Funding UpSmith Raised $10M After Moving From the Labour Shortage to the Unsold Estimate A Series A led by SemperVirens, reported 6 October, for a Dallas company founded in 2022 that was selling a gamified technician-productivity app against a skilled-trades shortage as recently as 2024, and now sells revenue recovery against a contractor's own customer database. Roughly fifteen people, 200-plus operators, and $18.3M in disclosed rounds. Hugo Pegley · Oct 13, 2026
Analysis 62% of Commercial Contractors Have Tried AI. Among Those Using It, 15% Can Show Clear ROI. ServiceTitan's 2026 Commercial State of the Trades, published 24 September, reports a July survey of 1,020 commercial contractors, primarily in mechanical, electrical and plumbing. Its AI findings describe a sector past the question of whether to try and stuck on the question of what it returned — and the cash-flow numbers underneath them explain why that question is being asked now. Hugo Pegley · Sep 24, 2026
