DraftAid

DraftAid is a Toronto-based artificial intelligence startup pioneering the automation of CAD manufacturing drawings, positioning itself as the world's first generative AI platform specifically designed for engineering documentation. Founded in 2022 by Mohammed Al-Arnawoot, Abdullah Elqabbany, and Tahsin Rahman, the company addresses a critical pain point in product development: mechanical engineers and designers spend approximately 40% of their time creating production drawings from 3D models—a tedious, error-prone process that often delays projects by weeks. DraftAid's AI-powered software generates detailed 2D fabrication drawings from 3D CAD models with a single click, reducing drawing time by up to 90% while eliminating common errors.

The company's founding team brings complementary expertise that positions DraftAid uniquely to solve this complex technical challenge. Mohammed Al-Arnawoot serves as CEO, bringing experience as Director of Engineering at Dozr, a Series B construction tech company. Abdullah Elqabbany, an electromechanical engineer, created thousands of CAD drawings in his career, including work shaping Toronto's skyline, giving him intimate knowledge of the problem space. Tahsin Rahman, who serves as CTO, holds a PhD from the University of Toronto in Electrical and Computer Engineering and previously led AI/ML systems development for the Canadian Department of National Defence. The team met at the Canada Wide Science Fair and have been building together for over six years.

DraftAid participated in Y Combinator's Winter 2024 (W24) cohort and raised a $500K seed round led by Y Combinator. Since launching in August 2023, the company has secured paid pilots and contracts valued at $150,000 through targeted outreach and word-of-mouth. The platform integrates seamlessly with major CAD applications, adapts to company templates and standards, and provides intelligent annotations with automated dimensioning that meets manufacturing requirements. Engineers working on projects ranging from automation machinery to skyscrapers use DraftAid to transform weeks of manual work into minutes, enabling faster time-to-market and reducing costly documentation errors.