Nearly two decades ago, architect Al Drams wrote a college thesis about software that could generate design documentation for school buildings. Although he followed family tradition by studying architecture, it was technology that most intrigued him. At the time, the technology required to realise the idea did not exist.
“Then ChatGPT came along,” Drams recalled, referring to OpenAI’s release of the generative chatbot based on large language models in November 2022. That development made his old idea feel achievable.
Within six months Drams and co-founder Coco Cao turned the concept into a company. Blueprints AI was officially incorporated in 2025 in Santa Monica and was selected for the 2026 Startup Battlefield 200, earning a spot to exhibit at TechCrunch Disrupt, which runs October 13–15, 2026 in San Francisco.
Founder background and company formation
Drams’s background spans roughly twenty years: he earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in architecture from the University of Tehran, completed two years of Ph.D. coursework in digital design at the European Graduate School in Switzerland, and moved to the United States. In 2018 he founded Drams Architects, and after obtaining a general contractor’s license he established a construction business in 2021. Despite these accomplishments, Drams said he was driven by the potential impact of technology to save time and energy on repetitive tasks.
Coco Cao, a data scientist from Hong Kong, serves as Chief Commercial Officer and leads sales and go-to-market strategy. The two met at an AI conference and combined their skills to build the startup.
Product details and business model
Blueprints AI’s first-generation software produces architectural construction documents. The product is sold on a subscription basis, with plans ranging from $3,200 to $8,500 per month, and custom enterprise pricing available. The team trained their models on eight years of approved drawing sets from Drams’s design and construction firm.
The company is unveiling a more capable second-generation product at Disrupt. The new version allows customers to start from a description or a sketch and produce blueprints covering all disciplines at once: architecture, structural, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and interior design. Unlike the first iteration, Version 2 enables users to design and make changes; a single design change updates the entire project and the system checks the result against local building codes.
Early customers are already using the second version, and Drams said it will become publicly available this week. Blueprints AI is already working on Version 3, which will add structural analysis and electrical panel design.
Role in the profession and target customers
The co-founders emphasise that the technology does not replace licensed architects. Licensed professionals still review the documents and affix their seal before submitting them for permits; the final professional judgement remains human.
Blueprints AI targets two main customer groups: professional architecture, engineering and design firms, and developers and real estate owners. The software is offered by subscription, and the company may introduce a one-time flat-fee option for clients who need it for a single project.
Why it matters
The company argues the software can remove much of the repetitive drafting work that fills most of an architect’s day, freeing practitioners to spend more time on creative design. Drams estimates architects currently spend about 80% of their time on drafting and 20% on design; his goal is to reverse that ratio to 20% drafting and 80% design.
Participation in the 2026 Startup Battlefield 200 and the product update debut at TechCrunch Disrupt signal Blueprints AI’s growth ambitions in an industry where legal compliance and professional responsibility remain critical.
