Revolutionizing Civil Engineering with AI-Powered CAD Software
When Alex Baikovitz co-founded Mach9 Robotics in 2021, his vision was clear: to create a faster, more cost-effective method for civil engineers to conduct visual inspections. Frustrated by the slow, bureaucratic processes that have long plagued construction projects across the United States, Baikovitz and his team set out to streamline these operations using advanced technology.
Within just a few years, Mach9 Robotics had developed cutting-edge hardware capable of capturing detailed site data. However, Baikovitz quickly realized that hardware was not the true bottleneck in civil engineering workflows.
“We saw how tedious it was for civil engineering organizations to take data from these amazing laser scanners and image data capture systems and turn that into a usable survey,” Baikovitz explained in a recent TechCrunch interview. He highlighted that the real challenge lay in transforming vast amounts of raw data into actionable information that engineers could use to make informed design and asset management decisions.
Pivoting Toward AI and Software Innovation
In response to this insight, Baikovitz made a strategic decision to drop “Robotics” from the company’s name and pivot from hardware development to software. Mach9 began focusing on AI-powered computer-aided design (CAD) software designed to automate and accelerate the traditionally labor-intensive surveying process.
This pivot has proven successful. Today, Mach9 boasts nearly 100 customers participating in its private beta, with its software having been applied to over 2,500 civil engineering projects. This growing traction has attracted significant investor interest.
On Wednesday, Mach9 announced a $34 million Series A funding round, co-led by First Round Capital and Bessemer Venture Partners. Additional investment came from Prudence, a New York-based early-stage firm specializing in AI applications for construction and real estate, as well as Quiet Capital, a returning investor.
Transforming the Planning-to-Building Pipeline
Mach9 is part of a new wave of startups aiming to modernize the entire infrastructure and construction pipeline. For example, CivilGrid recently raised $26 million to develop what it terms the “Google Maps for the underground,” while Blueprints AI impressed the industry with its AI-generated, code-compliant architectural blueprints delivered in minutes, earning recognition at TechCrunch Disrupt.
Baikovitz emphasized that Mach9 is targeting CAD software specifically because it remains one of the slowest, most labor-intensive segments of the construction workflow. “It takes months to be able to deliver a project, and about a week per mile for someone to do manually in the legacy incumbent software that’s built by the Autodesk and Bentley Systems of the world,” he noted.
Mach9’s AI-driven software automates much of this manual work, reportedly making the process up to 10 times faster while significantly reducing costs. This efficiency boost enables civil engineering firms to handle larger and more complex projects, expanding the impact of reality-capture data on critical infrastructure decisions.
Advanced AI Models Tailored for Precision
To meet the stringent accuracy demands of construction and infrastructure projects, Mach9 has invested heavily in developing proprietary AI models. These models are trained in-house to achieve centimeter-level precision, a feat that many off-the-shelf AI solutions cannot reliably deliver.
“A big part of what our development process has looked like since 2024 has been, how do we build the industry leading models that can turn imagery or these multimodal image and laser scan datasets into survey grade like geometry, like tracing out the curbs, the pavement striping, all of this exactly how our customers want it to be at the accuracies that the industry demands,” Baikovitz said.
The AI CAD system produces an initial draft plan from survey data, which licensed engineers can then review, modify, and validate. This collaborative approach ensures high-quality deliverables while addressing the significant liability concerns inherent in civil engineering projects.
Future Outlook and Industry Impact
With its new funding, Mach9 plans to enhance its product, recruit more industry experts, and expand its organizational capacity to align with market needs. Reflecting on the company’s journey, Baikovitz appreciates the early focus on hardware, noting it provided valuable customer insights that ultimately shaped the company’s software-first direction.
He recalled a conversation with a VP from a client organization who stated, “I’m not interested in getting this cheaper, lower-cost hardware,” but emphasized that better software could “improve our efficiency in delivering these big statewide transportation mapping initiatives.” Projects like these, Baikovitz added, contribute to making states such as Texas “much more safe [and] effective.”
Mach9’s story underscores the critical importance of combining technical expertise, real-world experience, and customer collaboration to drive innovation in civil engineering—a sector ripe for digital transformation.
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