Roofr announced the company successfully closed of a $4.25 million post-seed round, led by Bullpen Capital, with participation from Avidbank and Crosslink Capital. This investment will bring their total amount raised to $8.25 million since the company was admitted to Y Combinator in 2017. The round comes on the heels of a product evolution that is generating intense interest in the roofing industry.
The focus on a software as a service (SaaS) platform for roofers marks an exciting shift in company strategy, as it builds services for businesses, on top of being a marketplace for consumers to find roofing services. When founder Richard Nelson, a third-generation roofer, set out to create a marketplace, he quickly intuited that an essential piece of the puzzle was missing: simple and powerful SaaS software that roofers need to better understand and serve their customers.
When the company shifted product focus to SaaS for roofers, the market immediately responded with dramatic increases in customer retention and satisfaction, leading to additional funding. Roofr is the SaaS platform built for roofers by roofers. Working with Roofr CTO Kevin Redman, Nelson built a platform that serves as a complete sales toolbox for thousands of roofing contractors and counting. Roofr enables users to produce accurate measurement reports, create estimates in minutes and generate beautiful proposals that win more business.
“Since I was 12, I've been working on roofs with my uncle and father. Roofing is in my blood. In my 20s, I took a sales position at a large roofing company. It was there I got a firsthand look at how archaic the system is, how much outdated processes cost contractors in both time and money, and I knew there had to be a better way,” said Nelson. “The pandemic accelerated digitalization in the roofing industry and exposed some vulnerabilities. That made it clear that providing roofers with the software and tools they need to streamline their business processes is how we deliver on our mission of ensuring every family has access to an affordable roof."
The tools Roofr offers significantly improve both time to repair and reduce cost and overhead. By leveraging aerial imagery, Roofr delivers detailed roof measurement reports with industry-leading accuracy. Roofers also have the ability to draw their own roof measurement reports through drone, blueprint, and satellite images. The software allows roofers to streamline their estimating process by creating templates that calculate materials, margins and labor rates in an instant and then produce branded, professionally designed proposals that customers can e-sign with a click.
“Roofers know what they want, and it is our job to give it to them,” said Ann Lai, general partner, Bullpen Capital, who recently joined the board of directors at Roofr. “By leveraging technology to modernize the core sales and estimation processes for roofing contractors, the Roofr team enables roofers to focus on doing what they do best. And roofers love them for it, as reflected by their exceptional retention. At Bullpen we believe in building software that authentically enhances the everyday processes of small businesses. This is the secret to Roofr’s success and our thesis in the space.”
