ObraEstima — AI-Powered Construction Estimating & Quoting for Southern European Contractors

The Problem

Construction estimating in Southern Europe is stuck in the 1990s. Walk into any small construction company in Portugal, Spain, Italy, or Greece and you'll find the same scene: the owner hunched over Excel spreadsheets (if they're "digital") or a paper notebook, manually calculating material quantities, labor hours, and pricing for each job quote.

The problems cascade:

• Estimating errors are the # cause of project losses for small contractors. Underestimate by 10% and the profit evaporates. Overestimate and you lose the bid.
• Quoting takes days, not hours. A small contractor might spend 2-3 full days preparing a detailed estimate for a renovation project — time they could spend on billable work.
• No historical data. Each estimate starts from scratch because there's no system to capture and reuse past pricing.
• Material price volatility. Construction material prices fluctuated 15-30% in 2023-2025; estimates based on last month's prices may be wildly wrong today.
• Professional presentation. The client receives a handwritten quote or a basic Excel table. Larger competitors send polished PDF proposals with itemized breakdowns.

Plancraft (Germany, €50M+ raised) has proven this market works — but they serve DACH (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) and Northern Europe. Their product is in German, English, Dutch. They have zero presence in Portuguese, Spanish, or Italian markets. The Southern European contractor — who is equally underserved but operates in a different cost structure, different regulatory environment, and different cultural context — has no modern tool.