Nearly two decades ago, architecture student Al Drams wrote his thesis about software that could generate design documents for school buildings, but the technology didn’t exist. After OpenAI released ChatGPT in November 2022, Drams decided the idea was possible, and within six months he had the concept for Blueprints AI, a startup that uses AI to produce code-compliant and permit-ready architectural construction blueprints in minutes from a 2D sketch or PDF. Drams incorporated the company in 2025 in Santa Monica with co-founder Coco Cao, and the startup was selected for the 2026 Startup Battlefield 200 at TechCrunch Disrupt, which is taking place this week from October 13 to 15 in San Francisco.

Drams studied architecture at the University of Tehran and completed two years of Ph.D. coursework at the European Graduate School before moving to the U.S., opening Drams Architects in 2018, and adding a construction business in 2021. He said he wanted a bigger impact than running a firm: ‘I was saying, okay, maybe I can build new projects that change people’s life in that area, but it wouldn’t be a big impact.’ He and Cao met at an AI conference several years ago; Cao, a data scientist from Hong Kong, handles sales and go-to-market as chief commercial officer. The pair trained their models using eight years of approved drawing sets from Drams’ design and construction firm, which is still in business.

Blueprints AI‘s first-generation software produces architectural construction documents and costs between $3,200 and $8,500 a month depending on plan, with custom enterprise pricing. The startup’s second-generation software, which Drams and Cao will unveil at Disrupt, is a considerable upgrade. Customers can begin with a description or sketch and create blueprints for every aspect of a building at once, including architecture, structural, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and interior design. Version 2 lets users design and make changes to the project, and one design change updates the entire project while being checked against local building codes. Early customers are already using the second version, and Drams said it will become publicly available this week. A third version, already in the works, will add structural analysis and electrical panel design.

According to the co-founders, the technology doesn’t replace licensed architects: licensed professionals still review the documents and affix their seal before submitting them for permits. Drams said architects currently spend about 80% of their time on drafting and only 20% on design. ‘I want to flip that to be 20-80.’ The pair say the software will make better spaces because architects will have time to design, as it takes over repetitive drafting work. Blueprints AI is targeting professional architecture, engineering, and design firms as one customer group, and developers and real estate owners as another. The software is offered as a subscription, with a possible one-time flat-fee option for single projects.