Tired of the busywork?

We're architects building the design partner we always wanted

Heron AI takes the slow, manual parts of modelling and hands them to your tools, so you spend more time designing and less time on the busywork. Built by architects who got tired of doing it all by hand.
We built the fix

Why Heron AI?

The heron is a bird that stands still at the water's edge, watching closely, and moves only when it needs to, with precision. That's how our agent works. It watches your model quietly, speaks up when something needs attention, and acts only once you approve. "AI" reflects what sits under the hood, but the idea we care about is a calm, patient helper that never gets in your way.
Heron AI was founded by architects who were spending too many hours on repetitive modelling, cleanup, and coordination, work that pulled them away from the actual design. The tools were powerful but passive: they waited for every instruction and offered nothing back. We wanted a tool that could see what we were doing and take the dull, repeatable work off our plate, without ever taking control away from us. So we built one.
Our mission:
Take the repetitive modelling work off your plate
Catch problems while you design, not after
Make changes directly in your model, on your approval
Give back the hours lost to manual work
OUR TEAM

Built by architects, powered by technologists

We're a cross-disciplinary team with backgrounds in architecture, engineering, AI, and BIM technology. What unites us: the belief that our tools should do the dull work for us, so we can get back to design.
Dana Whitfield
Co-Founder & Architect

Dana Whitfield is an architect and founder who spent fifteen years in practice before turning to software. She led design teams on large commercial and civic projects, and kept hitting the same wall: talented people spending their days on repetitive modelling instead of design. She started Heron AI to fix that.

Before Heron, Dana was a design lead at a national architecture firm, where she ran BIM standards across several offices and pushed for early adoption of automation in the studio. She holds a Master of Architecture and is a licensed architect.

Dana leads Heron's vision and product direction, keeping the team close to the way architects actually work.

Dana Whitfield
Co-Founder & Architect

Dana Whitfield is an architect and founder who spent fifteen years in practice before turning to software. She led design teams on large commercial and civic projects, and kept hitting the same wall: talented people spending their days on repetitive modelling instead of design. She started Heron AI to fix that.

Before Heron, Dana was a design lead at a national architecture firm, where she ran BIM standards across several offices and pushed for early adoption of automation in the studio. She holds a Master of Architecture and is a licensed architect.

Dana leads Heron's vision and product direction, keeping the team close to the way architects actually work.

Marcus Reyes
Co-Founder & Architect

Marcus Reyes builds and runs the operations behind fast-growing technology companies. He has taken teams through funding rounds, market launches, and the messy middle of scaling from a handful of people into a real company.

Before co-founding Heron AI, Marcus ran operations at two software startups, one of which was acquired. His background sits across both finance and product, which helps him connect what the team builds to how the business grows.

At Heron, Marcus handles operations, hiring, and the day-to-day running of the company, so the rest of the team can stay focused on the product.

Marcus Reyes
Co-Founder & Architect

Marcus Reyes builds and runs the operations behind fast-growing technology companies. He has taken teams through funding rounds, market launches, and the messy middle of scaling from a handful of people into a real company.

Before co-founding Heron AI, Marcus ran operations at two software startups, one of which was acquired. His background sits across both finance and product, which helps him connect what the team builds to how the business grows.

At Heron, Marcus handles operations, hiring, and the day-to-day running of the company, so the rest of the team can stay focused on the product.

Ellis Grant
Co-Founder & Architect

Ellis Grant is a software engineer and systems architect with over twenty years building products in demanding, technical fields. His work spans full-stack development, systems design, and engineering leadership, with a focus on tools people rely on every day.

Before Heron AI, Ellis was head of engineering at a design software company, where he led the team building plugins and integrations for tools like Revit and Rhino. He knows the quirks of working inside these environments first-hand, which is exactly what Heron needs.

At Heron, Ellis leads engineering and technical architecture, making sure the agent is fast, safe, and trusted inside the tools architects use.

Ellis Grant
Co-Founder & Architect

Ellis Grant is a software engineer and systems architect with over twenty years building products in demanding, technical fields. His work spans full-stack development, systems design, and engineering leadership, with a focus on tools people rely on every day.

Before Heron AI, Ellis was head of engineering at a design software company, where he led the team building plugins and integrations for tools like Revit and Rhino. He knows the quirks of working inside these environments first-hand, which is exactly what Heron needs.

At Heron, Ellis leads engineering and technical architecture, making sure the agent is fast, safe, and trusted inside the tools architects use.

Priya Anand
Co-Founder & Architect

Priya Anand is an AI engineer who works on agents that take actions in the real world, not just chat back. Her focus is making models reliable and safe enough to trust with real work, which matters a lot when an agent is editing someone's project.

Before Heron AI, Priya worked on applied machine learning at a large technology company, building systems that had to be accurate and accountable at scale. Her background is in computer science with a focus on machine learning.

At Heron, Priya builds the core of the agent: how it reads a model, decides what to suggest, and carries out a change once it's approved.

Priya Anand
Co-Founder & Architect

Priya Anand is an AI engineer who works on agents that take actions in the real world, not just chat back. Her focus is making models reliable and safe enough to trust with real work, which matters a lot when an agent is editing someone's project.

Before Heron AI, Priya worked on applied machine learning at a large technology company, building systems that had to be accurate and accountable at scale. Her background is in computer science with a focus on machine learning.

At Heron, Priya builds the core of the agent: how it reads a model, decides what to suggest, and carries out a change once it's approved.

Robert Callahan
Co-Founder & Architect

Robert Callahan is a principal architect with over thirty years across large civic, commercial, and institutional projects. He has led practices, sat on design review boards, and mentored a generation of architects.

Robert advises Heron on how the product fits into real practice, and keeps the team honest about what architects actually need day to day.

Robert Callahan
Co-Founder & Architect

Robert Callahan is a principal architect with over thirty years across large civic, commercial, and institutional projects. He has led practices, sat on design review boards, and mentored a generation of architects.

Robert advises Heron on how the product fits into real practice, and keeps the team honest about what architects actually need day to day.

Samuel Okafor
Co-Founder & Architect

Samuel Okafor has spent his career building and advising technology companies, with a focus on AI products and how they reach the market. He has been an operator, an investor, and a board member. Samuel advises Heron on strategy, fundraising, and scaling, drawing on years of helping technical founders turn a good product into a real business.

Samuel Okafor
Co-Founder & Architect

Samuel Okafor has spent his career building and advising technology companies, with a focus on AI products and how they reach the market. He has been an operator, an investor, and a board member. Samuel advises Heron on strategy, fundraising, and scaling, drawing on years of helping technical founders turn a good product into a real business.

Built by architects, powered by technologists
Austin Pulford
Co-Founder & Architect

Marian Pulford is a strategic leader with a track record of scaling organizations, securing multimillion-dollar funding, and driving technology adoption across industries. She specializes in operational strategy, AI implementation, and fundraising, with a focus on transforming complex challenges into high-growth opportunities.

Before co-founding Kestrel Labs Marian led operations at two strategic consultancies, managing large-scale projects that optimized business workflows through AI-driven solutions. She also spearheaded a $5M capital campaign for RiNo Art District, securing major state grants and orchestrating cross-sector partnerships among government agencies, private donors, and corporate sponsors to bring a transformative community project to life.

Beyond Kestrel Labs, Marian is deeply involved in philanthropy and community leadership and serves on multiple nonprofit boards.

With a background in scaling organizations, raising capital, and implementing technology-driven solutions, Marian is leading Kestrel Labs’ mission to revolutionize compliance and risk management in architecture and construction.

investors & partners

Technologies & partners with HERON AI

Backed by:
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SEE WHAT HERON CAN DO IN YOUR MODEL

Book a demo and we'll show Heron working inside one of your own projects.