OneCrew Raises $12M to Be the Operating System for Paving Contractors

On this episode of The SaaS CFO Podcast, host Ben Murray sits down with Ari Bleemer, co-founder and CEO of One Crew, to dive into the world of construction tech and SaaS for so-called "less sexy" industries. Ari shares the story of how his background in computer engineering and management consulting at Bain led him to uncover a massive technology gap in the construction sector—specifically among paving contractors. You'll hear how One Crew is carving out its place as an all-in-one operational platform for contractors, streamlining every step from leads to invoicing, and eliminating the patchwork of spreadsheets and mismatched software solutions that have long plagued the industry.  Ari opens about the challenges and wins of fundraising, going from a tough seed round to a preempted Series A, and offers valuable insights for founders facing similar hurdles. We also talked about One Crew’s go-to-market strategy, pricing decisions, favorite metrics, and exciting upcoming launches—including their move into enterprise and new features like a subcontractor portal and AI-powered insights. Whether you’re a SaaS founder, investor, or just curious about digital transformation in traditional industries, this episode is packed with practical lessons and inspiration.  Let’s jump into the conversation with Ari Bleemer.  Show Notes:  00:00 Bridging Construction Tech Platform Gap  03:22 Demand for Effective Industry Technology  07:19 Scalable Business Solutions Guidance  10:40 Scaling to Serve Larger Enterprises  12:45 Venture Funding Challenges and Successes  17:06 Optimizing Go-To-Market Strategy  19:59 "Seasonal Growth Challenges and Metrics"  23:26 Enterprise Platform & AI Integration Launch  Links:  SaaS Fundraising Stories: https://www.thesaasnews.com/news/onecrew-raises-3-25-million-in-seed-round  https://www.thesaasnews.com/news/onecrew-raises-7-5-million-in-series-a  Ari Bleemer’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aribleemer/  OneCrew’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/getonecrew/  OneCrew’s Website: https://www.getonecrew.com/  To learn more about Ben check out the links below:  Subscribe to Ben’s daily metrics newsletter: https://saasmetricsschool.beehiiv.com/subscribe  Subscribe to Ben’s SaaS newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/df1db6bf8bca/the-saas-cfo-sign-up-landing-page  SaaS Metrics courses here: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/  Join Ben’s SaaS community here: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/offers/ivNjwYDx/checkout  Follow Ben on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benrmurray