Adalia Zhao Founded Software Firm BuildTrace

The construction technology company automated project change management to reduce human review time in 2026.

Updated on Oct. 7, 2026 in Remote Work

Isometric editorial illustration of a structural steel connector piece on a clean drafting surface, representing construction technology systems. — Software startup BuildTrace has introduced an automated project management platform for construction, aimed at reducing budget overruns from design revisions. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Live Poll

Do you trust automated systems to manage complex construction projects more reliably than manual human review?

In 2026, CEO Adalia Zhao led her software startup BuildTrace to streamline construction project management. The company, backed by Pear VC, automates the identification and pricing of design revisions.

Why it matters

Construction change management relies on manual processes that cause significant budget overruns across the United States. Automated systems like BuildTrace address this by comparing design sets to reduce inefficiencies in field instructions.

Approximately $220 billion is spent annually in the U.S. on construction change management. BuildTrace's software reduces human review time per drawing page from 45 minutes to 20 minutes.

The players

Adalia Zhao

Adalia Zhao is the founder and CEO of BuildTrace who previously worked as a project engineer and at Microsoft.

BuildTrace

BuildTrace is a software company that provides automated, priced change assessments for construction projects.

Pear VC

Pear VC is an investment firm that provides capital to early-stage technology startups like BuildTrace.

The details

BuildTrace operates by reading construction drawing sets in a manner similar to how version control systems track code changes. The platform provides priced and coordinated assessments to general contractors in California, including a major data center pilot project.

Start of 2026: Human review time per drawing page reached 45 minutes.
December 2025: Adalia Zhao appeared on The EBFC Show podcast.
October 7, 2026: The publication date of the original report.

Market Landscape

BuildTrace positions itself within the $220 billion annual U.S. construction change management market. By automating manual review processes, the company seeks to disrupt traditional project management workflows dominated by legacy methods.

General contractors using these tools can expect faster processing of design revisions and lower operational costs. Increased efficiency in construction projects may eventually lead to more competitive pricing for facility builds.

The takeaway

Automating manual construction processes offers a path toward reducing industry-wide budget overruns. As construction firms adopt software, human teams can focus on higher-level decision-making rather than repetitive drawing reviews.