Drillbit Raises $4.4M to Automate Field Service Operations for Residential Contractors
Drillbit, an Austin-based startup building AI employees for residential contractors, has raised $4.4 million in Seed funding. Founded in 2023 and part of Y Combinator's S24 batch, the 10-person company develops a self-managed field service management platform designed to eliminate administrative overhead for home service businesses like painters, plumbers, and electricians.
The company's AI agent, named Mason, acts as an automated receptionist and office manager that handles leads, scheduling, quoting, staffing, and payment collection. Mason has generated over $95 million in gross merchandise value across more than 90,000 opportunities, booking jobs at three times the rate of top human customer service representatives. Drillbit has recorded 42 percent month-over-month growth over the past year and built a $98 million sales pipeline.
AI Infrastructure for Home Services
Drillbit combines AI receptionists and a large language model quoting engine on top of an in-house field service management system. Its frontend is built with React, Next.js, and TypeScript, backed by Porter, Temporal, Vercel, and Supabase. Its voice and conversational capabilities integrate OpenAI models alongside VAPI, ElevenLabs, and Twilio.
The software aims to lower customer acquisition costs for residential contractors. Speaking on an episode of the Blindspot series, co-founder and CEO Alexander Seutin explained that customer acquisition cost makes up a substantial portion of job costs in home services. By automating administrative tasks, contractors can reduce operational expenditure while maintaining business margins. In the video, Seutin noted that Drillbit automated the entire contact center for home services franchiser Resi Brands, running operations without human call representatives.
Autonomous Systems and AI Founders
Alexander Seutin founded Drillbit alongside CTO Liam Osler. Seutin holds a degree in computer science and artificial intelligence from Stanford University. Prior to starting Drillbit, he worked on flight systems at SpaceX, self-driving technology at Rivian, and autonomous excavators at Built Robotics. After moving to Austin during the pandemic and completing home renovations himself, Seutin focused on applying automation to field service workflows.
Osler co-founded the company to simplify operations for home service businesses using AI. Backers supporting the team include Y Combinator, Soma Capital, Unpopular Ventures, Contrarian Thinking Capital, and Lombardstreet Ventures.
Engineering and Operations Roles in Austin
To expand its platform, Drillbit is hiring for four full-time, in-person roles at its headquarters in Austin, Texas.
On the technical side, the company is seeking a Staff Software Engineer, AI ($190,000 to $300,000) to own the architecture of Mason's AI systems, evaluate new AI techniques, and mentor engineers. Drillbit is also hiring a Software Engineer, Product ($125,000 to $190,000) to design and deploy AI systems powering Mason and future products.
To manage customer operations and process optimization, Drillbit is recruiting an Operations Lead (Manager) ($100,000 to $175,000) to work directly with the founder and engineering team, translate customer feedback into product insights, and manage post-sales relationships. Additionally, a Business Operations Analyst ($75,000 to $90,000) will analyze operational and product data, build performance dashboards, guide customer onboarding, and debug data issues alongside engineering.
Open Roles at Drillbit
| Role | Location | Work Mode | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Staff Software Engineer, AI | Austin, TX, US | Onsite | $190,000 – $300,000 |
| Software Engineer, Product | Austin, TX, US | Onsite | $125,000 – $190,000 |
| Operations Lead (Manager) | Austin, TX, US | Onsite | $100,000 – $175,000 |
| Business Operations Analyst | Austin, TX, US | Onsite | $75,000 – $90,000 |
