Drillbit (YC S24)

We're looking for full stack engineers based out of Austin, Texas. If you're exceptionally ambitious, take pride in your work, and are passionate about affordable housing, we'd love to talk. Apply using the link below, or refer a friend and have them mention you during the interview process. If we hire them, we'll send you $10,000. https://lnkd.in/g8vzD3tA

At J17, we've always believed in the power of vertical focus. We've had the privilege of working with vertical software pioneers like Standard Metrics, Portside, OSARO, and @StratumAI who deeply understand their customers and build with precision. Now, we’re just as excited to back the next evolution: vertical AI agents: Our portfolios Drillbit (YC S24) (home service), Dodo (YC S24) (veterinary), Arini (dentistry), Thri5 (retail logistics), Tioga (private aviation), and more are pushing the boundaries of what purpose-built agents can do. Other startups like HappyRobot, Hello Patient, Augment, EliseAI, MagicSchool AI, Toma, Pallet, Fieldguide, and Netic have seen rapid growth as demand surges for vertical agents that can deliver real productivity gains. Here’s what we’re seeing: - Vertical agents are unlocking new TAMs: real use cases where AI agents have automated 100% of the workflow that used to require human operators. - Demos are cool, production environments require craftmanship: automating a single task needs to orchestrate dozens of micro-agents. In categories like healthcare, for example, stakes are high. There’s no room for error. - Incumbents are pushing back - proprietary data, workflow, distribution are their moats. Now vertical AI startups are starting to erode the moat of data and workflow. We have seen some incumbents are reluctant to share the data access API. - Can incumbents respond fast enough? Likely not - building natively agentic products requires attracting talents, creating culture and incentives. It also requires rethinking legacy product architectures from the ground up. - This doesn't mean startups will win quickly: think why some industries are still using on-prem products? What problems are you encountering? What’s working? Let’s compare notes!

Done anyone know who setup the "Mason" voice agent for ABC Plumbing, Sewer, Heating, Cooling & Electric? I just want to say kudos 🤙 At first I was peeved when I realized it was a voice agent. But, it nailed everything. Yes, it felt impersonal 🥺 . ... But I got what I needed faster than I could have imagined 🤔

How many leads are slipping through the cracks every day? For many home service businesses, the problem isn’t getting leads—it’s following up. Missed calls. Unanswered forms. Voicemails left hanging. We hear it all the time: ‘We’re paying for leads, but they’re not turning into jobs.’ One of our franchise customers dug into the numbers. They were shocked to find: 👉 Only 1 out of 4 paid leads turned into an estimate. 👉 Only 1 out of 3 estimates turned into a booked job. When you add it up… 👉 Just 1 out of 12 paid leads actually brought in revenue. That means 11 out of 12 leads were slipping through the cracks! That’s why we created Drillbit: an AI-powered platform that automatically responds to every inbound lead, follows up instantly, and books more jobs. All without adding overhead or replacing your team! Since using Drillbit, they’ve: ✔️ Boosted conversion rates by 85% ✔️ Saved over $800K annually in call center costs ✔️ Filled their schedules even during peak season Every missed lead is money left on the table. Every delayed response is a lost opportunity. What are you currently doing to make sure every lead gets a fast follow-up? We’d love to hear how you’re solving this at your business—drop a comment below! #HomeServices #HVACBusiness #LeadGeneration #FranchiseOwners #CustomerExperience #BookMoreJobs

Of startups worth $5B+ started since 2012, Y Combinator was seed investor 20% of them (I'm also quite proud of Initialized Capital as seed co-lead for 3 of those too!)

Shout out to Kelsey Bishop for helping us grow the team so quickly and efficiently! Before we raised, I naively thought that hiring would be easy - you just need to pay people, right? Nope. After a rocky start, Candor swooped in and took over, and I'm super grateful. As of Monday, we now have 10 FTE with more help coming soon! After working 12+ hours almost every single day since 2023, and with a large part of that time spent working alone, it's an incredible feeling to see this take on a life of its own. Having so many smart, driven, and organized people beginning to take ownership over Drillbit and build on the vision is pretty surreal.

Some of my favorite founders that we’re hiring for right now: - Alexander Seutin at Drillbit (YC S24) - Jackson Bierfeldt at JotPsych - Conner Aldrich at GovSignals Alex, Jackson, and Conner all have the same traits that make them amazing to work with. First, they’re deeply thoughtful about their culture - not in a "we have values written on our wall" way, but they genuinely know what environment works for their team. Nothing's random. When we talk about team fit during interviews, you can tell they've really thought this through. Second, they’ve interviewed enough to develop a sixth sense for talent. When we send great candidates their way, there's immediate recognition. This makes pitching their companies to candidates SUPER easy because I really believe in what they’re building and know that working for them is going to be fun. If anyone’s looking to join one of these teams, DM me!

Our founder Alexander Seutin had a chance to discuss the future of work in the home service industry alongside Christopher Petkas and Alexander Jekowsky a few weeks back. Listen to the full conversation here: https://lnkd.in/gP52PjHd https://lnkd.in/gX-hURcj

This is very well said. As more voice AI startups pop up, I’m often asked what sets us apart. I always like to remind people: you wouldn’t hire an employee just because they can speak. Voice shouldn’t be a company’s differentiator. Voice is simply a bridge connecting the unstructured, messy world humans operate in with the structured world of SaaS products. For the first time, we can build systems that proactively seek out the information needed to unblock themselves—just like humans do. Software systems can now become a truly hands-off service, driving real business value without sitting idle, waiting for human intervention through a dashboard. Like Kojo said, voice is just the trigger. Your startup’s IP isn’t wrapped up in your ElevenLabs integration. Your company’s value lies in what you do with those conversations.

I'm looking forward to speaking at SXSW this year alongside Alexander Jekowsky and Christopher Petkas! If you're going to be in Austin, stop by Lumos House this Sunday. We'll be talking about how AI is shaping the future of "boring businesses". Specifically, I'll be sharing anecdotes from our real world experience operating home service businesses with the help of Drillbit (YC S24)'s AI employees. Working with Codie A. Sanchez's team - especially Steven Montgomery and the awesome folks over at ResiBrands - has been an incredible experience. Their belief in our mission - and our aligned views on the future of this industry - has allowed this team to put theory into practice. It is now clear that anyone overlooking this approach will be left behind. In the first few months of our partnership, we've been able to save Resi approx. $1M in yearly expenses while giving back enormous amounts of time to hundreds of independent businesses. That time is enabling owners to provide significantly higher quality service to homeowners across the country. To make it even sweeter, Drillbit (YC S24) enabled businesses are now achieving higher lead conversion rates than anyone else resulting in huge customer acquisition cost savings. Those savings can be both passed on to homeowners and reinvested into the business. All of this added efficiency is an essentially step in reducing the operational costs involved in living in a home. I'm proud to be working on a team that is pushing the boundaries on such an important issue. RSVP here: https://lu.ma/fm5yd7ah