Catch every issue before it reaches the field
Construction is 13% of global GDP and one of the least digitized industries on the planet. Every year the US loses $31B to rework, most of it from mistakes that could have been caught during plan review.
We believe AI can fundamentally change this equation. Not by replacing experienced professionals, but by giving them superpowers: reviewing drawings faster, catching more issues, and focusing expertise where it matters most.
Our goal is to make AI-powered drawing analysis the standard in construction, as essential as Procore for project management or Bluebeam for PDF markup. Every project, every drawing set, every team should have access to this technology.
Helonic started from construction sites and drawing review rooms
Helonic was shaped by time spent in AEC, from growing up around construction sites to sitting in drawing review meetings where architects, engineers, contractors, and owners tried to reconcile what the documents actually said.
Our team has experience in construction and architecture, so the problem did not look theoretical. We watched careful teams review hundreds of sheets, mark up conflicts, debate ambiguous details, and still send sets forward with issues hidden between disciplines.
The failure pattern was familiar: architectural drawings moved one way, structural or MEP sheets moved another, schedules lagged behind plans, and the people in the room had too little time to trace every connection. By the time those issues reached the field, fixing them cost far more than catching them during review.
We combined that AEC experience with deep computer science expertise to build what those meetings needed: AI that reads drawings like an experienced reviewer, catches the cross-discipline issues humans miss, and does it in minutes instead of days.
Construction and architecture experience meets production AI
Helonic is small, focused, and built by people who understand the drawings, the jobsite consequences, and the software required to review both at scale.
AEC roots
- Grew up around construction sites and learned how field decisions get made.
- Sat in drawing review and coordination meetings where small document gaps became real project risk.
- Team experience spans construction delivery, architecture, preconstruction, RFIs, change orders, and owner expectations.
Software and AI
- Engineering experience at leading technology companies.
- Deep expertise in machine learning, computer vision, and document analysis.
- Shipped production AI systems processing millions of construction documents.
Construction AI that fits the way your team actually works
Built by builders
We have lived the pain of rework and RFIs from inside AEC workflows. We are not outsiders guessing what construction needs. We have been in the field, the trailer, and the drawing review meeting.
Works with 2D PDFs
Unlike BIM clash detection that requires 3D models, Helonic reads the drawings you already have. No model, no problem.
Fits your workflow
Native Procore and Autodesk integration. Pull drawings in one click and push issues back as RFIs with another. Helonic plugs into how you already work.
Proud to be a Y Combinator company
Helonic is part of Y Combinator, the accelerator behind Airbnb, Stripe, DoorDash, Coinbase, and more than 4,000 other companies with a combined valuation north of $600B.
Being a YC company means we are held to a high bar on execution, product quality, and customer focus. We are building a company designed to change how construction approaches plan review and coordination.
View our Y Combinator profileWe would love to hear from you
Whether you want to use Helonic on a project, explore a partnership, or just learn more about what we are building, reach out.
About Helonic FAQ
Who founded Helonic?
Is Helonic backed by Y Combinator?
What does Helonic actually do?
How is Helonic different from BIM clash detection tools like Navisworks or Solibri?
Does Helonic replace professional plan review?
Who does Helonic build for?
Milind Sagaram
Co-founder & CEO, HelonicMilind is the co-founder and CEO of Helonic, where he leads product and go-to-market for AI-powered construction drawing analysis. He works closely with general contractors, project managers, estimators, and owners to understand how drawing quality drives project outcomes - and where AI can reduce RFIs, change orders, and rework. Milind has interviewed hundreds of construction professionals across project delivery roles, from preconstruction estimators at ENR top-400 contractors to facilities directors at institutional owners, and uses those conversations to shape both product direction and the way Helonic talks about the work.
- Construction project delivery and preconstruction
- RFI and change order economics
- Owner and GC workflows for drawing QA/QC
- Estimating risk and bid-stage scope assessment
How this page was researched: Company facts on this page were confirmed against Helonic's Y Combinator company profile. Industry figures are cited from the Construction Industry Institute (annual U.S. rework), the Navigant Construction Forum RFI cost study, and McKinsey's construction productivity research. FAQ topics focus on the questions prospective customers, partners, and press most often ask about who builds Helonic and how it fits alongside BIM and manual review.
Last reviewed by Milind Sagaram · May 2026
Manas Gandhi
Co-founder & CTO, HelonicManas is the co-founder and CTO of Helonic, where he leads engineering and AI research for construction drawing analysis. He works directly with structural, MEP, civil, and fire protection engineers to translate the way they review drawings into AI systems that flag the issues that actually matter in the field. Before Helonic, he built machine learning pipelines for technical document understanding and has spent the last several years interviewing licensed design engineers and discipline leads to ground product decisions in real practice rather than industry assumptions.
- AI for technical document understanding
- Cross-discipline coordination workflows
- Code compliance automation (IBC, NEC, NFPA, IPC, IMC, ASCE)
- Structural and MEP drawing review systems
Keep exploring
Dig into the product, the teams Helonic works with, and the research that shapes how we think.