MSI Acquires Innovative AI Software from Duke University Students to Power Smarter Construction Planning
4/11/25Pratt School of Engineering
Startup built by three Duke Engineering undergraduates is acquired by industry-leading construction planning platform.
SHARE
MSI Acquires Innovative AI Software from Duke University Students to Power Smarter Construction Planning
QuikCal, a construction site delivery scheduling system started by three Duke University undergraduates has been acquired by MOCA Systems, Inc. (MSI). After developing a prototype in a first-year design course, the students continued to improve QuikCal over the years. Resources from Duke Engineering, particularly from the Christensen Family Center for Innovation (CFCI), were helpful in providing entrepreneurial advice.
“CFCI empowers driven students to make their innovations a reality,” said Steve McClelland, executive director of CFCI. “QuikCal is proof of what’s possible when students rise to that challenge—listening, learning and leveraging Duke’s resources to create real value. They made the most of their time, and they delivered.”
Read below for the full press release from MSI.
MSI Press Release
MOCA Systems, Inc. (MSI), provider of Touchplan®, the industry-leading construction planning platform, has acquired QuikCal, an innovative software application, and the associated code that was created at Duke University. The software uses AI-driven recognition and reasoning to eliminate laborious and error-prone transcription of construction project planning notation for task management and delivery scheduling.
Developed by Duke engineering students Ken Kalin, Del Cudjoe and Alec Liu, the software bridges the gap between commonly used manual construction planning boards and digital project management systems.
“This is a big step in aiding the transition from analog to digital planning,” said Brett Adamczyk, president of MSI’s Software Division. “They’ve brought their vision from concept to code with impressive clarity and focus to deliver tangible efficiencies on real-world construction projects. The team has shown remarkable entrepreneurial traits in identifying a real-world pain point and developing an applicable technology solution for construction professionals.”
The innovative trio is currently collaborating with MSI software engineers to integrate their code into the Touchplan cloud for availability to thousands of users later this year.
Working alongside their team gives us the opportunity to transform an idea that we started at Duke into something that can have a real impact for construction teams.
Ken KalinCo-Creator of QuikCal and Duke Engineering Senior
“It’s incredibly exciting to collaborate with an industry leader like MSI and contribute to the future of construction technology through Touchplan,” said Ken Kalin, co-creator of QuikCal. “Working alongside their team gives us the opportunity to transform an idea that we started at Duke into something that can have a real impact for construction teams.”
Touchplan is the leading planning intelligence platform for large, complex construction projects and enables powerful data-driven decisioning by developers, architects, and contractors around the world.
In just its second year, the hackathon inspired dozens of student-built projects lauded by industry and practice professionals for their inspiring creativity
12/2/24 Duke Office of Translation and Commercialization
Over a half dozen Duke Engineering startups and researchers were featured at the 6th annual Invented at Duke event
This website uses cookies as well as similar tools and technologies to understand visitors' experiences. By continuing to use this website, you consent to Duke University's usage of cookies and similar technologies, in accordance with the Duke Privacy Statement.I Accept
