Bricks And Bytes

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Episodes

316

Latest episode

Jun 2026

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EN-GB

About the show

A show about construction technology, business, and entrepreneurship. Welcome to the Bricks and Bytes Podcast, where we bring together the worlds of construction, technology, and entrepreneurship. We explore the innovative ideas and groundbreaking advancements that are shaping the future of the industry.

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60 recent

June 16, 202659 min

Why One Construction Incident Can Wipe Out Project Profit

"Every GC is one poorly managed incident away from wiping out the entireprofit for the project." That line from Simon Elliott, CEO of Breadcrumb, set the tone for one ofthe sharpest conversations we've had on construction safety tech. We sat down with Simon to dig into why most safety tools miss the point,and why the real unlock isn't compliance, it's productivity. Tune in to find out about:✅ Why "safety third" is the uncomfortable reality on many US job sites✅ The hidden cost of the superintendent turning up at 3am just to clear paperwork✅ What actually changes on site from day one to six months after going digital✅ Why trusted field data is becoming the foundation for AI in construction ▶️ Watch on YouTube and Spotify. Our free Construction Safety Report. Download your copy here: https://bricks-bytes.com/downloads/construction-safety/ #bricksandbytes #bricksbytes #bricksbucksandbytes #aec #construction #constructiontech #ai #vc00:00 Teaser01:05 Introduction to Safety Technology in Construction06:07 The Importance of Safety and Compliance10:50 Technology's Role in Enhancing Safety16:06 From Compliance to Productivity21:02 Implementing Breadcrumb: A Case Study30:58 The Future of Safety Technology32:05 Integrating Technology in Construction38:14 The Importance of Data in Safety Technology42:04 Target Customers and Market Dynamics51:01 Navigating the Competitive Landscape56:57 The Future of Safety Technology in Construction

June 13, 202617 min

Why Safety Data Is Worth Money, and Incidents Cost You 4-6%

Spotify DescriptionThis week's briefing covers three shifts every construction leader should be watching.Workplace incidents in construction eat four to six percent of project cost. The average contractor makes two to three percent margin. That single comparison changes how you should think about safety technology, and this week the Bricks and Bytes State of Construction Safety Tech report goes live to prove it.Owen breaks down what touches your P&L: why your safety records are turning into a financial asset insurers will price off, why your next major client may force this tech on you before any regulator does, and which part of the hype to ignore for now.Then: the AI price war. Anthropic just released the most expensive model on the market the same week the Wall Street Journal reported OpenAI is weighing drastic price cuts. What that contradiction means for your software bills, and the two moves to make before your next renewal.And a trip to Paris, inside Vinci, a 300,000 person company built from 4,000 separate businesses, to answer one question: how does anything new actually survive at that scale?The answer connects straight back to why safety platforms live or die.Free Safety report below:https://bricks-bytes.com/downloads/construction-safety/Join the argument in the comments of this week's LinkedIn post.

June 12, 20261 hr 18 min

Are AI Startups Overvalued? Anthropic, IPOs & VC Horror Stories

A VC fell asleep for 30+ minutes during a founder's pitch. The round stillclosed.This week on Bricks, Bucks & Bytes, we traded the VC horror stories founders never forget, debated whether the hottest AI startups are just "reselling tokens," and brought on three founders fresh off funding rounds: Guy Saxelby (Earlytrade, $25M total raised), Adrian Rhaese (EnvioTech, €1M pre-seed) and Ben Waters (LightTable, $22M Series A).Tune in to find out about:✅ Why Patrick calls Lovable, Cursor and Vercel "resellers of tokens" and what that means for their valuations✅ How Earlytrade automates construction payments, with 10% of revenue already running with zero humans✅ The streetlight startup saving cities 80% on energy while mapping how a whole city moves✅ Dustin's no-mercy pushback on what it actually takes to be a "platform for pre-construction"Listen now on Spotify and YouTube. #bricksandbytes #bricksbytes #bricksbucksandbytes #aec #construction#constructiontech #ai #vcChapters00:00 Intro01:10 VC Horror Stories Founders Never Share07:05 The Weirdest VC Behaviour We've Seen13:01 Why AI Costs Are Eating Your Margins19:15 Will AI Companies Ever IPO?25:49 How to Find Early Product-Market Fit33:24 Expanding Internationally: What Actually Works40:09 Where Construction Tech Innovation Happens45:48 The Growth Playbook for the Next 5 Years56:56 The Hardest Lessons of Entrepreneurship58:11 Why Timing Beats Everything in Business58:19 How Perception Shapes Professional Success59:10 Why Being Eccentric Is a Branding Advantage01:02:07 Where Tech Meets Construction01:04:09 AI That Actually Manages Construction Projects01:10:10 Why Pre-Construction Is Where the Money Is01:16:16 Mastering the Critical Path

June 11, 202620 min

The Startup Using 2,000 AI Agents to Check Construction Drawings | $4.2M Seed Round

"We have 2,000 agents going through your document, checking every single item in detail."This week we sat down with Brandon Smith and Raymond Zhao, co-founders of Structured AI, fresh off a $4.2M seed round they closed in just five days.Tune in to find out about:✅ How Brandon went from training an AI fighter jet at 17 to building construction AI after a single Reddit message✅ Why agentic AI finally cracks drawing review when traditional machine learning never could✅ The deterministic, no-confidence-score system with a full audit trail your team can sign off on✅ Where this goes next - an AI coworker that fixes errors straight back into your Revit model🎧 Watch now on YouTube and Spotify.#aec #construction #constructiontech #bricksandbytes #bricksbytes #bricksbucksandbytes #ai #vc

June 9, 202657 min

Why Construction Companies Are Turning to Palantir?

"I currently haven't found a use case in which I haven't been able to build."That was Brett Adams on what Palantir Foundry can do in construction.This week on Bricks & Bytes we sat down with Dan Julien (Chief Revenue Officer) and Brett Adams (Forward Deployed Engineer and Head of Construction) of ForgeSight, the i4C born team implementing Palantir Foundry across the AEC industry, to cut through the rumours about what Palantir is actually doing in construction.Tune in to find out about:✅ Whether Palantir Foundry can really replace your ERP✅ What "forward deployed engineering" actually means on a job site✅ Whether Procore, Autodesk and Trimble survive a Palantir world✅ How a contractor rebuilt its entire operation on Foundry in roughly a year🎧 Watch now on Spotify and YouTube#bricksandbytes #bricksbytes #bricksbucksandbytes #aec #construction #constructiontech #ai #vcOur Sponsors:BreadCrumb- 50,000+ projects globally. All running safer, faster, with Breadcrumb. - breadcrumb.coAphex is the multiplayer planning platform where construction teams plan together, stay aligned, and deliver projects faster – check out aphex.coArchdesk - “The #1 Construction Management Software for Growing Companies - Manage your projects from Tender to Handover” check archdesk.comChapters00:00 Teaser00:18 What Is Palantir & Why Construction?02:36 Palantir Foundry Explained05:16 Who You Need to Implement It08:35 Do You Actually Need Palantir?11:01 Real Use Cases in Construction13:19 How to Implement Foundry & Integrate Data22:00 Sponsor25:01 Getting Your Data Into Foundry28:40 How Long Does Implementation Take?30:31 Solving Software Integration Challenges33:06 Can Foundry Replace Your ERP?36:22 The Future of ERP vs Palantir (SAP, Oracle)39:31 Palantir for Non-Technical Teams42:58 Case Study: How Kavanaugh Uses Foundry46:02 How Much Does Palantir Cost?48:03 Who Foundry Is Actually For49:41 Use Cases for On-Site Workers56:12 Solving Common Operational Headaches

June 6, 202620 min

Polestar's Designer Found Construction's Blind Spot, £3bn Burned on the Wrong Thing, + Incoming Safety Report

Seven men carrying one 140kg steel bar, on the biggest infrastructure project in Britain. The founder of Laing O'Rourke saw it and concluded that in fifty years, nothing had changed.This week's Executive Briefing is about the man he hired to fix it. Chetan Kotur designed cars at Volvo, launched Polestar globally, then spent three and a half years looking at construction with outsider's eyes. At our private fireside in London this week, he shared his diagnosis on the record for the first time.In this briefing:The industry that innovates daily or dies, versus the industry that fears innovation might kill itWhy nobody in construction checks what competitors are doing (and what Polestar did instead)56% of construction injuries are musculoskeletal. No other industry still accepts thisHinkley Point C: how a precision rebar factory turned a month of work into a single shiftThe pattern across Europe: Laing O'Rourke's lab, Bouygues' Scale One, Vinci's hired field, and why testing grounds are multiplying as construction's innovation wave goes physicalFrom a Paris stage: investor Patric (Foundamental) on why tech aimed at 2% of construction's cost base was always going to disappointThe two questions that expose a weak tech vendor in five minutesA first look at our State of Construction Safety Tech report, landing next week: incidents consume 4 to 6% of project cost in an industry running 2 to 3% margins

June 5, 20261 hr 6 min

The $3.6 Billion Bet On Construction's Future

A venture capitalist walks into a bar."I'll have what everyone else is having."Patrick told that joke about his own profession on this week's Bricks, Bucks & Bytes, and it set up the sharpest exchange of the episode: venture stopped backing hard problems and started buying momentum.We're joined by Alain Waha, CTO of Buro Happold, and Richard Fifita, CEO of Veyor, fresh off a $7.5M Series A, alongside Dustin DeVan.What we get into:→ Autodesk's $3.6 billion all cash acquisition of MaintainX, and why Dustin, who watched this strategy take shape from inside Autodesk, says it all leads back to the digital twin→ "Knowledge arbitrage": Alain's framework for what stays defensible when knowledge becomes computable→ Why construction robotics needs systems integrators more than it needs humanoids→ How Veyor went from backed up concrete trucks to managing deliveries at JFK, SFO and major data center projectsFull episode is live now on YouTube and Spotify.#bricksandbytes #bricksbytes #bricksbucksandbytes #aec #construction #constructiontech #ai #vcOur Sponsors:BreadCrumb- 50,000+ projects globally. All running safer, faster, with Breadcrumb. - breadcrumb.coAphex is the multiplayer planning platform where construction teams plan together, stay aligned, and deliver projects faster – check out aphex.coArchdesk - “The #1 Construction Management Software for Growing Companies - Manage your projects from Tender to Handover” check archdesk.comChapters00:00 Intro00:30 Introduction and Technical Challenges03:21 Live Streaming and Event Experiences06:13 Autodesk's Acquisition of MaintainX11:50 Data Ownership and Predictability in Construction16:23 Knowledge Arbitrage in Engineering and Robotics20:00 Exploring Knowledge Arbitrage in Robotics22:06 The Role of Systems Integration in Construction Robotics22:54 Challenges in Robotics for Construction Trades24:16 Collaborative Robots: The Future of Construction25:59 The Disconnect Between Innovation and AI in Construction27:30 Testing Software vs. Materials in Construction27:45 The Reluctance to Experiment in Construction Tech29:52 Capital Efficiency and Technology Adoption in Construction32:49 The Venture Capital Landscape and Its Challenges36:33 The Future of Venture Capital in Technology44:46 Innovative Event Planning in Construction Technology47:26 Branding and Customer Perception in Construction48:11 Disruption in Construction: Insights from Automotive Industry51:09 Bouygues' Innovation Lab: A New Era for Construction51:53 Introducing Richard: Veyor's Journey and Innovations56:59 Streamlining Material Management in Construction01:01:58 Challenges in Construction Scheduling and Delivery01:05:36 The Aussie Tech Scene in Austin, Texas

June 4, 202658 min

Is Construction Silicon Valley's Next Big Opportunity?

"AI won't help you if you're still using clunky software with a six-month learning curve." – Anita Venkiteswaran, E3 TechIn today's episode of Bricks and Bytes, we sat down with Anita, the driving force behind E3 Tech's AI-powered M&A strategy in construction, alongside two of her platform companies: Rob Metz (Sylvan) and Chris Weaver (Egan).Tune in to hear about:✓ Why 25,000+ specialty contractors represent a massive M&A opportunity✓ How AI is finally solving construction's 40-year productivity decline✓ What jobsite credibility really means for founders building construction tech✓ Why unified AI systems beat fragmented "point solutions" every timeAvailable now on Spotify and YouTube.#aec #construction #constructiontech #bricksandbytes #bricksbytes #ai #vcChapters00:00 Intro01:39 Introduction to E3's Model and AI in M&A07:41 Identifying Ideal Acquisition Targets10:34 The Role of Technology in Modern Construction13:45 The Entrepreneur in Residence Model16:35 The Impact of AI on Construction Efficiency19:52 Building Relationships with AI Startups22:29 The Future of AI in Construction31:59 Leveraging AI for Contract Management32:42 The Evolution of VDC and BIM in Construction34:14 Enhancing Processes with Robotics and AI35:38 Attracting Talent through Technology36:38 AI Amplifying Human Expertise38:35 Transitioning Businesses and Succession Planning40:12 Navigating Business Ownership Transitions42:42 The Necessity of Adapting to Change46:41 Lessons Learned from Technological Implementation48:18 The Future of AI in Construction53:44 The Importance of Unified AI Solutions55:31 Integrating AI with Emerging Technologies58:27 Opportunities for Collaboration in the Industry

June 2, 202619 min

$75m To Rebuild MEP Engineering with AI - Endra's Huge Funding in Just 13 months

"$75M in 13 months. a16z just led their Series A."We sat down with Niklas Lindgren, Co-Founder & CEO of Endra, fresh off their $50M Series A led by Andreessen Horowitz, taking total funding to $75M in 13 months.Endra is building the purpose-built workspace for MEP engineering, already partnering with AtkinsRéalis, Buro Happold, WSP, Hoare Lea, Ramboll and AFRY.Tune in to find out about:✅ Why a16z led at Series A instead of waiting for later traction✅ The Stripe vs PayPal analogy behind Endra's category play (and why they're not replacing Revit)✅ The honest answer to the billable-hours paradox✅ What this means for the next generation of MEP graduatesWatch now on Spotify and YouTube 🎧#bricksandbytes #bricksbytes #bricksbucksandbytes #aec #construction #constructiontech #ai #vc

June 1, 20261 hr 3 min

"I Built Honest Buildings, Sold It to Procore - Here's What No One Tells You About the Exit"

"You could get 60 reviews of a pizza in six seconds, but finding a new contractor takes 12 months and spreadsheets."That's how Riggs Kubiak described the construction industry in 2011 when he started Honest Buildings as a marketplace to connect owners with contractors.It didn't work.The pivot? A project management platform that became so valuable, Procore acquired it.We sat down with Riggs to talk about what killed the original idea, what saved the company, and why the phase of entrepreneurship nobody prepares for is what comes after the acquisition. His new book "Earned" launches June 2nd. Buy it here.The real conversation:✓ Why dominating a small category beats chasing everyone's problems✓ The execution hell of building two-sided marketplaces✓ What nobody tells you about life post-exit✓ The founder moments that don't make it into LinkedIn postsWatch the full episode now on YouTube and Spotify.#bricksandbytes #constructiontech #entrepreneurship #founders #aecOur Sponsors:BreadCrumb- 50,000+ projects globally. All running safer, faster, with Breadcrumb. - breadcrumb.coAphex is the multiplayer planning platform where construction teams plan together, stay aligned, and deliver projects faster – check out aphex.coArchdesk - “The #1 Construction Management Software for Growing Companies - Manage your projects from Tender to Handover” check archdesk.comChapters00:00 Intro01:28 Introduction and Journey to Honest Buildings04:49 The Evolution of Honest Buildings11:10 Navigating the Pivot: Lessons Learned13:41 Sales Cycle Challenges in Construction Tech13:42 Sponsors16:44 Sales Cycle Challenges in Construction Tech28:45 Reflections on Key Mistakes and Difficult Times30:57 Acquisition by Procore: The Journey Ahead34:02 Closing the Gap in Construction Management35:38 The Importance of Negotiation in Acquisitions39:34 Navigating Post-Acquisition Roles42:00 The Entrepreneurial Residence Experience46:39 Founders Forum: Building Community48:45 Understanding Acquisition Motivations53:20 Reflections on the Integration Process56:13 The Journey of Entrepreneurship1:02:33 Life After Acquisition: The Next Chapter