Product: Behind the Craft
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How to build vertical AI products | Rajitha Chaparala VP, Product (Procore) | LaunchPod
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How to build vertical AI products | Rajitha Chaparala VP, Product (Procore) | LaunchPod

How Procore turned cautious construction leaders into AI advocates by doing one thing: delivering immediate, real-world impact.

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On today’s episode, we’re talking with Rajitha Chaparala, VP of Product at Procore, a construction management solution and one of the most successful examples of vertical SaaS out there today. In this episode, we discuss:

  • How Rajitha and Procore got hesitant construction executives hungry for AI by showing real, immediate value in processing unstructured data, improving efficiency, and taking friction out of core workflows

  • Rajitha’s critical processes to ensure data quality, consistency, and collection in service of AI solutions deliver on their promise

  • How you can leverage 3rd party data to unlock the promises of AI

How to drive vertical AI adoption

Rajitha Chaparala explained how Procore turned cautious construction leaders into AI advocates by doing one thing: delivering immediate, real-world impact.

As the VP of Product, Data & AI, Rajitha had to find ways to really show high value with high fidelity use cases. Think:

  • Faster RFI workflows

  • Automated area measurements

  • Unstructured data, normalized and searchable

The goal was AI that doesn’t feel like a buzzword, but that just makes the job easier.

"You’ve given me this tool and it saved me like two hours of my day every day. Why didn't I have this before?"

Checkout this episode to learn:

  • How to make AI feel like productivity, not risk

  • Procore’s playbook for trustworthy data at scale

  • Where LLMs are already delivering in field operations

  • How to use product + data thinking to drive adoption

Here’s how they did it.

Start with data quality

“If your source data is messy, your AI output will be too.”

Rajitha walks through how Procore builds for clean, consistent, and useful data, especially in messy, high-volume environments like construction sites.

Find real friction, then remove it

AI isn’t about magic. It’s about saving time and reducing error in workflows like takeoffs, submittals, and RFIs.

Rajitha shows how Procore applied LLMs where the value was obvious, and let the user pull the technology forward.

Leverage 3rd-party data smartly

You don’t need perfect internal data to start. Procore combines their own product data with trusted external sources to power more intelligent, efficient tools for the field.

What’s your approach to building AI that doesn’t just wow, but wins real users?

Links

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajithachaparala/
Procore: www.procore.com

Follow on Socials

➡️ Jeff Wharton, Host: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffreywharton/
➡️ Emily Kochanek, Producer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/em-kochanek-11582750/
➡️ LogRocket: https://www.linkedin.com/company/logrocket/

What does LogRocket do?

LogRocket provides AI-first session replay and analytics that surface the UX and technical issues impacting user experiences. Start understanding where your users are struggling by trying it for free at LogRocket.com.

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