Quotr AI Heads to Osaka for Global Startup EXPO 2026
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Quotr AI Heads to Osaka for Global Startup EXPO 2026

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Next week, Quotr heads to Osaka as one of the overseas startups selected by JETRO, the Japan External Trade Organization, to exhibit at Global Startup EXPO 2026. We’ll also be representing Berkeley SkyDeck.

We’ve used the lead-up to learn as much as we can. Through introductions from JETRO and Yega Tech, we met with Obayashi Corporation and spoke with Daiwa House’s US team. We also sat down with ANDPAD’s AI, ERP, and finance teams in Japan. Together, these conversations gave us a much clearer picture of how construction works in Japan and what builders there need.

Who we are

Quotr is an estimating platform built for construction professionals. We started at UC Berkeley and are part of Batch 19 at Berkeley SkyDeck, the university’s startup accelerator.

Estimating is one of the slowest, most manual parts of construction. Before they can price a bid, estimators spend hours measuring drawings and counting symbols. Quotr helps in three ways:

  • AI takeoff: Teams upload PDF or image plan sets, and our AI counts symbols, measures lengths, and calculates areas across every sheet, in metric or imperial units. Estimators can ask questions about the drawings in plain language, apply their own cost data, and export marked-up plans, quantity sheets, and proposals from one workspace.
  • Done-for-you estimating: For teams short on capacity, our estimating desk combines AI with review by in-house estimators. It delivers takeoffs, estimates, and pro formas in as little as 24 hours.
  • Factory-direct procurement: For US projects, we source windows, doors, cabinetry, flooring, and bath fixtures from audited manufacturers. We handle sampling, quality control, and delivery to the jobsite.

Doing our homework

We wanted to understand how construction actually works in Japan, not how we assumed it worked. So we asked Obayashi, Daiwa House’s US team, and ANDPAD to walk us through how a project moves from bid to build: who prepares estimates, how quotes move between the general contractor and its subcontractors, and where things slow down.

A few things stood out:

  • Cash flow is tight. Long development timelines often leave general contractors and subcontractors waiting to get paid.
  • Nobody enjoys preconstruction. Even experienced estimators told us they’d cut it down or hand it off if they could.
  • Past projects are a resource. Data and cost libraries from previous jobs matter a lot, because teams rely on what worked before when they start something new. That’s why Quotr lets teams bring their own cost data into every estimate. What surprised us most was how familiar it all sounded. The core pain points in Japan are the same ones we hear from contractors in the US.

Why Japan, why now

Japan’s construction industry is under pressure. The workforce is aging, fewer young people are entering the trades, and overtime caps for construction work took effect in April 2024. Contractors have to deliver the same volume of work with fewer people and fewer hours.

That makes efficiency in the office as important as efficiency on site. Preconstruction is exactly the work contractors told us they want off their plate. Every hour Quotr saves on takeoffs and estimates is an hour back for teams that are already stretched.

These conversations made us more confident that Quotr can help in two ways. We can give experts better tools so they work faster, and we can give larger teams finished takeoffs and estimates, not just software to produce them.

Why JETRO matters

For a young foreign startup, Japan is hard to reach. Language, business culture, and the weight placed on trusted introductions are real barriers. JETRO, the government-affiliated organization that promotes trade and investment between Japan and the world, has been our way in.

For Global Startup EXPO 2026, JETRO selected up to 20 overseas deep-tech startups to exhibit, and it set up business matching with Japanese corporations and investors. For us, that means arriving in Osaka with a place on the floor and conversations already underway.

What we’re bringing to Osaka

Global Startup EXPO 2026 runs from October 5 to 7 in Osaka’s Umekita district, around Grand Front Osaka and Grand Green Osaka. Now in its second year, the event brings together startups, investors, corporates, and government from Japan and abroad, with a focus on deep tech.

You’ll find us at Congrès Square Grand Green Osaka, South Building 4F. We’d love to meet construction professionals looking for better tools, anyone curious about how AI is being used in construction outside Japan, and anyone who just wants to see what’s new.

We’re not bringing a generic pitch. We’re bringing what we learned from Obayashi, Daiwa House, and ANDPAD, and a clear view of where Quotr fits into how Japanese teams already work. If you’re at the expo, come say hello.

Thank you to JETRO for selecting Quotr and for the introductions and guidance along the way. Thanks also to Berkeley SkyDeck for the chance to represent the program, to Yega Tech for the introductions, to the Global Startup EXPO organizers, and to Obayashi, Daiwa House, and ANDPAD for their time.

If you work in Japan’s construction industry and want to talk about faster, more accurate estimating, reach out at contact@quotr.ai or visit quotr.ai.

About Quotr.ai

Quotr is an AI construction platform with three parts: Quotr Software (AI takeoff, estimating, and bidding — including the AI agent that reads your plans), Quotr Service (done-for-you cost estimates, takeoffs, and pro formas), and Quotr Procurement (factory-direct materials delivered door-to-door). Multi-trade by design and built for subcontractors, general contractors, and developers. Based in San Francisco.

Published on the Quotr.ai blog. Quotr.ai is an AI-powered construction estimation, takeoff, and procurement platform based in San Francisco.

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