A New Dawn in Architecture: Atlanta Startup Skema and the Power of AI
AI Steers Architecture towards Innovation
Emerging from the heights of Atlanta, startup Skema is harnessing the potential of Artificial Intelligence in an innovative bid to banish mundane tasks from the architecture engineering construction (AEC) industry. Recently accepted into the coveted Advanced Technology Development Center’s (ATDC) Accelerate Program, Skema’s platform does an extraordinary job. It analyzes all the projects a firm has on its plate, collates a catalog of design elements, and ultimately creates what the Skema team endearingly refers to as “3D puzzle pieces”.
Once an architect designs a frequently-used section such as a bathroom, kitchen, or hospital room, these puzzle pieces can then be replicated and adapted, saving considerable time in building out project blueprints for upcoming ventures. Skema’s cutting-edge solution can potentially automate up to 80% of the design process, thereby freeing architects from repetitive tasks, while ensuring efficiency and adherence to the Building Information Modeling (BIM) process.
The Tech Beneath the Genius
Skema’s system is powered by a sophisticated machine-learning model, one that hold’s client’s designs as paramount and protected. Responding to concerns around copyrighted material, co-founder and CTO, Marty Rozmanith, pointed out that Skema’s AI learns from within its design environment, rather than being trained on the client’s previous data. This ensures each client’s design remains unique and secure.
Meet The Maestros behind Skema
Launched just a year ago in 2023, Skema’s foundation is fortified by a group of co-founders who bring immense knowledge and prowess in the AEC software space to the table. The start-up’s leadership consists of Charlie Cichetti, who also co-founded Aetos Imaging, Richard Harpham and Marty Rozmanith both veterans from Autodesk and Revit, Kristina Bach, a trained architect, and Arol Wolford with significant experience in the construction software industry.
Skema’s novelty and potential have garnered considerable investor attention. Atlanta’s Jeff Shaw, a significant actor of Bridge Investment Group and CEO of Bridge Commercial Real Estate, is among its early supporters. Touting the start-up’s promise, Mr. Shaw expressed his admiration for the Skema team and their work, hailed Skema as an efficient AI tool saving both, time and money, at crucial junctures in the development process.
Skema’s Vision Forward
Despite the prevalence of AI-focused startups in the current startup landscape, Skema’s application of AI technology remains cautious and disciplined. For Skema, predictability of outputs with given inputs is of the essence. While its leadership is scattered across the country, the team sees Atlanta as a strategic hub both for hunting talent and customers.
Currently, Skema is in the midst of raising seed funding, successfully attracting attention from angel investors and venture capitalist firms with a focus on the AEC industry.
