A Maryland field service app just nabbed a $1.2M investment from the Cybrary creators

With the help of some former colleagues, a Hyattsville, Maryland founder has plans to bring the HVAC and other field services-related industries into the 21st century.

Garrett Wilson, a former growth management director at College Park cybersecurity training company Cybrary, is the cofounder and president of FieldBin, a workflow app for HVAC, plumbing, electrical, landscaping and other trade companies. The startup, which will officially launch its services later this summer, just nabbed a $1.2 million pre-seed round investment led by 7833 Capital Partners — an investment fund launched by Cybrary cofounders Ryan Corey and Ralph Sita.

Wilson said he was inspired to create FieldBin after the boom of home improvement projects over the past two years. Wilson, whose family has owned an HVAC and cooling company since the 1960s, said he began working on his company at the end of 2021. He sought to streamline the repair and build processes for field-service business owners.

With the renovation boom, Wilson said the file services industry has been jammed up by a little bit of everything: supply chain issues, manpower and the Great Resignation. And that’s where FieldBin comes in. The app, he said, simplifies the process by putting options for referrals, employee scheduling, payment collection, estimates, bidding and dispatching a team in one spot.

“What FieldBin really does is it takes your workflows and your operations and puts them all in your hand,” Wilson told Technical.ly.

Sita, too, has field services in his blood. His family has run an HVAC company for over 50 years (a business started by his dad which has since been passed on to his brother). Thus, he’s pretty confident in creating something that the industry needs, which is the ability to bring tech in and use it wisely. According to Sita, his brother still runs a business through his flip phone.

“We knew we had to make it simple because, in this industry, there is going to be a tremendous wall that you’re going to hit with technology because people have been doing things in the same way for so long,” Sita said.

Garrett Wilson. (Courtesy photo)

While they do expect such a wall, Sita and Wilson said they expect some to embrace this new way fully. Sita expects that future generations and those who are looking to adapt will be able to differentiate themselves, look more professional and be more reliable.

“As the younger generation is coming into the workforce, people, homeowners, customers have an expectation that technology is also going to make things simpler for them as a customer,” Wilson said.

The app is currently built on Bubble, a no-code platform for apps and digital products. Since it’s “plug and play,” the team plans to add more capabilities following its sixth-month trial, which is expected to begin by August 1. The company currently has a number of users on the waitlist, and it hopes to add new capabilities and incorporate feedback with 7833 Capital Partners’s funding.

Wilson will also use the funds to build and further develop the platform, as well as boost marketing for the product and growing the team. He expects to add about four to six team members, as well, within the next six months. The company said that it would hire remote workers.

“It’s a blank canvas in some respects and we can really help this product do something that helps the industry,” Sita said. “Not just something that’s forced upon them.”