Monthly Memo
2026: the year Shovels matured
I’ve started writing my reflections on this year and the theme is clear: 2026 is the year that Shovels matured. We’re a real business with real challenges. That’s what happens when you go from 10 to over 20 people: processes and protocols that didn’t exist before need to get sorted out.
And sort out we did. To give a quick review:
- We did our first SOC 2 Type 2 audit
- We removed a huge data dependency for permits
- And then removed another for properties
- We acquired, integrated, and expanded a decisions data product
- All this while improving our coverage and quality on permits and contractors
It feels like this whole year culminated in our big Shovels Summit where all 20+ of us descended on a hostel in Point Reyes, CA to hike and hack for three splendid days. Morgan published a nice write up about it.
In this memo, I want to dive into a few of our hackathon projects and what they imply for the future of Shovels.
Ryan Buckley - Co-Founder & CEO
October 2026 Release Notes
Charlie now builds and refines your search
Charlie no longer queries your data directly — it now builds and refines your search, answers questions from the Shovels documentation, and drafts a support ticket when something breaks. This release also links +7,548,433 more permits to an address and adds +4,936,265 net permits (+2.6%), a lighter month as September activity settles in.
- +7.5M more permits linked to an address
- +4.9M net new permits, up 2.6%
Content Roundup
Worth your read this month
Shovels Summit 2026: Ten Teams, Three Days, One Lodge in Point Reyes
One Part of the Story: How We Choose Partners at Shovels
What's Happening in Local Land Use | Q3 2026 - Thesis Driven
Shovels Partners with Always On Data to Turn Permit Signals into Digital Audiences
Working at Shovels - Footage Filmed at Our 2026 Team Summit
Data Center Moratoriums Went From Rare to Routine in a Year
Get a live demo at our booth
NOV 6 · NEW YORK
ResiDay in New York is only weeks away. Swing by our booth for a demo, chat with our co-founders, or reply to this email if you want an invite to our VIP dinner.
Map of the Month
Northern Virginia still leads the data center map
See the full map on LinkedIn →
Northern Virginia is still the center of the data center map 📍 Our team traced 2,435 sites across 171 metros through local building permits, and the DC metro alone holds 325, with 135 pulling a permit in the last 12 months.
Around the Web
What we’re reading
- State of Proptech Venture Capital: Q3 2026 - CRETI
- Senate Unveils Bipartisan Comprehensive Permitting Reform Bill - Akin
- How to be more ambitious: A tutorial for humans with models - Felix Rieseberg
- Ep 103: Fire Safety in Multifamily Housing with Alex Horowitz - UCLA Housing Voice
- Private Water and Sewer Systems in 2025 New Single-Family Homes - Eye on Housing
Shovels Sights & Sightings
Meanwhile, off the clock
Our 2026 team summit was nothing short of amazing. The team is firing on all cylinders, and getting together in person really energized us.
Marko hand delivered a few gifts from California for Petra who couldn't join us during the summit. We understand why.
Marko, Filip, Gasper, and Morgan wandered the SF streets in search of a foosball table. On the way they snagged this picture in front of Rippling HQ - the "workforce management system" of record at Shovels!
More for data diggers like you
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