At the recent Digital Construction Week, BIMplus took the time to walk through the Start-up Zone. We asked the start-ups about their technology and their businesses. Here, Flo10 CCO Matthew Nickerson gives us the lowdown on his business.
Let’s have your elevator pitch: how does your technology help those in the built environment?
We are on a mission to make knowledge more accessible and project management safer for AEC professionals. Flo10 is the platform for AEC companies to digitise knowledge and the key deliverables of their project lifecycle, i.e. a digital quality management system (QMS).
Trusted by leading architects, engineers, consultants and contractors, Flo10 is improving the way AEC companies are managing projects and sharing information.
Intranets are rarely designed for the needs of AEC companies. For example, an architect or engineering practice needs to manage projects while fostering a culture of community, integrating multiple systems, and capturing and cataloguing useful knowledge such as best practice guides, project examples, lessons learned and technical queries.
Which businesses have tested it or are currently using it?
“We are on a mission to make knowledge more accessible and project management safer for AEC professionals.”
Flo10 is used extensively every day by thousands of people across leading AEC companies.
Our clients include AHMM, Elliott Wood, PLP, Scott Brownrigg, Pinnacle Consulting Engineers, Stephen George & Partners, EPR Architects, 3DReid, SDS, Oberlanders, William Davis, TFT, Trident BC, Wessex Archaeology, LSI Architects, Conisbee, Michael Laird Architects, UMC Architects, C+W O’Brien, and David Chipperfield Architects.
What was the genesis of your technology?
The founding team were previously from Union Square Software, based in Nottingham, UK.
Union Square was acquired by Deltek in 2016: more than 450 AEC companies across 15 countries were using Union Square at that time.
Through our experience at Union Square, we identified that AEC companies wanted to further improve accessibility for all staff to quality project and company information, drive engaging internal communications, and achieve a more robust and easier to follow QMS.
Who’s your senior management team and what’s their background?
Aidan Boustred, CTO at Flo10, is a qualified architect. While working at a London-based studio, he became interested in the process of delivering projects and the idea that there should be a system in place for doing things. Aidan joined Union Square in 2005 and managed the customisations and upgrades for more than a decade.
I’m CCO at Flo10. Prior to co-founding Flo10, I worked with architecture and design consultants while at Union Square. In 2009, I founded a London art gallery and consultancy representing emerging artists. Recently, I also co-founded DocuPing, the cloud-based document collaboration platform.
Are you looking for funding?
Flo10 is funded through a growing client base. We are self-funded and are pleased to have been profitable every year since founding the company in 2017.
What are your plans for the next two years?
We are on course to become the leading intranet for AEC professionals and the next two years is all about adding strength and depth to both our solution and the team.
We want to allow our clients to bring more of their processes into the system, including staff appraisals and document control. We are creating more knowledge management controls, including analytics, reading lists, enhanced tagging features, greater CMS capability, and more industry software integrations.
This also includes further development of our SharePoint and Teams integrations, which is a common challenge and opportunity across the industry now.
For more information, visit flo10.com.
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