NEW ORLEANS — Build-A-Way Inc., a New Orleans-based AI software company for home service professionals, has been named a finalist in the 2025 Nexus Louisiana Technology Cup. The event, being held June 17–19 in Baton Rouge, features cash prizes for top tech startups across the state.
Co-founders of Build-A-Way, Ashton Hilliard and Josh Bartholomew, created Build-A-Way to solve a common problem in the trades. As homeowners, they saw service providers miss calls and send invoices late. With the Build-A-Way software, the Voice AI will answer incoming calls and AI automation will start the invoicing process.
This software allows smaller, solo companies and business owners who may not be able to afford to hire administrative staff, to operate like a full business team without the cost of paying salaries and other expenses for staff.
“My dad was a solo business owner in the music gig world and struggled to answer calls or send invoices on time,” said Ashton Hilliard, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Build-A-Way. “After doing customer discovery, I realized this same issue existed across other industries too.”
According to U.S. Census data and Small Business Administration estimates, a significant portion of businesses in the New Orleans metro area are sole proprietorships or micro-businesses (fewer than five employees), especially among plumbers, electricians, HVAC technicians, landscapers, handymen, and other home service providers. These businesses often consist of just one or two people who handle both the physical labor and the day-to-day management, such as answering phones, scheduling jobs, ordering parts, and invoicing customers.
“We’re not selling leads,” said Josh Bartholomew, Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer of Build-A-Way. “This is full-service automation for home service pros. You’ll see it live on stage.”
At the Nexus Cup demo, Build-A-Way will show a live AI phone call. AI Personal Assistant will answer, qualify the job, book it, and instantly log the details into the service provider’s portal.
Build-A-Way is launching its AI-powered software at a time when there is a large and growing market for this type of software. The total estimated annual value of the U.S. home service industry—covering labor, materials, and service fees for maintenance, repairs, and improvements—is more than $800 billion.
Build-A-Way has built its platform so that it is not just a tool but is “the infrastructure for automating every trade”. This positions the Build-A-Way platform as a foundational system that can transform how home service providers operate, bringing automation, consistency, and professionalism to the smallest of businesses.
Build-A-Way’s platform provides 24/7 call answering and automatically checks the provider’s calendar and schedules appointments that align with both the customer’s and service provider’s availability.
Build-A-Way says the its software processes payments upfront through automated billing, eliminating the need for manual follow-ups. The Build-A-Way AI system will engage in natural-sounding conversations, interpreting accents and handling complex customer requests.
Businesses using the Build-A-Way software maintain full control by setting their own pricing, services, and availability parameters.
Build-A-Way Inc. is raising $800,000 in its pre-seed round but is already inviting home service providers to join its waitlist at www.buildaway.ai.
About Build-A-Way Inc.
Build-A-Way Inc. is a Vertical AI SaaS company based in New Orleans. It builds automation tools for solo and small home service providers. Its flagship platform, Operator AI™, replaces front-office tasks with voice agents answering phone calls and AI automation running the invoice process.
The company has filed 41 patent claims covering its core AI systems. These include real-time voice agents, autonomous job intake, model context proposals, conversational UI layers, and AI workflow orchestration. Operator AI™ brings these modules together to automate the job — no human needed to follow up.
About Nexus Louisiana
Nexus Louisiana is a nonprofit organization helping grow innovation and entrepreneurship across the state. The Nexus Technology Cup is its statewide competition for emerging tech founders and student innovators.
It brings together top talent to showcase live demos, receive coaching, and compete for cash prizes and startup support.
