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SmartBarrel offers an IoT-based hardware and software platform for the construction industry, specializing in precise labor management and time tracking. The core product uses biometric facial verification to capture accurate attendance and real-time labor data from jobsites. This integrated system automates payroll, streamlines daily logs, and enables productivity tracking, improving traditional manual processes.
Albert Bou Fadel founded SmartBarrel in 2016, driven by inefficiencies in construction labor tracking. As CEO, Bou Fadel aimed to modernize jobsite management by replacing manual timekeeping with technology, addressing inaccuracies and administrative burdens of conventional methods.
SmartBarrel caters to construction businesses, including specialty and general contractors with field crews. The company's vision involves transforming site operations by eradicating labor inefficiencies through real-time data. They strive to provide reliable workforce management solutions, enabling improved decision-making, cost optimization, and enhanced productivity.
SmartBarrel has raised $900K across 1 funding round.
SmartBarrel has raised $900K in total across 1 funding round.
SmartBarrel has raised $900K across 1 funding round. Most recently, it raised $900K Seed in February 2024.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 1, 2024 | $900K Seed | — | Dreamit Ventures | Announced |
SmartBarrel is a construction technology company that builds rugged, AI-powered biometric facial verification devices and software for accurate time tracking on job sites. It serves contractors, project managers, and payroll teams in the construction industry, solving problems like buddy punching, time theft, manual processes, and labor compliance by delivering weatherproof, solar-powered kiosks with real-time dashboards and ERP integrations.[1][2][3][5]
The platform streamlines clock-in/out, cost coding, productivity tracking, and payroll with features like automatic OT calculations, geofencing, and broadcast messaging, saving users over $4,285 per worker annually and 800 hours on manual entry. As a rapidly growing firm with 11-50 employees and under $5M in revenue and funding, SmartBarrel sets standards for accountability in medium-to-large construction projects.[1][3][4][5]
Founded in 2018 in Miami, Florida, SmartBarrel emerged from the construction field, led by a founder with over a decade of industry experience who identified pain points like buddy punching and inefficient time tracking.[1][2][4] The idea originated on job sites, with the original time clock designed to mount on a construction safety barrel—hence the name "SmartBarrel."[2]
Early development focused on field-friendly tech: no training required, durable hardware, and AI verification to ensure workers "just get to work." Pivotal traction came from addressing real-world chaos, evolving into a full platform with cloud dashboards and integrations, born from a commitment to make office data reliable by prioritizing field adoption.[2][5]
SmartBarrel rides the construction tech (ConTech) wave, targeting labor inefficiencies in an industry facing chronic labor shortages, rising costs, and fraud—estimated at billions annually. Its timing aligns with AI/biometrics maturation and post-pandemic pushes for contactless, remote-manageable tools, amplified by ERP digitization.[1][3][5]
Market forces like regulatory compliance demands, supply chain disruptions, and sustainability (solar power) favor it, while integrations embed it in ecosystems like Procore. SmartBarrel influences by standardizing accurate field data, enabling better project bidding, cost control, and workforce analytics, reducing waste in a $1.8T+ U.S. sector.[1][5]
SmartBarrel is poised for expansion with its proven, field-validated model, likely scaling via partnerships, international jobsites, and enhanced AI for predictive analytics or AR integrations. Trends like AI-driven ConTech adoption, labor scarcity, and green tech will propel it, potentially growing revenue through enterprise deals and acquisitions.
As construction demands precision amid economic pressures, SmartBarrel's excuse-free accountability positions it to dominate time tracking, empowering leaders to cut costs and boost efficiency from the field up.[1][5]
SmartBarrel has raised $900K in total across 1 funding round.
SmartBarrel's investors include DreamIt Ventures.
