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<\/p>\nUniversity of South Florida alumni Lawrence Cirillo understands firsthand the challenges of planning a major home project, such as replacing a roof or an air conditioning system.<\/p>\n
This led him to create Henry, which is affectionately named after his dog. The marketplace platform manages every step of a project, from planning and pricing to scheduling and installation. Cirillo has developed a network of contractors to complete the work.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Henry team moved to the St. Petersburg-based incubator spARK Labs by ARK Invest, at the ARK Innovation Center, earlier this year. An official announcement was made last week.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Prior to launching Henry, Cirillo worked in the home services industry for five years. He believes the industry is \u201cfragmented,\u201d especially when it comes to sales, coordination and financing.<\/p>\n
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From left, Henry the dog and Henry founder Lawrence Cirillo. Photo provided.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll of those things have to come together in different products and software,\u201d Cirillo said. \u201cThen it relies on the salesperson to explain everything to the homeowner. Unfortunately, a lot of experiences with those salespeople end up being a high pressure scenario where the homeowner didn\u2019t make a comfortable decision.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Creating a \u201cunified home project marketplace\u201d has been on Cirillo\u2019s mind for quite some time. In fact, he began developing the concept three years ago.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Initially, Cirillo started to work on the initiative with his brother and a group of engineers. Once they all got jobs, Cirillo decided to put the project \u201cinto hibernation.\u201d He explained that he did not have all the necessary capabilities to build out the software.\u00a0<\/p>\n
However, emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence inspired Cirillo to pursue the opportunity again.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThis homeowner platform should also be alive in a way,\u201d he explained. \u201cIt should be able to do things for the homeowner rather than the homeowner just coming to it and making decisions. It should be a partner in that process.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cirillo argued that technology \u201cis one of the most primary ways that we as humans have been able to turn scarcity into abundance.\u201d Henry incorporates AI in certain aspects of the experience. However, the pricing, financial and scheduling components remain human-driven.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t want to involve AI in processes that are business critical or fundamental to the project,\u201d he said. \u201cHow you combine those two things together is a fun engineering challenge.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Henry officially launched in April. The platform focuses on roofing, HVAC, solar, battery storage and whole-home remodel projects.\u00a0Cirillo and his team began to work with users this summer. The company will initially focus on the Tampa Bay area.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Short-term, Cirillo and his team plan to review user feedback and improve the platform. If the software proves to be an effective \u201cinterface for starting and completing home projects,\u201d he hopes to scale the business across the nation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Moving to spARK Labs by ARK Invest was not a difficult decision. Cirillo explained that there are many incubator programs in cities such as San Francisco, Seattle or New York. However, the entrepreneur wanted to stay in the local area.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI came across a post from Becca Brown, spARK Labs by ARK Invest\u2019s CEO and president, about the program,\u201d he said. \u201cI was like \u2018oh my gosh, this really aligns with my ideas on how we need to advance progress and innovation within Tampa Bay.\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Once Cirillo reached out to Brown, she invited him to participate in an event at the incubator with ARK Invest\u2019s researchers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
ARK Invest was founded by Cathie Wood. She relocated the company to St. Petersburg from New York in 2021. The investment management firm focuses on five key themes: artificial intelligence, robotics, blockchain, energy storage and multiomics biology.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThey just really are focused on helping founders build strong businesses and helping us create products that are going to provide real value to our end users,\u201d Cirillo added. \u201cI just think that it\u2019s a really cool idea that\u2019s finally here in Florida.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cirillo explained that it\u2019s been \u201creally valuable to be surrounded by like-minded people.\u201d He has connected with other founders and exchanged ideas.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe first met Lawrence Cirillo several months ago and were immediately impressed by his focus, clarity of vision and exceptional ability to execute,\u201d said Brown in a statement prepared for the Catalyst. \u201cAs the founder of Henry, a company reimagining how technology supports homeowners and home projects, Lawrence is tackling a meaningful challenge with a disciplined, customer-first approach.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n