QuikCal LLC Acquired by MSI to Enhance Office-Field Communication in Construction Industry

Raleigh, North Carolina--(Newsfile Corp. - May 1, 2025) - QuikCal LLC, an AI-powered software company born out of a freshman-year engineering course at Duke University, has been acquired by MOCA Systems Inc. (MSI), the provider of Touchplan®, the industry-leading construction planning platform. The acquisition highlights not just a technical achievement, but a deeply human-centered journey-one driven by curiosity, empathy, and a relentless commitment to solving real-world problems.

Pictured left to right, the founders of QuikCal: Del Cudjoe, Ken Kalin, and Alec Liu

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From Freshman Project to Industry Solution

QuikCal was co-founded by Duke students Ken Kalin, Alec Liu, and Delali Cudjoe, who entered college with no background in construction – just a class assignment and an open mind. "We weren't just building a product; we were learning how to listen," says Liu. "We started out thinking we'd invent some cool tech. But the turning point was realizing that the real innovation was in understanding people."

Originally developed as a solution to digitize job site logistics and communication, QuikCal evolved through dozens of customer interviews conducted as part of the NSF I-Corps program. The team's earliest prototypes, including a clunky "web form" interface, were scrapped after field users found them confusing. After connecting with customers, the founders leaned into natural language processing and large language models (LLMs) to build a tool that felt intuitive and aligned with the way construction workers already communicate.

"Empathy is a skill we weren't taught as engineers, but it became our superpower," says Cudjoe. "The AI piece was important - but what really moved the needle was being on job sites, asking the right questions, and caring about the answers."

Ken Kalin on a jobsite

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The team piloted QuikCal on a Skanska jobsite in Raleigh, where it saw 80% adoption among workers and helped plan construction activities four times further in advance, ultimately preserving critical hospital emergency room access and preventing an estimated $2 million in scheduling conflicts annually.

"Every pivot we made came from a conversation," says Kalin. "Whether it was pull planning or site-specific phone numbers, we weren't guessing; we were responding to the field." The software introduced a site-specific chatbot that allowed teams to text updates in real time, improving logistics and reducing friction between field and office personnel.

QuikCal's evolution took the team from sticky notes and whiteboards to pitching onstage at the BuiltWorlds Infrastructure Conference in Washington, D.C., and, finally, to acquisition by MSI in February 2025.

The acquisition not only validates the team's efforts, but also opens the door for QuikCal's solution to scale across MSI's network, aiming to revolutionize planning and communication in the construction industry.

As the founders graduate, they see this success as just the beginning. "We proved we can build in an industry we had no prior connection to," says Liu. "That's the real takeaway, the next thing we do might be in construction, or it might be something completely new. But we'll bring the same mindset."

QuickCal Logo

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About QuikCal LLC

QuikCal LLC is an office tool that improves office-field communication for large construction companies. The platform utilizes AI technology to translate handwritten documents into digital data.

About MOCA Systems Inc. (MSI)

MOCA Systems Inc. (MSI) is the developer of Touchplan®, the industry's leading construction planning and scheduling platform. By integrating QuikCal's technology, MSI continues to innovate in creating seamless, intelligent solutions for construction teams worldwide.

Contact Information

Address: 4030 Wake Forest Road STE 349, Raleigh, NC 27609

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