   
   
2. What is your business model? What makes you and your company unique?
   PlanRadar is a cloudbased SaaS (Software as a service) solution for innovative construction documentation, task and defect management in construction and real estate projects.
   Today there are on average 1-2 issues every 10m² in each construction and real estate project. Our solution with web access and native apps for all kind of mobile devices supports users the in recording, documentation, communication and tracking of tasks and defects.
   Our USPs are:
   - Cloudbased (no installation, anywhere, anytime, also offline)
   - Ease of use (no training required, onboarding in less than 10min, less than 1h support effort/user/year)
   - Free support and updates
   - Available for all platforms, browsers, smartphones and tablets (iOS, Android, Windows, Blackberry)
   
   
3. What is your company vision (5 years)?
   Being category leader in our industry and the first application provider having AI and AR features in use for day to day operations on the construction site.
   
   
4. What does your revenue model look like?
   PlanRadar has a pure licence fee revenue model: we have a licence based subscription model, where our users can subscribe for a 30-day-trial and afterwards pay per month per user. At the moment, we have more than 100 new registrations from companies every single week via our website and in August 2017 already more than 1,000 customers from 20 countries worldwide.
   
   
5. How is your company funded?
   By cashflow and, since 2017, also by venture capital.
   
   
6. As a start-up, what is your next goal? What partners do you need?
   Currently we are focusing on expansion and internationalization. We are searching for new customers and new sales partners worldwide.
   
   
7. Who are your key clients?
   Construction companies, construction suppliers, real estate companies and facility management companies. But also owners and investors.
   
   
8. What are the biggest challenges your clients are currently facing?
   The major problems of our customers are:
   - The annoying and inefficient recording of tasks and defects via notes, pictures, voice recording, endless Excel lists, etc.
   - The inefficient communication with other project stakeholders via phone, mails, etc. and that it is very hard to have everybody on the same page.
   - The problems due to incomplete communication, inconsistent versioning and information opacity lead to unsatisfying adjustment of defects and additional costs.
   - Every year companies are not able to prove their claims of billions of euros, due to lack of documentation and incomplete communication.
   
   
9. What options do you offer to potential clients to face their challenges (e.g. workshops, coachings)?
   We offer a pure licence model without any costly services required like consulting or training. New users can start to work in less than 10 minutes. If needed we offer free support to help them with project setup and best practice inputs.
   
   
10. What prerequisites (e.g. infrastructure, trained personnel, etc.) do your clients need to bring?
    There are no prerequisites required. Our clients can register via our website www.planradar.com and just start working.
    
    

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