Construction is a pretty old-school industry, but every now and then, it yields to a wave of new technology. New tools, modern materials, and advanced processes that can help construction companies make more money in less time are usually welcome — eventually. But, with today’s advancement in financial technology, the industry is changing, and these financial technology (fintech) construction companies are changing the landscape.
1. Levelset
- Founded: 2007
- Visit website
Surprise, surprise! Levelset is #1 on our own list. Yes, we know we’re blowing our own horn here, but it’s for good reason. Just look at those TrustPilot reviews!
Levelset is on a mission to revolutionize the way construction companies get paid — and help them implement processes that ensure they get paid as quickly as possible on every job.
Levelset makes it incredibly easy for contractors and suppliers to manage nearly every aspect of the payment process, from paying for materials to protecting their lien rights.
Levelset’s financial solutions
“Construction is an extremely cash-hungry industry,” says Levelset CEO Scott Wolfe, Jr. “Thousands of contractors and suppliers partner with Levelset not just to get paid faster, but to improve their cash flow overall. We make it easy to improve nearly every aspect of the payment process, saving employees time and making sure they have the cash they need to grow.”
Materials financing
Levelset will pay material suppliers upfront, allowing contractors to float their jobs without crushing their cash flow, and eliminating credit risk for suppliers. By paying the suppliers directly and giving contractors 120-day repayment terms, Levelset helps contractors get jobs off the ground.
And, since Levelset uses a variety of non-traditional risk factors when deciding creditworthiness, companies don’t need a credit score to qualify.
Electronic payment
Levelset also allows users to take advantage of faster payments by sending payment-enabled documents like invoices, payment reminders, lien waivers, and more. Customers can pay instantly with a credit card or bank account.
In a 2021 survey of more than 600 construction businesses, 79% of those that accept electronic payments say it has helped them get paid faster.
Financial risk analysis and insights
By utilizing Levelset’s Contractor Profiles, prospective subs, project owners, and suppliers can assess the risks involved with working with a contractor. And, construction companies can receive alerts when a contractor working on one of their projects is having payment problems, allowing them to take action to protect their payments.
“The [Contractor] Profiles gave me confidence to go full steam ahead into new partnerships with General Contractors.”
– Pam, Office Manager
Lien rights and waiver management
Levelset helps construction businesses easily manage their lien rights, track deadlines, and comply with notice requirements in any state. Because many cash flow problems can be traced back to slow payments from customers, managing lien rights is a critical component of construction finance.
And Levelset ensures companies can comply with deadlines anywhere, allowing users to send preliminary notices, waivers, and other payment documents with the click of a button.
“I have been using Levelset for a while now, and couldn’t be happier. I started using it for several reasons: (1) looking for a way to save myself some valuable time and (2) looking for a way to enhance the accuracy and timeliness of notices I was sending out. Levelset not only provided a solution to those concerns, but also provided other services I was not even aware of… Currently, I have a standing weekly meeting with my rep … just to make sure I am staying on track, and using the service to its fullest to best suit my needs. Thank You Levelset!”
– Bob Babinac, customer
2. Procore
- Visit website
- Founded: 2002
With the company’s IPO in 2021, Procore cemented itself as one of the world’s leading platforms for all things construction management — including finance, accounting, and cash flow.
Procore’s financial solutions
Invoice management
With Procore’s Invoice Management, contractors can invite subs to submit payment applications at any time. In turn, the subs can submit electronic invoices with customizable fields, reducing the amount of time it takes to get paid. Procore will also track open invoices and prevent subs from over-invoicing without approval.
“Procore is truly helping our interaction from office to field — it helps us to stay on top of drawings, distributions, etc., and not skip a beat from getting it out of one person’s hands and into the next. It is interactive and allows us to share pertinent details with appropriate people, and keep it all in one spot.”
– Emily, SJC
3. Mobilization Funding
- Founded: 2013
Mobilization Funding lends cash to commercial construction subcontractors, manufacturers, and fabricators fund the mobilization costs needed to get a project off the ground. This fintech company provides the capital these companies need — when they need it.
Mobilization Funding’s financial solutions
“We are providing companies access to capital for their projects based on their proven ability to do the work and the contract they have been awarded but not yet started,” says Mobilization Funding CEO Scott Peper. “This eliminates the stress and sleepless nights that the lack of cash puts on the construction company and the owners.”
“We are detailing the project’s cash needs for the business owner based on the project schedule they want to keep,” Peper says. “This allows them to see exactly what cash they need, when they need it, and when they will be cash flow positive on the job. It allows them to also plan the schedule of the job with maximum efficiency – when they have access to the cash needed they can make a schedule to complete the work that’s best for the overall project and their customer.”
Contract-based loans
Short-term loans can be a bit rigid, but with a contract loan, Mobilization Funding uses the construction contract as the collateral. Repayment terms are established by the progress payments outlined in the contract, and each loan is tailored specifically for the project at hand.
Mobilization Funding gives contractors financing to pay for labor, material, equipment, and all other project costs when they start the job and before they even submit an invoice.
Purchase order financing
Companies with more orders than capacity can’t grow, but Mobilization Funding does its best to prevent that scenario. With purchase order financing, companies can expand their manufacturing or fabrication operation to meet a purchase order while still making payroll.
“Professional. Helpful. And most importantly, a financial solution backed by people who understand the contracting business. Mobilization funding‘s help has gone much further than working capital for my ongoing projects. Their team has helped me recognize countless areas of opportunity to strengthen my company and personal financial literacy.”
– Andrew Ammons, customer
4. Land Gorilla
- Visit website
- Founded: 2010
It’s not just the project owners, contractors, suppliers, and subs that assume risk during a construction project — lenders do, too. Land Gorilla aims to protect construction lenders by automating processes and creating effective construction financing software.
Land Gorilla’s financial solutions
Construction loan manager
Land Gorilla’s Construction Loan Manager software makes funding, tracking, draws, and change orders easy through automatic workflows. The system tracks internal notes from the lender’s team, tracks lien waivers, and prevents overfunding with validation gateways.
“We have been using the program for six months now, and it has been extremely helpful. The Land Gorilla team has been extremely helpful in making adjustments to the program that help us use a monitor and track our pipelines. Looking forward to starting to utilize other functionality.”
– Tim H., Operations Manager & Land Gorilla customer
5. Built
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- Founded: 2014
Built’s goal is to provide financial solutions for everyone on a project, including lenders and contractors. Beyond the software solutions for lenders or contractors, Built also partners with inspections services, keeping lenders up to date on their investments.
Built’s financial solutions
Software for lending
Construction Loan Management can be tough, but Built’s Lending software solution aims to make it easier. With risk management tools, automatic alerts, and faster draws, Built’s designed specifically for today’s construction lenders.
“Overall, my experience with Built has been a positive one. The support team is fantastic and always responds quickly. That’s really key in our success.”
– Rachel, People’s Bank
Software for contractors
Built designed its contractor solutions to streamline the lien waiver management process, simplify lower-tier contractor management, and offer streamlined electronic payments. Built interfaces with Procore, Quickbooks, Xero, DocuSign, and a number of other popular applications.
“The best part of using Built is the ability to have the homeowner, builder, and lender be on the “same page.” All parties can see the current status of the loan, any open draws, all paid draws, and many other helpful items on a specific project. Communication is seen by all, documents uploaded are seen by all.”
– Diane, HiLine Homes
Inspection services for lenders
Built fills the gap between lenders and draw inspections by partnering with local, regional, and national inspection companies, keeping stakeholders up to date.“It is great to keep track of what we have been funded for our projects.”
6. Billd
- Founded: 2018
- Solutions: Material financing
Relatively new to the market but making a big splash, Billd provides material financing for contractors and suppliers.
Billd’s financial solutions
Material financing
Instead of the 30-day terms that can beat a contractor’s cash flow into submission, Billd pays suppliers upfront, offering contractors 120-day terms to make the payment.
“Was a pleasant and quick application, and money came fast as promised. Helped our cash flow and ability to do more work.”
– Archinova Builders, LLC
7. Briq
- Visit website
- Founded: 2017
Briq offers several products and platforms for general contractors, subs, and construction management companies, with the goals of automating workflows and reducing errors.
Briq’s financial solutions
Forecast
Briq’s forecasting platform is designed to reduce the amount of time it takes to compile forecast data and improve the margin of error, giving contractors a more accurate idea of where they’re heading.
“I use this app when doing contracting work. It helps keep all my data and statistics in one spot and does a breakdown.”
– Johnny D., customer
Workflow automation
Briq’s workflow automation allows users to set up efficient, repeatable automatic systems that reduce the burden on staff while also making spending more predictable.
“I like the security of having a single point of reference for all my project documents and data. Simplifies analysis so you do have to create links and manual entry to allow for in-depth understand [sic] of the project and assets progress.”
– Joel C., customer
Debit account for contractors
In April 2021, Briq launched a banking platform for contractors with a debit card for purchases. The company says you can earn “construction specific rewards,” though they don’t specify what those rewards actually consist of. It costs $500 to sign up.
8. Rabbet
- Visit website
- Founded: 2017
Rabbet makes it possible for users to connect all of their construction finance spreadsheets, emails, and manual processes into one easy-to-leverage software program. Designed with construction lenders and developers in mind, it streamlines processes down to three main product lines.
How Rabbet is improving construction finance
According to Rabbet CEO Will Mitchell, “With Rabbet you can automate tedious manual tasks, organize construction finances in one place, and empower your team with better collaboration tools.”
“Whether you’re a real estate developer who wants to make sure your team has all the information they need to make decisions quickly or a construction lender who wants to gain insights into portfolio-level risk, Rabbet can help you do it,” says Mitchell.
“Unlike other solutions, Rabbet automates time-consuming, error-prone steps by using machine learning and optical character recognition to extract and centralize information for all parties on the project. A large real estate development project simply has too much information and too many people to rely on disconnected spreadsheets and PDFs.”
Construction loan management software
Rabbet’s loan management software tracks projects, draws, budgets, covenants, approvals, lien waivers, and more. It also identifies issues and automates workflows to create less manual work.
“It’s got tools that help the team at the project level run through the regular draw process very efficiently, save time, and get payments out faster… but then it is also able to aggregate what we are doing in a platform view.”
– David Bell, Managing Director, Goldman Sachs
Developer management software
Rabbet’s developer software allows real estate developers to simplify draws, understand every aspect of their budgets, and keep all invoices, pay apps, and change orders in one central program.
“With Rabbet, if the person who does our requisitions goes on vacation, I can pick it up the next day and confidently know what is needed to complete a perfect draw package. I don’t know why anyone in my industry wouldn’t want this.”
– Eli Weiss, Joy Construction
Construction loan monitoring software
Just like the other software programs, the construction loan management software centralizes all documentation and apps. It also identifies missing documents, data discrepancies, and other issues to reduce the lender’s risk.
9. ECL Software
- Visit website
- Founded: 1992
As one of the original fintech companies, ECL Software takes a full-service approach to construction solutions. The company offers resource management software for contractors, subs, homebuilders, banks, credit unions, and more.
Fund control for lenders
ECL’s Fund Control is specially designed for banks, mortgage companies, private lenders, and disbursement control companies, and it handles everything from small renovation loans to multi-billion dollar projects. This platform manages change orders, documents, inspections, and cash disbursements.
Document management
ECL’s CMIS stands for Construction Management Information System, and it serves as the command center for GCs, subs, and management companies. This system handles contracts, submittals, RFI’s, change orders, estimating, and payroll.
Centralized management
“Just Do It Once” is the ECL company motto, and the JDIO program helps facilitate that mindset. This program brings everyone on the project under one umbrella, keeping all parties up to date on budgets, inspections, and other reports, while being accessible from any web-enabled device (iOS, as well).
10. BuilderTrend
- Visit website
- Founded: 2006
As the name suggests, BuilderTrend is builder-focused construction management software. With programs for homebuilders, specialty contractors, remodelers, and commercial contractors, it offers solutions for busy contractors who need it.
BuilderTrend’s financial solutions
Construction management for homebuilders
With improved client communication, centralized document storage, and easily updated forecasts, BuilderTrend has a solution for homebuilders. And, being mobile-friendly, these contractors can even update schedules and send estimates from their devices.
“Your entire construction company can be run through Buildertrend, from daily client communication to job costing — you’re covered.”
– Neil, Summit Builders
PM software for contractors
BuilderTrends offers project management software for contractors, providing financial tools and client communication management software for subs and specialty contractors.
“The client portal is awesome! I wish my current software has one as nice and interactive as BT’s. The dashboard is great as well. I like the daily logs as well, it’s a great little communication tool for project management. Finally, the sub portal is fantastic.”
– Dustin, Ace of Diamonds Painting
Management software for remodelers
Remodelers can leverage BuilderTrends’ project management software to create schedules and punch lists while organizing an entire team from their mobile device. Includes customer management tools and real-time finance tracking.
Commercial project management
BuilderTrend’s software programs scale for commercial project management as well, allowing commercial contractors to use the platform for communication and financial tracking on bigger jobs. Create estimates, change orders, and invoices through the platform.
“Buildertrend has extensive customization options through the use of custom fields, filters, and views. The system is straightforward to navigate, and never leaves you wondering exactly where you’re at in the program.”
– Boone, Deshano Companies, Inc.
11. GCPay
- Visit website
- Founded: 2002
Many general contractors view GCPay as their right-hand SAAS man. Since 2002, the company’s goal has been to simplify and automate the payment process, leaving the GC with fewer lien waivers, subs, and other aspects of construction payment to track down.
GCPay’s financial solutions
GCPay
GCPay automates the application process between the GC and its subs, making payments, lien waivers, compliance organization, and report generation a simple process. And GCPay integrates with the most popular construction accounting software, helping to create more accurate forecasting and budget updates.
“I think it is a great tool, and it has saved us a lot of time as well as paper. It is nice not to have to print everything and know at any given time I can log in and find important documentation.”
– Michelle V., customer
12. Flexbase
- Founded: 2020
Flexbase is one of the newest fintech companies making a splash in construction. With a focus on ease-of-use, faster payment terms, and minimizing paperwork, the company’s goals are in line with the new trend in construction software.
Flexbase’s financial solutions
Automated document exchange
Flexbase automates the exchange of payment documents, including schedules of values, lien waivers, notarizations, prevailing wages, insurance and compliance documents, as well as standard AIA payment documents. It also helps contractors track payment and notice deadlines.
“We were blown away by how easy and obvious Flexbase is to use. Our payments now get done in two weeks as opposed to three months.”
– Preston Acosta, customer
Contractor credit card
In November 2021, Flexbase launched a credit card for contractors that gives them 60 days to repay purchases with 0% interest.
View other credit cards for contractors.
13. BlueTape (formerly LinqPal)
- Founded: 2020
BlueTape is a construction fintech company with payment and financial tools for contractors, subs, and building suppliers. Building material suppliers can send invoices to their customers via text enabling contractors to make payments on their phones using ACH, credit card, or BlueTape credit.
Contractors can pay for their invoices and finance their next projects with a few taps of their phone and improve cash flow all around with easier access to capital.
“We have created BlueTape to help small and medium-size businesses in the construction industry access the financing resources to help them grow their businesses,” says Yaser Masoudnia, CEO and co-founder of BlueTape.
“We offer construction businesses an easy-to-use tool to help them run their businesses smoothly, without interruption and with less hassle. For suppliers, we work with their existing systems to send invoices and get paid fast. For contractors and subcontractors, we give them the option to access financing to pay for building materials when they need it.”
BlueTape’s financial solutions
For suppliers
BlueTape gives extended financing options to offer prospective customers as well as automated payment collection. Suppliers automate their payment collection and send invoices and receive payments.
For contractors
BlueTape’s offering for contractors is two-fold: materials financing, and easy and fast payment for their materials on the go. Contractors will receive invoices for their building materials via texts and make payments.