Mercator.ai Buys BuildIt Permits, Extends Reach Through AGC Austin

Updated 6:24 PM EDT

Mercator.ai, a Texas-based construction intelligence platform, has acquired the BuildIt Permits app to give contractors earlier access to permit-level project data.

The deal integrates BuildIt’s permit intelligence into Mercator’s AI-powered business development system, which aggregates early-stage signals such as rezonings, title transfers and preliminary filings. 

Mercator has also entered into a partnership with the Austin Chapter of the Associated General Contractors to provide members with discounted subscriptions and customized project profiles.

“Too often, firms find out about projects when it’s already too late,” said Phil Thoden, president of AGC Austin. “By bringing together Mercator’s cutting-edge technology with BuildIt’s permit intelligence, our members gain visibility into projects at their earliest stages.”

Permit-Level Integration

BuildIt Permits had long been promoted by AGC Austin as a tool for locating city permits. Under the acquisition, Mercator said the app will continue to operate, but its data will also flow directly into the larger platform, giving users immediate, aggregated project knowledge. 

Thoden said the app “is more robust now under Mercator’s control as they have access to top coding professionals who can improve it.”

The partnership introduces a weekly “project snapshot” report for AGC Austin’s approximately 275 member firms. Thoden said these snapshots are created by Mercator’s team and “focus on emerging projects in the Austin area that will likely be of interest to general and specialty contractors as well as suppliers and service providers in the industry.”

Mercator co-founder and CEO Chloe Smith said in a statement that the acquisition “reflects our belief that knowledge should be transparent, accessible and actionable.” She called the alignment with AGC Austin “a perfect fit,” given the chapter’s role as a hub for contractors since 1946.

Thoden added that Mercator’s arrival dovetailed with the chapter’s own work on BuildIt Permits. “Mercator.ai came along at a time when the Austin AGC was already providing local construction/permitting information through our BuildIt Permits app for folks in the local industry seeking emerging information of local projects,” he said. 

“Our minds aligned in this business development space but Mercator.ai brought tremendous improvement to what we were able to offer given our limited technological and financial resources,” Thoden added.

Market Context

The acquisition comes as Austin continues to experience a robust construction cycle. City planning data show more than 14 million sq ft of new development has been added downtown in the past three years. 

ChalkLine General Contractor, which has operated in Central Texas for about five years, views the tool as a helpful complement to its existing Salesforce system. Trevor Spring, of the firm’s principals, said it helps the company move beyond “hearsay” from developers by showing where land deals and permitting activity indicate real projects are moving forward.

“For us, it’s a nice tool to look at our region and get an early read on permitting activity and market transactions,” Spring said in a message. “Our business development staff, design development manager and preconstruction team all use it with filters set up to track different segments.”

Statewide, commercial construction in Texas is projected to top $22.3 billion annually over the next five years, according to forecasts cited by Mercator.

Mercator did not disclose the financial terms of the BuildIt Permits acquisition. The organization says the tie-up is intended to help contractors compete in a crowded market where early information can determine who wins or loses a job.

“Our acquisition of BuildIt Permits and partnership with AGC Austin is about equipping contractors to stop playing catch-up and start leading from the front of the pipeline,” Smith said.