Mach9
by Mach9 (Mach9 Robotics Inc.)
AI CAD software that drafts survey-grade linework from LiDAR point clouds for civil engineering, DOT and utility teams
Mach9 is web-based AI CAD software that turns mobile, terrestrial and drone LiDAR scans into editable engineering drawings. It is built for surveying firms, civil engineers, state DOTs, telecom and utility teams whose drafting staff cannot keep up with the volume of reality-capture data they now collect.
Mach9 makes AI-assisted computer-aided design software for civil engineering and surveying. The company was founded in 2021 as Mach9 Robotics by researchers from Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics Institute, led by CEO Alex Baikovitz, to build cheaper hardware for infrastructure inspection. It pivoted after concluding that capture hardware was not the bottleneck: turning point clouds into CAD deliverables by hand was. Its product, Digital Surveyor, is a browser-based CAD application. Users load scans from Leica, RIEGL, Trimble, NavVis or Phoenix systems, and the AI proposes features such as breaklines, curbs, pavement edges, striping, guardrails, poles and signs as they draft; every suggestion can be accepted, edited or overridden. Digital Surveyor 2, announced March 19, 2026, added an extraction engine that adapts to each user's drawing style, draping, better corner snapping and QC checks with in-app 3D verification. Output goes to DXF, DGN, Esri Feature Services and field-to-finish survey formats. Mach9's own speed claims range from 10x per technician to 100x faster than manual drafting, and it says 2,500 projects and 100,000 miles have been processed. Named users include Langan, Olsson, Woolpert, HDR, HNTB, WSP, Michael Baker International, WSDOT and Maryland DOT. On October 21, 2026 TechCrunch reported a $34M Series A co-led by First Round Capital and Bessemer Venture Partners, following a $12M seed led by Quiet Capital in December 2024. It competes with Autodesk and Bentley Systems and with point-cloud tools such as TopoDOT and Trimble Business Center.
Heads of survey, geospatial or reality capture at engineering firms and DOTs whose LiDAR collection has outgrown their drafting headcount.
Faster turnaround from raw point cloud to editable CAD and GIS deliverables without hiring more drafters; customers cite month-long extraction jobs finished in days.
At a Glance
- Category
- Industry & Government
- Pricing
- Contact for pricing
- Target Market
- Survey and Engineering Firms, State DOTs, Telecom and Utility Operators, Geospatial Teams
- Deployment
- Cloud-only
- Founded
- 2021
- Headquarters
- San Francisco, USA
- Team Size
- 11-50
- Customers
- Nearly 100 customers in private beta (TechCrunch, Oct 2026)
Key Features
- ✓AI-suggested linework
The extraction engine proposes curbs, breaklines, pavement edges, guardrails and barriers from point clouds as you draw, cutting manual digitizing time.
- ✓Editable suggestions
Every AI-proposed vertex and line can be accepted, adjusted or deleted, so the licensed engineer keeps control of the final drawing.
- ✓Built-in 3D QC
Reviewers verify extracted vertices and lines in 3D inside the same app, with QC flags at each step, instead of exporting to another viewer.
- ✓Hardware-agnostic ingest
Accepts mobile, terrestrial and drone capture from Leica, RIEGL, Trimble, NavVis and Phoenix systems, so firms keep their existing scanners.
- ✓Standard deliverable formats
Exports to DXF, DGN, Esri Feature Services and field-to-finish survey formats that drop into existing AutoCAD, MicroStation and ArcGIS workflows.
- ✓Browser-based CAD
Runs in a web browser with draping and corner snapping, which removes desktop install overhead and shortens training for new staff.
Capabilities
Use Cases
- •Highway corridor mapping
A DOT contractor drafts curbs, striping and guardrails from mobile LiDAR across long corridors and delivers DGN files in days rather than weeks.
- •Telecom make-ready surveys
A fibre engineering team extracts poles and assets from scans; TrueNet Communications reported month-long manual jobs finishing in a few days.
- •Topographic survey production
A survey firm runs breakline and surface extraction on terrestrial or drone scans, then checks results in 3D before field-to-finish export.
- •Scaling without new drafters
An engineering firm puts survey technicians with little CAD training on extraction work; Langan's survey PM called it one of the lowest barriers to entry he has seen.
Ideal For
Best For
- ✓Mobile-mapping corridor surveys where curbs, striping, guardrails and pavement edges must be drafted over long road miles
- ✓State DOT asset inventories built from vehicle-mounted LiDAR
- ✓Telecom and fibre make-ready work that needs pole, sign and clearance data from scans
- ✓Survey firms onboarding new technicians who lack deep AutoCAD or MicroStation experience
- ✓Teams producing DXF, DGN or Esri feature-service deliverables from Leica, RIEGL, Trimble or NavVis data
Not Ideal For
- ✗Buyers who need published pricing or a security and compliance page before a trial, since Mach9 publishes neither
- ✗Projects that depend on automated extraction of feature types beyond the current mostly linear set; broader automation is on the roadmap rather than shipped
- ✗Organizations that want a full civil design suite for grading or road design, because Mach9 handles the extraction and drafting stage and hands off to CAD and GIS tools
Deployment
Market & Ratings
Nearly 100 customers in private beta (TechCrunch, Oct 2026)
Market Analysis
Pros
- ✓Named production users include large engineering firms (Langan, Olsson, Woolpert, HDR, WSP) and state DOTs
- ✓Engineer stays in control: every AI suggestion is editable, which matters for liability and licensing
- ✓Works with data from the major LiDAR hardware vendors and exports to standard CAD and GIS formats
- ✓Customer testimonials report month-long extraction jobs finishing in days
Cons
- ✗Speed claims are vendor figures that vary from 10x to 100x across Mach9's own materials, and Geo Week News noted no methodology behind the 100x figure
- ✗Automated extraction centers on linear features today; broader feature types and more automation are roadmap items
- ✗No published pricing, security certifications or compliance documentation
- ✗No independent user reviews on G2, Capterra or similar sites, and the testimonials available are vendor-selected
Pricing
Digital Surveyor
Contact for pricing
- ✓Free trial via sign-up form
- ✓Demo on request
- ✓Web-based CAD with AI extraction
Mach9 publishes no list prices, plans or metering details. The site offers a free trial behind a work-email form and a booked demo, and the trial's length and limits are not stated. TechCrunch reports the company's claim of up to 10x faster delivery at about a fifth of conventional cost, a vendor figure you should test on your own data.
Security & Compliance
Sources
This page was written from 8 sources, 7 on domains other than mach9.ai.
- 1.mach9.ai — mach9.aivendor
- 2.techcrunch.com — mach9 raises 34m after pivoting to ai cad software
- 3.lidarmag.com — mach9 unveils digital surveyor 2 a new standard for lidar fe
- 4.geoweeknews.com — mach9 ai feature extraction digital surveyor 2
- 5.pillsburylaw.com — pillsbury mach9 12m series seed funding round
- 6.lidarnews.com — visit mach9 at geo week 2026
- 7.builtincolorado.com — mach9
- 8.extruct.ai — mach9 ai
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