"It's compounding and becoming more of a crisis."

That's how Susan Brattberg described the digital skills gap facing our industry right now.

And honestly? She's not wrong.

In today's episode of Bricks & Bytes, we sat down with Susan Brattberg, co-founder and Chief Customer Officer at Global eTraining, and what started as a conversation about an epic rooftop party at Autodesk University (300 people, live band, line dancing - yeah, these guys know how to do marketing) turned into a deep dive on something way more important.

We talked about why training isn't just a nice-to-have anymore... and many more!

Tune in to find out about:

✅ Why the digital skills gap is now the #1 priority for CIOs across ALL industries globally

✅ How technology is changing faster than ever - and why the old "train every couple years" approach is dead

✅ The real ROI companies are seeing when their teams actually know how to use their tools (hint: projects run way smoother)

✅ How AI is flipping the edu-tech space upside down - and why most companies have already dropped out of this niche

Susan's been doing this for 17 years (her company's campus history goes back even longer), and she's seen the evolution firsthand. From physical campuses to on-demand training to AI-powered rapid content development.

If you're wondering why your projects feel chaotic or why new software rollouts never stick... this episode might have some answers.

Watch the full episode out on Spotify and Youtube.

Our Sponsors:

Aphex is the multiplayer planning platform where construction teams plan together, stay aligned, and deliver projects faster – check out aphex.co

Archdesk - “The #1 Construction Management Software for Growing Companies - Manage your projects from Tender to Handover” check archdesk.com

BuildVision - streamlining the construction supply chain with a unified platform - www.buildvision.io

Chapters

00:00 Intro

03:55 Introduction to the Journey

06:57 The Impact of Digital Skills Gap

09:50 Transitioning to Online Training

13:01 The Evolution of Training Methods

15:49 The Shift from Physical to Digital

18:50 Understanding Training Needs

21:44 Overcoming Initial Challenges

24:46 Current Trends in Training

27:45 The Role of AI in Training

30:45 Growth and Future Directions

35:00 Shifts in Business Post-COVID

37:45 Managing Growth and Team Dynamics

41:52 Sales Strategies and Customer Engagement

44:45 The Power of Branding and Events

52:32 Balancing Family and Business

54:22 The Competitive Landscape of E-Learning

56:31 Future Trends in E-Learning and AI

"Integration with Procore? Everyone warned us they'd copy our product. We did it anyway - and it became our best go-to-market decision."

In today's episode of Bricks and Bytes, we had Or Lakritz, founder of StructShare (now Trimble Materials), and we got to learn about how a 21-person startup navigated acquisition conversations with multiple players, the critical importance of transparency during M&A, why integrating with Procore in 2021 was one of their best decisions... and many more!

Tune in to find out about:

✅ Why Trimble chose to buy instead of build - and how StructShare filled a strategic procurement gap

✅ The real differences between being acquired by a platform giant vs. private equity (spoiler: it's all about narrative)

✅ How Or managed team culture and morale through the acquisition process with full transparency

✅ Why distribution matters more than product in construction tech - and what AI might change about that

This one's packed with honest insights from someone who actually lived through it. Worth the listen.

Our Sponsor:

Aphex is the multiplayer planning platform where construction teams plan together, stay aligned, and deliver projects faster – check out aphex.co

Archdesk - “The #1 Construction Management Software for Growing Companies - Manage your projects from Tender to Handover” check archdesk.com

BuildVision - streamlining the construction supply chain with a unified platform - www.buildvision.io

Chapters

0:00 Intro

4:00 Introduction to the Podcast and Guests

4:59 The Acquisition Story of Structure

9:17 Navigating the Acquisition Process

16:18 Cultural Integration Post-Acquisition

18:15 Lessons Learned from Building Structure

31:46 The Evolution of the Procurement Space

33:04 The Evolution of Construction Tech

35:58 AI's Impact on Procurement Processes

39:20 Building the Future of Procurement

42:24 Navigating Go-to-Market Strategies

44:36 Acquisition Insights and Market Dynamics

57:35 Integrating with Industry Giants

1:01:02 Personal Growth and Impact in Business

The UFC arrives in AEC. And we’re live from the AEC Octagon.

In the very first episode of our brand-new Bricks & Bytes Debates series, we are trading PR statements for sparring gloves. We’re putting two industry heavyweights head-to-head to battle out one of the hottest topics in construction: Has AI actually solved estimating?

In this no-holds-barred contester series, our contenders took the gloves off to represent the extreme Bull and Bear cases for Artificial Intelligence:

• In the Red Corner: Mike "Mighty" Powers (Co-Founder, BuildVision), arguing that LLMs have solved the extraction problem and the industry needs to embrace the "Waymo" era of automation.

• In the Blue Corner: Luigi "The Stinger" La Corte (Co-Founder, Provision), arguing that estimating is more than just counting symbols - and that without 100% accuracy, AI is still just a student driver.

Moderated by the referee of reason, Patric "Praying For Exits" Hellermann, this debate moves through three grueling rounds:

- Round 1: The Tech. Can LLMs actually count and measure complex drawings, or are they just guessing?

- Round 2: The Accuracy Gap. Is 80% accuracy "good enough" to change the industry, or is "trust but verify" just a nice way of saying "do it yourself"?

- Round 3: The Liability. In a world of design-bid-build, who takes the fall when the AI misses a scope gap?

Tune in to uncover:

• The "Waymo" Strategy: Why waiting for perfect AI is a mistake, and how to leverage the "self-driving" mindset to reduce takeoff times by 90% today.

• The Hidden Liability Loophole: Why architects and engineers could solve the estimating crisis instantly by sharing models—and the legal reason they never will.

• Symbols vs. Language: Learn the fundamental technical limitation preventing LLMs from reading 2D drawings like a human, and when we can expect "Visual Language Models" to catch up.

• The Subcontractor’s Dilemma: Why "Design Intent" matters more than counting linear feet, and why subs might actually be wasting time on granular takeoffs.

• A "Bribe" for Better Data: One listener’s hilarious (but practical) suggestion for how to finally get the Revit model from the design team.

Who will deliver the knockout punch? Tune in to decide for yourself.

Chapters

00:00 Intro

01:48 Introduction to Bricks and Bytes Debates

04:07 Opening Statements and Context Setting

06:51 Technical Feasibility of AI in Estimating

09:57 Practical Applications and Limitations of AI

12:59 Customer Expectations and Accuracy in AI Solutions

15:57 The Role of Human Oversight in AI Estimation

18:43 Future of AI in Construction Estimation

38:23 Navigating the Self-Driving Debate

41:19 The Evolution of AI in Estimating

43:32 Trust and Liability in Construction

46:13 The Role of Liability in AI Adoption

49:22 The Future of Estimators in AI

53:34 Rebuttals and Admissions: A Critical Discussion

59:39 The Current State of AI in Estimating

"I got employee of the year in 2016 for introducing Excel as a project management tool for the construction department in my company."

That's the state of technology in the $300 billion store development industry.

In today's episode of Bricks & Bytes, we sat down with Genevieve Davis and Alim Uderbekov from Surfaice. These two met on a beach in California (yes, really) and decided to tackle one of the most analog industries out there with AI agents.

Here's what we covered:

✅ Why companies building hundreds of stores aren't using Procore (hint: it's expensive and they're retailers, not developers)

✅ The "McDonald's is a race car" analogy - why 40,000 cookie-cutter restaurants are actually the perfect use case for AI in construction

✅ How code is becoming a commodity and why that changes everything about vertical software

✅ Why AI won't take your job, but people who know how to use it will

Link in comments - give it a listen if you're in retail, store development, or just want to hear how two people turned a beach conversation into a company.

Our Sponsors:

Aphex is the multiplayer planning platform where construction teams plan together, stay aligned, and deliver projects faster – check out aphex.co

Archdesk - “The #1 Construction Management Software for Growing Companies - Manage your projects from Tender to Handover” check archdesk.com

BuildVision - streamlining the construction supply chain with a unified platform - www.buildvision.io

Chapters

00:00 Intro

03:46 Introduction to Surface and Founders' Backgrounds

06:48 The Vision Behind Surface and AI in Construction

09:41 The Meeting of Minds: Genevieve and Alim's Collaboration

12:45 Current Challenges in Store Development

15:30 AI's Role in Automating Construction Processes

18:32 Efficiency Gains and Time Savings with AI

21:44 The Future of Store Development and Human Touchpoints

24:30 Defensibility and Business Model of Surface

27:25 Funding and Future Plans for Surface

39:13 Investment Insights and Strategic Partnerships

41:31 Customer Engagement and Feedback

44:33 AI in Construction: Transforming Workflows

47:14 Navigating the Go-To-Market Strategy

54:20 Understanding Competition in the AI Space

59:25 Customization and Onboarding Process

01:03:07 Future of AI in Construction

"If we just listened to what our customers wanted, we would have had a faster horse."

Everyone knows the Henry Ford quote, but Lee Mullin actually showed us what it means for construction tech.

In today's episode of Bricks & Bytes, we sat down with Lee from BuildArc. He spent 18 years at Autodesk, and honestly, the conversation completely changed how we think about talking about products.

Here's what stuck with us: we're all making ourselves the hero of the story. We love talking about our amazing AI tools, our productivity gains, our revolutionary features. But Lee said something that hit different - your customer needs to be Luke Skywalker. You're just Yoda, guiding them along.

Tune in to find out about:

✅ Why taking people from "9 to 20" beats incremental improvements from "9 to 10"

✅ The framework Lee used to convince construction crews that iPads weren't "voodoo"

✅ How to tell stories that actually connect (hint: it's about project managers lying awake at night, not your feature list)

✅ Why the best customer stories need tension and conflict (even though corporate hates that)

The reality is, there's so much noise in AEC tech right now. If you can't tell a story that makes people feel understood, you're just another vendor promising productivity.

Watch the full episode now. Link in the comments!

Our Sponsors

Aphex is the multiplayer planning platform where construction teams plan together, stay aligned, and deliver projects faster – check out aphex.co

Archdesk - “The #1 Construction Management Software for Growing Companies - Manage your projects from Tender to Handover” check archdesk.com

BuildVision - streamlining the construction supply chain with a unified platform - www.buildvision.io

Chapters

00:00 Intro

03:48 The Importance of Storytelling in Business

13:32 Navigating the AEC Technology Landscape

21:44 Crafting Compelling Presentations

27:22 Building a Storytelling Framework

31:13 Transforming Customer Stories into Success

37:28 The Human Element in AI

42:11 Understanding Personas in Storytelling

44:26 Frameworks for Effective Storytelling

53:01 Building Conflict and Tension in Stories

"You can drop 30% of your project management labor right now."

In today's episode of Bricks and Bytes, we had Darren Martin from AInvested and we got to learn about the harsh realities of digital transformation in AEC, how private equity firms value tech-enabled companies, and why most innovation initiatives fail to scale... and many more!

Darren left his role as Chief Digital Officer at Atkins Realis to advise PE firms and help construction tech startups break through growth barriers. His perspective from both sides of the table reveals uncomfortable truths about how the industry approaches technology.

Tune in to find out about:

✅ Why most companies are "digitally dabbling" instead of transforming

✅ How PE firms assess digital transformation value in billion-dollar acquisitions

✅ The specific labor reductions possible with current AI tools (hint: it's 30% in project management)

✅ Why small AEC firms can now compete with market leaders in ways that weren't possible before

Watch now to hear how the game is changing for construction companies willing to move beyond pilot projects.

Also, have a look at this article to know more: https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/aecom-jacobs-downgraded-uncertainty-over-180008836.html

Our Sponsors:

Aphex is the multiplayer planning platform where construction teams plan together, stay aligned, and deliver projects faster – check out aphex.co

Archdesk - “The #1 Construction Management Software for Growing Companies - Manage your projects from Tender to Handover” check archdesk.com

BuildVision - streamlining the construction supply chain with a unified platform - www.buildvision.io

Chapters

00:00 Intro

03:30 Introduction and Background

08:13 Transitioning to Private Equity and Startups

13:35 The Role of Private Equity in AEC Companies

18:22 Digital Transformation and Value Creation

23:20 Market Trends and Company Sizes

28:20 Leveraging Technology for Business Value

33:07 Digital Accelerators and Human-Centric Approaches

35:22 Optimizing Construction Processes for Efficiency

37:51 Tying Technology to Corporate Success

41:42 Proving Value at the Project Level

43:55 The Balance of Show and Tell in Sales

49:09 Purposeful Change in the Construction Industry

A controller was spending 3 days a month just reconciling Excel reports across 80 projects.

And that's just one person. Imagine the time sink across the entire org.

In today's episode of Bricks & Bytes, we had Joe Wilson from PROJEXION and we got to learn about the real state of construction data (spoiler: it's a disaster), why hiring data scientists isn't solving the problem, and how teams are finally breaking free from the endless cycle of firefighting... and many more!

Tune in to find out about:

✅ Why the 2018 point solution boom created a data fragmentation nightmare

✅ The gap between builders and data scientists that nobody talks about

✅ How one plug-and-play module gave an entire company their time back

✅ What happens when your data goes from "collecting dust" to actually alive

Joe's perspective is refreshing—15 years as a builder before jumping into tech means he actually gets what it's like on the ground. No fluff, just real talk about real problems. Watch now! Link in the comments!

Our Sponsors:

Aphex is the multiplayer planning platform where construction teams plan together, stay aligned, and deliver projects faster – check out aphex.co

Archdesk - “The #1 Construction Management Software for Growing Companies - Manage your projects from Tender to Handover” check archdesk.com

BuildVision - streamlining the construction supply chain with a unified platform - www.buildvision.io

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Chapters

00:00:00 Intro

00:03:30 Introduction and Background

00:06:29 The State of Construction Data

00:09:35 Data Fragmentation and Its Impact

00:12:32 Journey from Construction to Software

00:15:12 Building the Solution

00:17:41 The Leap of Faith

00:20:19 Finding the Right Co-Founder

00:23:17 Cultural Shifts in Transitioning Industries

00:26:34 Lessons Learned in Product Development

00:32:43 Transitioning from Construction to Sales

00:37:15 Building Relationships in Sales

00:41:55 Navigating the Sales Cycle

00:45:03 The Importance of Timing in Fundraising

00:46:52 Understanding Projection's Functionality

00:53:11 Integration and Onboarding Process

00:56:05 Real-World Use Cases and Impact

01:01:26 Overcoming Skepticism in Technology Adoption

01:04:47 Future Developments and Opportunities

"I remember just breaking down and crying when the announcement went live."

That's Rob Phillpot describing the moment he sold Aconex to Oracle for $1.2 billion—still the biggest acquisition in construction tech history.

The twist? He wasn't even looking to sell.

In today's episode of Bricks and Bytes, we had Rob Phillpot, founder of Aconex and now investor at Glitch Capital, and we got to learn about billion-dollar exits, why construction tech hasn't seen another mega-acquisition since 2018, and what's next for the industry.

Tune in to find out about:

✅ Why Oracle got Aconex at exactly the right moment

✅ The reality of losing control when you go public

✅ Why great construction software doesn't need to be sexy

✅ How AI will eliminate data entry and make tools predictive

Watch now on Youtube! Link in the comments!

Our Sponsor:

Archdesk - “The #1 Construction Management Software for Growing Companies - Manage your projects from Tender to Handover” check archdesk.com

BuildVision - streamlining the construction supply chain with a unified platform - www.buildvision.io

Aphex is the multiplayer planning platform where construction teams plan together, stay aligned, and deliver projects faster – check out aphex.co

Chapters

00:00 Intro

03:10 The Emotional Journey of Selling Aconex

09:08 The Landscape of Construction Technology Acquisitions

12:10 Life After Aconex: Transitioning to New Ventures

20:11 Key Factors Behind Aconex's Growth

36:16 Navigating Go-to-Market Strategies

41:03 Navigating International Markets

47:19 The Evolution of Digital Marketing

51:59 The Impact of Short Sellers

59:08 Transitioning from Founder to CEO

01:06:51 Innovations in Construction Technology