From working in the restoration industry to building solutions with RocketPlan
An SFU VentureLabs interview with Joe Tolzmann, CEO of RocketPlan Technologies.
VentureLabs’ client company RocketPlan built an operations system that benefits all participants in the remediation space: contractors, owners, building managers, property managers, insurers, and insurance brokers. RocketPlan digitizes the process so they can save time, have predictable estimates for stakeholders, and a simplified process to complete their insurance claims.

We had the pleasure of speaking with Joe Tolzmann, CEO and Founder of RocketPlan, about the birth of RocketPlan and how their platform helps professionals in the restoration industry move through the lifecycle of a claim with ease.
VentureLabs (VL): What led you to the creation of RocketPlan?
I started RocketPlan to address key challenges I faced while running my own restoration company that I had started from the ground up with just a few employees and scaled up to over 100 employees with multiple branches in BC and Alberta. I realized the industry was lacking digitization and automation. Insurance claims are complex. There are multiple stakeholders involved throughout the process where they all depend on each other throughout the lifecycle of the claim. Property losses are sudden and unexpected, so there is a massive amount of data to be captured on the go and in the field. That becomes very inefficient and costly. So, I realized there is a systematic issue throughout the industry and I decided to solve the problem with RocketPlan.
READ NEXT: 152 Tech: Innovating the cannabis retailer experience
VentureLabs (VL): How does RocketPlan help property restoration professionals improve operational performance?
RocketPlan is a mobile-first business operating system for property restoration contractors but also insurance claim professionals and other stakeholders involved in the process. RocketPlan is designed to operate the supercomputer that every person has in their pocket, a smartphone. This allows easy data capture in the field and on the go by collecting data into one central source of truth with all the claim information. RocketPlan is an end-to-end solution for the restoration industry managing initial damage assessment, dispatching the crew, real-time reporting, internal and external communication, CRM, claim processing, accounting, estimating integrations, and more. It is built for the person on the job, so our big focus is making it easy for those in the field to implement. RocketPlan can enable users to maximize their operational efficiency, provide the best employee experience and deliver great value to the stakeholders. So with this, RocketPlan reduces administration and management labour by over 50% directly to restoration companies. This allows other stakeholders involved to increase their operational efficiency, thereby helping insurance companies, independent adjusters, and property management companies decrease cost, giving back time while driving high profitability.
VentureLabs (VL): What sets RocketPlan apart from similar services on the market?
RocketPlan is built for the person on the job, so it doesn’t require extensive training or a person to change the way they currently do their job. It’s built with the person on the job in mind. Since most people are familiar with smartphone features, our mobile solution enables users to do what they do far easier and efficiently. Through the automation of our software, steps are eliminated in the process to convert raw data into multiple reports and distribute them throughout the stakeholders involved.

VentureLabs (VL): What does Thought Leadership mean to RocketPlan?
Our mandate is to utilize our industry experience and collaborate with other domain experts to provide maximum value to the industry. We aim to create the best employee experience, by allowing our users to maximize operational efficiency and deliver the greatest value to their stakeholders through technology and innovation.
VentureLabs (VL): Where does RocketPlan invest in people?
We invest both externally and internally. Externally in our customers because we are building technology to help people with their everyday work life. To do this, we also focus on investing internally to continually grow, be innovative, and allow employees to achieve their professional and personal goals. So for those reasons, it is very important we invest in our people.
READ NEXT: The building of a compassionate company with Ayogo
VentureLabs (VL): With 15 years of experience in building and scaling successful companies and being included as one of the Top 40 under 40 award winners as a driven and visionary leader. What three tips would you give to other entrepreneurs who are starting out on their journey?
- Focus on delivering the best value to your customers
- Build a team of domain experts
- Ensure seamless communication amongst the team internally and externally with all stakeholders involved
- I’ll add the 4th – enjoy the process!
VentureLabs (VL): What’s next for RocketPlan?
We are working on developing the best solutions for our clients, leveraging the latest technologies in AR and ML in order to streamline the process for all stakeholders involved.
Learn more about RocketPlan and their software at rocketplantech.com.