Construction permitting often involves drafting lengthy applications, leading to unpredictable timelines for developers and businesses. There are tens of thousands of jurisdictions — each with their own different forms and application processes for building permits.
Ben Allen knows a thing or two about permitting. While leading business expansion and strategy at Gopuff, Allen was charged with spinning up Gopuff Kitchens, Gopuff’s attempt at ghost kitchens, in hundreds of locations throughout the U.S.
The biggest obstacle his team faced was obtaining the necessary building permits, Allen said.
“The permitting process for developers, builders and governments is largely antiquated and manual,” he told TechCrunch. “For example, some governing bodies only accept or review permit plans on a specific day of the week during specific hours. Without adopting a solution to streamline this process, many cities would be stuck in a time-consuming and costly cycle for current permit processes.”
After leaving Gopuff, Allen was inspired to try his hand at a solution to the conundrum with James Gallagher, a former colleague at Gopuff. Two years ago, the two launched Greenlite, a platform that attempts to standardize the permitting process for customers across multiple jurisdictions.
Using the platform, Greenlite’s customers — which today range from retailers and quick service restaurants to developers and production home builders — can conduct construction plan reviews almost entirely via software. Rival firms like PermitFlow, Accela and Tyler Technologies also offer this capability, but Gallagher argues that they’re more “application submission-oriented” and simplistic.
“Greenlite provides a digital plan review solution that actually delivers permits faster and more transparently,” Gallagher, Greenlite’s CEO, asserted — adding that Greenlite is also authorized to review construction plans and perform building inspections in around 2,000 jurisdictions.
Some localities and municipalities, like Miami, allow contractors to hire their own private providers (e.g. Greenlite) in lieu of having jurisdiction plan review and inspections. “Greenlite’s platform is unique because it integrates construction drawings, zoning and use data, local building code and expert compliance markup all in one database,” Gallagher added.
Gallagher wouldn’t share revenue. But he claimed that Greenlite has “dozens” of clients and is in a “position of strength to continue to grow.”
“Our customers have a perpetual need for building permits, and Greenlite is in a position to continue to serve our customers even if they adjust priorities through potential headwinds,” Gallagher said. “Specifically, our customers need building permits to support new unit expansion and also need building permits to renovate, remodel and refresh existing assets.”
It helps that VCs are injecting fresh capital into the operation.
Greenlite this week closed a $28.5 million Series A round led by Craft Ventures with participation from 53 Stations, Trust Ventures and LiveOak Ventures. Bringing the company’s total raised to $36.5 million, Gallagher said that the new money will drive Greenlite’s market expansion and customer acquisition in segments like lodging, industrial and green infrastructure.
Based in New York, Greenlite has 30 employees. Gallagher expects to hire ten more by the end of the year.