Are you considering renovation work? Building an annex or a terrace? The layout of a room? Depending on the scale of the project, you will contact an architect or directly a building contractor. Their first step will be to assess the scale of the project to establish a quote. “In 85% of cases, explains Antoni Di Filippo, founder of the start-up Vertuoza (after having created, when he was only 19, a construction and renovation company in the Charleroi region)the contractor will travel to the customer to take the measurements and, back home, he will encode the various information (materials, price, labor, etc.) to write a quote.. Often tedious and time-consuming work.
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Founded in 2020, Vertuoza got off to a flying start. Its “all-in-one” software – accessible online (software-as-a-service) – allows SMEs to simplify and accelerate the management of their activities. Vertuoza, which already employs 100 people, covers aspects as essential as the creation of quotes, work planning, invoicing, site monitoring, etc. Based in Nivelles, Vertuoza is today active throughout Belgium, but also in the north of France, Luxembourg, Switzerland and the Netherlands.
An “app” to dictate instructions
Riding on this dynamic and the digitalization of the construction sector, Antoni Di Filippo and his two partners, Dominique Pellegrino and Kévin Vermeulen, regularly launch new features. However, until now, they had not yet used artificial intelligence (AI). This has been done for a few days. “This is the first time that we have introduced AI into our software and, to my knowledge, it is also a Belgian first in our sector, explained to us, first of all, Antoni Di Filippo. This is a new area of development that we intend to push to the maximum. We are also going to move to two full-timers specialized in AI”.
gull“Artificial intelligence is a new area of development that we intend to push to the maximum. We are also going to move to two full-time workers specializing in AI.”
The first realization of this strategy is the launch of the “VertuoAI” application and the “intelligent” creation of quotes. We come back to our example: during his first visit to a client, the contractor can connect to the mobile application and dictate, in the language of his choice, the data of the site to be carried out. “In 30 seconds, assure M. Di Filippothe entrepreneur receives a professional and clear quote, with the possibility of adjusting it or using a price database before sending it to his client. Thanks to this virtual assistant, the time allocated to making a quote is divided by 10!”.
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Voice control for creating quotes is just the beginning of integrating AI into construction site management. Over the next twelve months, Vertuoza plans to extend this technology to other critical processes, such as site monitoring, automatic report generation and resource planning. “Our objective,” underlines the founder of Vertuoza, “is to make these AI tools accessible to all companies, large or small, to support the digital transformation of the construction sector. By facilitating the adoption of innovative solutions, we help entrepreneurs to improve their productivity and simplify their internal processes. They can then focus on the strategic aspects of their business such as team management, customer relations and the development of their business..
Double-digit growth
In terms of business, Vertuoza continues to operate at full capacity (even if the first half, very gloomy for the construction sector, was less buoyant). “Growth is expected to be between 50 and 75% this year, compared to more than 100% in 2023, with an annual recurring income (ARR) of around €6 million”.
The Walloon company, voted “Scale-up of the year 2023” by EY, has intensified its presence in Flanders by recently opening an office in Antwerp. Vertuoza is currently studying the opportunity to launch, within a year, in Germany or the United Kingdom.
