As we close out 2025, I want to share a transparent look at where ElkConstruct stands, what we accomplished this year, and where we're heading. It's been a year of significant growth and product development, and our team is proud of the progress we've made alongside our customers.
By the numbers, 2025 was a breakout year. Our customer base grew from 120 firms at the start of the year to over 680, spanning general contractors, specialty subcontractors, and construction management firms across 38 states. These firms collectively processed over $12 billion in estimated construction value through the platform. Our subcontractor portal facilitated more than 45,000 bid submissions, and our blueprint analysis engine processed over 180,000 drawing sheets.
On the product side, we shipped several major features. Automated Blueprint Analysis launched in January and has become our most-used AI feature, with users reporting average takeoff time reductions of 55%. Bid Management 2.0 followed in March, replacing our original bid solicitation system with a comprehensive workflow that handles everything from invitation to award. Team Collaboration features launched in May, enabling real-time concurrent editing and role-based permissions. Mobile-First Estimating arrived in July, bringing full platform capabilities to tablets and phones.
We achieved SOC 2 Type II certification in September, validating our security practices for enterprise customers. This was a significant investment that took over a year to complete, and it opened doors to several large national contractors who require third-party security validation from their technology vendors.
Our AI models improved substantially throughout the year. Quarterly model updates expanded the building types and specification sections the system can analyze. Cost prediction accuracy improved from a mean absolute percentage error of 11.2% at the start of the year to 8.3% by year end, driven by the growing volume of project data in our training set. Blueprint analysis accuracy improved from 91.3% to 94.7% over the same period.
We also grew our team from 18 to 47 employees, with particular investment in engineering, customer success, and data science. We opened a second office in Austin, Texas, to complement our Seattle headquarters, giving us better coverage across the construction markets we serve.
Looking ahead to 2026, our roadmap focuses on four key areas. First, we're building integrations with the leading project management platforms so that estimates flow seamlessly into construction budgets without manual re-entry. Second, we're expanding our AI capabilities to include specification analysis, automatic value engineering suggestions, and predictive change order risk scoring. Third, we're launching a subcontractor-focused product tier that gives specialty contractors their own tools for estimating, bid tracking, and capacity planning. Fourth, we're expanding internationally, with initial markets in Canada and the United Kingdom.
I want to thank every customer, partner, and team member who contributed to our progress this year. Building technology for the construction industry is uniquely challenging because the work is complex, the stakes are high, and the users have zero tolerance for tools that slow them down. Your feedback and patience as we iterate have been invaluable. Here's to an even more productive 2026.