Techstars Alabama EnergyTech Startup Spotlight: OpenDrawing AI

Company name: OpenDrawing AI.

Company hometown: Denver, Colorado.

Leadership team: Will McKnight, CEO; Feras Almasri, CTO; Martin Teller, CPO.

What is your company’s overall focus and mission?

Will McKnight: To help construction and manufacturing firms automate their project cost estimation process with AI and ML.

What inspired you to start this company? How do you want to contribute to the future of energy and tech?

McKnight: I spent the first three months of my career at Schneider Electric in a classroom with 20 other incoming sales engineers learning how to do manual takeoffs and estimations and decided that someone needed to create a way to automate that process.

What attracted you to the Techstars Alabama EnergyTech Accelerator?

McKnight: I’ve always been in the power industry and thought that this accelerator would be a perfect fit for us. I also want to build my network in the power industry, and this is the best accelerator for that niche.

What is the No. 1 thing you’d like potential investors to understand about your company?

McKnight: That we created this company to solve a problem that we felt firsthand in the field every day, and that there are millions of other companies around the world dealing with the same problem.

What takeaways do you hope to gain for your company by taking part in the Techstars Alabama EnergyTech Accelerator?

McKnight: Lessons and guidance from other founders; connections to potential customers, partners and investors.

What is your opinion of Alabama/Birmingham so far?

McKnight: I love it! Amazing food, beautiful scenery and friendly people.

We are profiling the cohort companies of the 2025 Techstars Alabama EnergyTech Accelerator.