KWOTIMATION

Based in Auckland, New Zealand, Kwotimation is a software-as-a-service company targeting the trade services sector. Founded in 2019 by Josh Faraimo and Jarome Cavubati, the company provides a platform that enables tradespeople, initially focusing on tilers, to quickly create a professional website complete with an automated online pricing and quotation system. The venture was born out of the founders' direct experience running their own tiling business, where they recognized the significant amount of time spent on quoting for jobs that often did not materialize.

The founders' journey is rooted in their hands-on experience in the trades. Faraimo, a tiler for about a decade, developed the initial concept to streamline operations for his own business, tiling.co.nz. After creating an online pricing system for his site and seeing it generate $370,000 in accepted quotes within two months, he and Cavubati decided to productize the solution for the wider industry rather than just expanding their own tiling operation. As founders with Māori and Pasifika roots, they initially found securing capital challenging but were eventually accepted into the Kōkiri Māori business accelerator program, which connected them with mentors and investors.

Kwotimation's core offering addresses a major inefficiency for tradespeople by automating the quoting process, which traditionally requires significant time and travel. The platform allows potential customers to get an estimate via a simple online process, saving the tradesperson from unnecessary site visits for jobs that may not be won. For a market where a low percentage of businesses have an online presence, Kwotimation provides an easy entry point. The service equips users with tools to build a complete website, including pre-filled, editable text and images, custom domain names, and content management features.

The company operates on a software subscription model. A significant milestone was securing $500,000 in a pre-seed funding round in March 2021. This round was led by Hillfarrance Venture Capital and included participation from Flying Kiwi Angels, Angel HQ, and Humi Group, among others. This capital was earmarked for further software development to expand the platform's capabilities to other trades beyond tiling.

Keywords: tradespeople software, quotation automation, website builder for trades, construction tech, field service management, online quoting tool, lead generation for contractors, tiling business software, automated estimation, trades business platform, New Zealand tech, Māori entrepreneurship, Pasifika tech, SME digitization, construction quoting, service business automation, online booking system, trades marketing, customer management for trades, job estimation software