Nearly 20 years ago, a young college student wrote his final thesis on software that could generate design documents for school buildings. Al Drumm followed in the footsteps of his parents and grandfather and studied architecture, but it was technology that really intrigued him.
There was just one problem. The technology needed for his idea simply didn’t exist yet.
“Then ChatGPT came along,” Dram said, recalling when OpenAI released a generative AI chatbot using large-scale language models (LLMs) in November 2022.
His previous ideas suddenly seemed more feasible. Within six months, he launched the Blueprints AI concept. This is a startup that uses AI to create code-compliant, permit-ready architectural construction blueprints from 2D sketches or PDFs in minutes.
Blueprints AI, which Dram formally incorporated in Santa Monica in 2025 with co-founder Coco Cao, was selected this week for the 2026 Startup Battlefield 200, a group of promising early-stage startups that earned exhibitors spots at this year’s TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco from October 13th to 15th.
In the 20 years prior to developing Blueprints AI, Dram earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in architecture from the University of Tehran and completed a two-year doctoral program in digital design at the European Graduate School in Switzerland. He immigrated to the United States and founded an architecture firm called Drams Design-Build in 2018. After that, he obtained a general contractor’s license and added construction business in 2021.
The drums must have been satisfied too. He wasn’t.
“I said maybe we could build a new project that would change the lives of people in the area, but it wouldn’t have a huge impact,” he said. “What excites me so much about technology is the impact, the time savings, the energy savings that people can have by doing the same thing over and over again.”
Blueprints AI will introduce a second generation version of its more capable software at Disrupt. Dram and Cao say the method will have a big impact because it replaces the repetitive drafting work that takes up much of an architect’s day.
“Architects will now have more time to design, which will create better spaces for people,” Drum said. He says architects spend about 80% of their time drafting and only 20% designing. “We want to make this 20-80.”
Dram and Cao met several years ago at an AI conference and combined their skills to form the company. Kao, a data scientist from Hong Kong, is chief commercial officer and is responsible for sales and go-to-market strategy.
The two trained the model using a set of approved drawings from Dram’s design and construction firm over an eight-year period. Dram is still in business.
The company’s first generation software creates architectural construction documents and costs between $3,200 and $8,500 per month, depending on the plan. Custom pricing for businesses is also available.
The startup’s second generation software offers significant upgrades. You can start with a project description or sketch and create blueprints for all aspects of your building at once, including architectural, structural, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and interior design. Version 2 allows users to design and make changes to their projects and upgrade from the first iteration. Importantly, any single design change updates the entire project and is checked against local building codes.
Early customers are already using the second version, which Dram said will be generally available this week. The startup is already working on a third version of its software, which adds structural analysis and electrical panel design.
The co-founders say the technology is not meant to replace a licensed architect. Qualified professionals still check and stamp documents before submitting them for clearance. Judgment remains human, they say.
Blueprints AI is targeting two groups with its new software. Professional architecture, engineering, and design firms make up one group, and developers and property owners make up another group. The startup offers its software as a subscription, with the possibility of adding a one-time flat-rate option if you only need it for a single project.
To learn more about Blueprint, meet hundreds of other startups, and learn from headliners like Rivian’s RJ Scaringe and Replit’s Amjad Maead, join TechCrunch Disrupt starting Tuesday in downtown San Francisco.
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