news

How Pointivo Went from Idea to Disruptive Startup

Primary tabs

When Habib Fathi was studying for his Ph.D. in civil and environmental engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology, he was at a professional crossroads, debating which path to take.

One obvious path: go the route of academia to continue his research and teach. The other path — arguably more risky — meant venturing out as an entrepreneur and forming a company based on his years of work and study of 3-D computer modeling and building construction.

Fathi, who earned his Ph.D. in 2013, took the latter route and went on to co-found Pointivo, where he is chief technology officer. The Atlanta-based startup captures dimensionally accurate 3-D models and measurements of any scene or structure using just a smartphone or tablet video camera. Its cloud-based solution simplifies tasks that require accurate measurements or 3-D documentation for use in the construction, roofing, insurance, and home improvement industries.

The company, co-founded by Dan Ciprari (MS MSE 2004) who serves as chief executive officer, has garnered a lot of attention, including funding grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF), and accolades such as being named a Technology Association of Georgia’s 2016 Top 10 Most Innovative Companies in Georgia and awarded the “Best in Show” at TAG’s annual Technology Summit.

Pointivo is part of the Advanced Technology Development Center’s (ATDC) Signature portfolio of companies. Pointivo also has received significant funding from key investors, including Blake Patton (BSIE1993) of Tech Square Ventures.

“We often talk about this living, vibrant ecosystem we have here in Tech Square and how entities such as ATDC help to make those cross connections,” Patton said. “You have a brilliant researcher from Georgia Tech taking his findings and turning them into a company by going through Tech’s VentureLab program and now being a part of Tech’s ATDC incubator.

“If it wasn’t for ATDC, I wouldn’t have met Habib, nor would I have met Dan and been able to connect them in the formation of the company. Pointivo’s success reflects the unique ecosystem here.”

Fathi, Ciprari, and Patton recently spoke with ATDC to explain the company’s evolution and startup journey. Read more here: http://bit.ly/2bQs9Ul.

Status

  • Workflow Status:Published
  • Created By:Shelley Wunder-Smith
  • Created:09/06/2016
  • Modified By:Fletcher Moore
  • Modified:10/07/2016

Categories