SAN DIEGO— Kestrel Labs has unveiled what it describes as the first artificial intelligence-powered building code compliance platform built natively within the Building Information Modeling (BIM) workflow, giving architects and design professionals the ability to identify code issues directly inside Autodesk Revit during the design process.
The Denver-based construction technology startup announced the launch during the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Conference on Architecture and Design 2026 and revealed it has secured $2.15 million in pre-seed financing from New Stack Ventures, FirstMile Ventures, Denver Ventures, and Avesta Fund.
The platform aims to address one of the architecture and construction industry’s longstanding challenges: identifying code compliance issues before projects reach plan review, where corrections can result in costly redesigns, project delays, and permitting complications.
“Kestrel puts the code right inside the BIM workflow, at the moment it can still make a difference,” said Marian Pulford, co-founder and CEO of Kestrel Labs. “No permit delay, no redesign, no late-stage surprise is random. They most often start in the design phase, when the right information wasn’t there at the right moment.”
The platform integrates directly into Autodesk Revit, one of the most widely used BIM applications in the architecture, engineering, and construction industry. Revit allows project teams to create and coordinate detailed three-dimensional building models throughout the design and construction process.
Kestrel’s platform consists of three primary components designed to streamline compliance review and knowledge sharing across project teams.
The first, Kestrel Compliance Analysis, enables users to perform a full code compliance review within Revit using a single click. According to the company, the process takes approximately 30 seconds and identifies potential violations linked directly to specific model elements, while citing the applicable code provisions.
The second feature, Kestrel Compliance Chat, functions as an AI-powered building code assistant capable of answering project-specific compliance questions in plain language. Responses are linked to relevant code sections and are available both within Revit and through a web browser.
The third component, Kestrel Portal, provides a web-based dashboard that allows project managers and firm leaders to monitor compliance issues and project status without requiring access to BIM files.
The company believes the platform can help address a growing workforce challenge facing architecture firms as experienced professionals retire and younger architects assume project responsibilities earlier in their careers.
Co-founder Austin Pulford, AIA, NCARB, who spent two decades in architectural practice before launching the company, said the platform was designed to capture and distribute code knowledge more effectively across project teams.
Industry leaders say the technology could help bridge an increasingly common knowledge gap.
“New hires are billable from week one now,” said Micah Gray, AIA, Director of Technology and Innovation at KAI Enterprises. “There is little runway to sit with a senior architect and transfer twenty years of code knowledge. Kestrel changes that equation. The code is in the model, visible to everyone, and it does not depend on who is in the room.”
A key element of the platform is Kestrel’s data agreement with the International Code Council (ICC), the organization responsible for developing model building codes used throughout the United States and in more than 100 countries worldwide. The agreement allows Kestrel to integrate authoritative code content directly into its compliance analysis tools and AI-powered workflows.
The launch comes amid growing interest in applying artificial intelligence to design, construction, and project delivery processes. While many AI applications in architecture have focused on generative design, visualization, and document management, Kestrel is targeting regulatory compliance—a process that remains highly manual and dependent on specialized expertise.
The company is offering its software through an annual firm-wide licensing model with no per-seat fees. Pricing is based on firm size, project complexity, and geographic jurisdictional requirements. Charter customers will receive preferred pricing and the opportunity to influence future jurisdiction-specific code development.
In addition to Autodesk Revit integration, Kestrel is available through the Autodesk Design & Make Marketplace and the Trimble Connect Marketplace. The company also announced plans for future integration with SketchUp.
As design firms continue to navigate increasingly complex regulatory requirements, Kestrel Labs is positioning its platform as a tool that can reduce risk, accelerate project delivery, and embed code compliance directly into the design process rather than treating it as a downstream review function.
