They met at an MIT poker night, now their $1 billion startup is selling AI to HVAC companies — and calling the technicians 'main characters'

Then they had a chance meeting with HVAC company Rescue Air and realized they were onto something even bigger.

"When a restaurant misses a phone call, that's a $30, $40 order," Chen told Fortune. "When a home service business misses a phone call, that could be a $30,000, $40,000 HVAC install they're missing."

The math was compelling. The duo spent three months building the product for Rescue Air. It helped them earn more clients, and eventually snowballed into Avoca.

The founders have raised $125 million on a vision: AI gets more work for blue-collar businesses. Notably, the pitch relies heavily on a future where humans are served by AI.

The future of trades is still human, probably

The company's success hinges on a future in which plumbers and technicians remain human, at least for the next five years, Shrivastava said.

"With all that's happening in AI, the next million-dollar-job is the job of plumber, the job of the technician," Shrivastava said. "What Avoca has realized is these people are the main characters.”

This assumption is well-founded. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says demand for heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers is likely to expand at 8% a year, much faster than the average across all jobs (2). That said, specific numbers vary by job.

The market for plumbers is expected to grow in line with the 4% average (3).

Chen and Shrivastava anticipate a huge market. "Everyone's trying to build for the Fortune 500, but there's this giant, trillion-dollar economy no one is touching," Chen said.

A 2023 Grand View Research report projects the HVAC market size will grow to $445.73 billion by 2033 (4).

Avoca is capitalizing upon a trend: the rapid shift from white-collar to blue-collar work.

Blue-collar work is hot, white-collar work is not

Blue is the new white, and the swap is changing how people work.

AI is coming for desk jobs. A 2025 survey by Resume Builder reveals 4 in 10 Gen Z college graduates are working in or pursuing a blue-collar or skilled trade job, including 37% of those with a bachelor's degree (5).

They’re doing it to tackle student debt and reduce the risk of being replaced by AI (6).

In a workforce survey, the American Staffing Association found (7) that 1 in 3 U.S. adults would recommend that high school grads go straight into trade school.