{"id":69535,"title":"Clad - Software to manage telecom subcontractors","tagline":"We help telecom companies lay fiber faster with software to bid, manage, and pay their construction subcontractors.","body":"\u003e _tl;dr:_ [_Clad_](https://www.withclad.com?utm_source=launch_yc\u0026utm_medium=link_in_post\u0026utm_campaign=022223_launchyc) _is a subcontractor management platform. We help telecom companies construct their networks faster, cheaper, and with fewer costly issues. Clad does this by streamlining everything from bidding through payments, all in one system._ \n\n\u003e _Know anyone who works at a telco or data center?_ [_Reach out_](mailto:jason@withclad.com)_!_\n\n### The Problem\n\nDemand for high speed internet is accelerating, driven by the rise of remote work alongside new public and private investment. As a result, ISPs, data centers, and other operators are rapidly expanding their networks. \n\nTelcos rely on contractors to get this construction done. And with the rapid growth in deployments, there’s more need for them than ever before. As a result, telcos are struggling to find and retain enough high quality contractors, putting budgets and timelines at risk.\n\nIt’s no surprise telcos are having a tough time - the way they work with their subcontractors is broken at every step of construction:\n\n![](https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/T6CNj3VYdBdETF7lwV9IKA95DtBujw8pMwGmLEi3qpbrgmZidTyIJwn-NEh1WiEjORDd6hCEmT7L6cKdGhuDOjE7EcBcb_WOQciZj0f9Fwbc2j6Y-8Abh8TomWsj7ScYzKpt7qyqKi8BZbo_Va3cByQ)\n\n### Enter: Clad\n\nClad is a subcontractor management platform tailor-made for telecom construction. We streamline how telecom companies bid out and qualify subcontractors, track construction progress, and create, approve, and pay invoices too.\n\nOur entire goal is to eliminate the time consuming back-office functions that come from working with subcontractors. \n\nCurious how? Take a look 👇\n\nWith Clad, telcos get out of email and spreadsheets - speeding projects up, saving money, and getting the insights to improve construction over time:\n\n![](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/ZFyNTkN1ZWfSZ60KsUFm_ibKme0xQLMg600PJ1dR0nF3_sjSrhFZQyCw6jHCP6QOJX85VotA6K2sbE0u-mN6-FlJt-XlcrXmYAiOGXnmP34rvHK8nIoThCUeV6UumCuj3Rh0iGlg-Y4xq-CgTz_Yj7U)\n\n_I’m_ [_Jason_](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonrudin/)_, and I started Clad because growing up, I saw first-hand how time consuming and painful it can be to work with subcontractors. When I was younger, my mom worked at a telco. I’d regularly hear stories about projects that were delayed or over budget because of miscommunications or errors with contractors. Last year I met two friends in telco who were complaining about the same problems as my mom. Hearing that, I dug in to learn more, and was shocked to learn that not much had changed in the decades since then. I’m building Clad to change this status quo._\n\n_I’m excited to build Clad because today, it remains too hard to build new things. And with high quality effective tools, we can get more done, faster._\n\n### You can help!\n\n1. **Share this post** - you never know who knows someone in telecom\n2. **Connect** Clad to General Contractors, ISPs, data centers, or anyone else in telecom construction at [jason@withclad.com](mailto:jason@withclad.com)\n\n_Thanks!_","slug":"I5X-clad-software-to-manage-telecom-subcontractors","created_at":"2023-02-22T14:42:46.583Z","updated_at":"2026-05-25T02:37:28.279Z","total_vote_count":115,"url":"https://www.ycombinator.com/launches/I5X-clad-software-to-manage-telecom-subcontractors","share_image_url":"//bookface-static.ycombinator.com/assets/ycdc/yc-og-image-c440a0ad1dacfb86eeeb343717479cc54d256614449b4ef719977a0a451f8bc8.png","company":{"id":28070,"name":"Clad","slug":"clad","url":"https://withclad.com/","logo":"https://bookface-images.s3.amazonaws.com/small_logos/5ab0e3d7b0de12617818a986b541a5e524c146ae.png","batch":"Winter 2023","industry":"Real Estate and Construction","tags":["Marketplace","SaaS","Construction","B2B","Collaboration"],"search_path":"https://bookface.ycombinator.com/company/28070"}}