Ninety-seven of the 400 largest U.S. contractors now use software built by a Miami startup.
That is the latest scorecard for Togal.AI, according to a Refresh Miami interview with founder Patrick Murphy published September 29.
It works out to nearly a quarter of the top 400. The same report puts Togal at more than 10,000 users across 32 countries.
A Database That Keeps Compounding
Data is Togal’s engine. Murphy said in April that the company was first trained on more than 100,000 drawings, labeled by 20-plus architects and engineers.
Refresh Miami now reports the database holds more than 32 million labeled construction plans.
That growth changes what the company can build. It also raises the cost for any rival trying to catch up.
From Measuring Plans to Predicting Buildings
Togal started by automating takeoffs. A takeoff measures the materials a building plan calls for, and estimators have long done it by hand.
Bidding depends on that work, and the company has called it one of the most time-consuming parts of the process.
Murphy now wants to predict how buildings get built. He says Togal is training models to infer plumbing, electrical, drywall and HVAC details from early-stage plans.
That could compress months of work into minutes, he said. Prediction remains a stated goal, and no results were reported.
AI is speeding up Togal’s own team as well. Murphy estimates more than 95% of the company’s code is now written with AI assistance.
The company has also moved to protect its work. Togal announced in April that it holds five patents and has six pending.
“We’re essentially building a protective wall around our technology,” Murphy said at the time.
Why a Miami Fund Backed It
Lightning Capital invested in Togal in 2024. Jason Albanese, the firm’s managing partner, has run it in Miami for five years.
Albanese says the decision rested as much on Murphy’s team’s ability to execute as on the technology. Many Lightning general partners ran companies before they became investors.
The firm also screens for a specific profile. Albanese looks for businesses with specialized data and technology that broad AI models cannot easily replicate.
Togal fits that test. Millions of labeled plans are the kind of asset a general-purpose model cannot easily copy.
Lightning recently launched a $100 million Fund II. It has 12 active portfolio companies.
They include Miami startups ML Tech, CodeComply and Overproof. Murphy co-founded CodeComply as well.
Albanese is also watching what he calls AI’s “ripple effects.” He points to construction, data center cooling and energy efficiency.
A Test for Founders Comparing Investors
Murphy tells founders to look past the check. Investors can offer guidance, introductions and pattern recognition, he argues.
That gives founders a practical test. Ask what an investor brings beyond money.
Miami Is Catching Up
Murphy points to Silicon Valley as the model for a full ecosystem. “You’ve got the ideas, you’ve got the funding, you’ve got the education,” he told Refresh Miami.
Miami, he says, is “catching up.”
Albanese sees momentum. “The trend line is going up and to the right. It’s not flattening,” he said.
He cites investors and tech leaders who moved or expanded into South Florida and then increased their commitments.
Neither man expects a Silicon Valley clone. “Everyone’s going to have their own flavor,” Murphy said.
Togal shows a Miami company can sell to the country’s biggest builders. Its Miami investor is betting there will be more.