In this episode of KP Unpacked, KP and Nick break down one of the toughest choices for hardware and robotics founders in AEC:
Should you sell the equipment, offer it as a service, or self-perform the work?

We cover how to size distribution and reduce friction, when CapEx vs OpEx tilts the deal, what risk transfer really costs, and why your choice is not static. We also get into channel pitfalls like exclusivity and rights of first refusal, and share field lessons from companies building real robots for construction.

What you’ll learn

• A simple way to map distribution size vs friction before you pick a model
• When RaaS wins due to OpEx and risk transfer
• When to sell equipment because the interface is mature and buyers have CapEx
• When to go Prime/self-perform for fast payback and control
• How maintenance, spares, and uptime reshape your margins
• Why channel exclusivity and ROFR can box you in
• How to use customer conversations to validate the model early

Examples referenced

• Lumina: electric construction equipment and why self-perform can align incentives
• Okibo: drywall finishing robots and why RaaS speeds product learning

Timestamps

• 00:00 Intro and warm-up
• 03:05 Why cheerful, constructive podcasts work
• 04:45 Founders Podcast and dense learning
• 07:06 The big question: sell, service, or prime
• 09:20 Framework start: distribution size vs friction
• 14:35 Leasing, risk transfer, and unfamiliar tech
• 17:20 RaaS realities: maintenance, spares, support
• 22:35 Heuristics for RaaS, sell, and prime
• 25:20 Incentives when you operate your own machines
• 28:36 Okibo case: production scale and feedback loops
• 33:26 CapEx vs OpEx and incentive alignment on projects
• 39:44 Channels, exclusivity math, and distribution maturity
• 40:39 The ROFR trap and how it kills deals
• 42:19 Ask customers early and often
• 47:39 Wrap

If you’re building in AEC and wrestling with go-to-market, send us your scenario. We’ll pressure-test it on a future episode.

Sounds like you? Join the waitlist at https://kpreddy.co/

Check out one of our Catalyst conversation starters, AEC Needs More High-Agency Thinkers

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Welcome back to KP Unpacked, the #1 podcast in AEC!

In this episode, KP Reddy sat down with Ahmad Omar, founder of Slate, also our Mastermind member, to discuss the new wave of entrepreneurship sweeping through the AEC industry. Ahmad shares his journey of leaving a large firm to start his own, highlighting how today's technology, including AI, has shattered traditional barriers to entry for new companies.

This conversation delves into why the rigid, slow-moving systems of the past are no longer a fit for today's innovators. Ahmad explains how Slate differentiates itself through speed and personal relationships, challenging the conventional wisdom of large firms. They also explore the future of the industry, from the potential for AI to be a "great equalizer" to the end of archaic practices like timesheets and multi-phased project billing.

Follow KPR Co on LinkedIn to stay updated on our latest insights and groundbreaking projects.

Ready to get hands-on with the future of AEC? Join us for our upcoming events!

• Vibe-a-thon - October 28th
• AEC Summit - October 29th

See you there!

Sounds like you? Join the waitlist at https://kpreddy.co/

Check out one of our Catalyst conversation starters, AEC Needs More High-Agency Thinkers

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Welcome to KP Unpacked of the #1 podcast in AEC.

In this conversation,

KP Reddy and Nick Durham cut through the noise and challenge the stories AEC leaders keep telling themselves. From LinkedIn posts that sparked heated debates to hard truths the industry avoids, this episode doesn’t play safe. It pushes you to rethink how innovation, scarcity, and leadership actually work in the built world.

We revisit KP’s most discussed LinkedIn posts, including:

• Why paradox is a moat.
• The real reason startups fail in AEC.
• What leaders get wrong about exclusivity.
• Wrappers vs. Builders: the value equation no one wants to face.
• Why “safe” advice will kill your vision faster than risk ever will.

💡 Episode Highlights:

• “Innovation in AEC isn’t optional. It’s survival.”
• “Scarcity creates power. Abundance creates noise.”
• “Wrappers aren’t builders. Services aren’t IP.”
• “Safe advice is the fastest way to kill a big idea.”
• “Exclusivity is a moat, but only if you dare to enforce it.”

👉 Explore more at KPR Co and follow us on LinkedIn for upcoming episodes, events, and insights.

Sounds like you? Join the waitlist at https://kpreddy.co/

Check out one of our Catalyst conversation starters, AEC Needs More High-Agency Thinkers

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The #1 podcast in AEC.

In this episode, KP Reddy and Nick Durham unpack why defensibility today looks less like patents and more like paradoxical thinking, and why the smartest move for AI “wrappers” is to act like a services firm that sells results, not features.

5 Big Ideas

1. Wrappers = Services Business: If you’re building an LLM wrapper, stop pitching IP. Sell industry outcomes, deliver faster/cheaper with your toolset, and price like pros.
2. Moat = Paradoxical Thinking: Your edge isn’t secret code. It’s a founder’s contrarian judgment and speed. Nobody can clone that.
3. Guard Your Info Rights: Corporates as investors? Kill board seats/observers and information rights. Money is cheap; data is priceless.
4. Monopoly Myths in AEC: Software can show power-law effects; services don’t. Fragmented, regulated markets blunt “winner-take-all” dreams.
5. Franchise the Customer: Wild model: sell market exclusivity to be your customer, capture scarcity up front while keeping product margins.

If this made you rethink your go-to-market, hit follow and send this to the one founder who needs tougher advice.

Follow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/

Sounds like you? Join the waitlist at https://kpreddy.co/

Check out one of our Catalyst conversation starters, AEC Needs More High-Agency Thinkers

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In this episode of KP Unpacked, the #1 podcast in AEC, KP and guest Frank Lazaro explore how AI is reshaping the job market for recent graduates and what parents should tell their children about future career prospects. They discuss strategies for navigating an economy where traditional entry-level jobs are disappearing and entrepreneurship offers promising alternatives.

• The job market for recent graduates has softened similar to the post-dot-com bubble era
• Three emerging career categories: capital allocators, high experts, and exception handlers
• High agency individuals who can solve problems without guidance will be increasingly valuable
• Today's generation seems more comfortable separating income generation from traditional employment
• Entrepreneurship offers viable paths forward with less capital investment required than in previous eras
• AI tools can democratize business creation, allowing individuals to launch ventures without extensive technical expertise
• Field experience and customer-facing roles may become more important initial career steps
• Modern business opportunities don't require venture capital - many successful ventures start with minimal investment
• The ability to quickly learn and adapt matters more than formal credentials for entrepreneurial success
• Companies are abandoning custom AI projects in favor of using existing tools and platforms

Check out our upcoming Vibe-a-thon in Phoenix this October! For companies interested in private Vibe coding workshops, reach out to Frank directly.

Sounds like you? Join the waitlist at https://kpreddy.co/

Check out one of our Catalyst conversation starters, AEC Needs More High-Agency Thinkers

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The #1 Podcast in AEC.

This episode marks a first: KP sits down with Nick for their debut recording together on KP Unpacked. Funny enough, you heard their second episode (on the MIT AI Report) before this one because the MIT discussion was too timely to hold back. But here’s where it all started.

Expect raw takes, sarcastic banter, and unfiltered truths about startups, venture capital, and the built world.

Highlights from KP & Nick’s first rodeo:

• “You know nothing” - why KP tells teams to stop looking for answers from the boss and start listening to the market.
• Henry Ford’s “faster horses” quote and why KP calls it a dumb take.
• AI + robotics roll-ups and who’s really the customer when law firms and AE shops adopt agentic tools.
• The death of niche features and why vibe coding and no-code kill most startup theses before they begin.
• The illusion of being venture fundable and how KP decides when he’s out, even on good ideas.
• Why venture theses get stale fast and why copying YC or Sequoia is a losing move.

Resources / Links mentioned in this episode:

• MIT AI Report was wrong
• KP Reddy on LinkedIn

Sounds like you? Join the waitlist at https://kpreddy.co/

Check out one of our Catalyst conversation starters, AEC Needs More High-Agency Thinkers

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Welcome to KP Unpacked, the #1 podcast in AEC.
Hosted by @KP Reddy and co-host @Nick Durham.

What if the way we measure work is completely wrong? In this episode, KP and Nick dive into the MIT “Gen AI Divide” report and uncover how incentives, adoption, and measurement distort the real impact of AI inside enterprises.

Here’s what you’ll hear in this conversation:

• Why most companies report “no AI benefits” even though 95% of employees use AI daily
• The hidden incentives that keep workers from admitting AI is making them faster and better
• The rise of the Shadow AI Economy and what it means for enterprises vs individuals
• Why current ROI metrics miss the mark and why we should measure tokens instead of time
• Token arbitrage explained: how value will shift when human work is priced per token
• The psychology of professional services and why billable hours are nearing extinction
• How AI adoption differs across industries and why AEC faces unique challenges
• Fresh founder lessons on persistence in construction tech and the brutal reality of this industry

AI is not just about saving hours. It is about redefining how value gets measured, priced, and delivered. The question is not if this shift happens, but when.

Sounds like you? Join the waitlist at https://kpreddy.co/

Check out one of our Catalyst conversation starters, AEC Needs More High-Agency Thinkers

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Welcome to KP Unpacked - the #1 podcast in AEC.

What if buying a home felt like talking to Jarvis instead of chasing a realtor? In this episode, Jeff Echols sits down with Enoc Silva, CEO of Vuen AI, to unpack how AI-powered visual agents are reshaping real estate, construction, and the built world.

🔑 Highlights from this episode:

• How AI visual agents give buyers on-demand 3D property tours that answer every question in real time.
• Why this tech could cut sales cycles from a year to weeks.
• The hidden gem: how AI can capture buyer intent and pass it straight to sales teams.
• The bigger vision - a personal Jarvis-like assistant managing your schedule, tasks, and even your home.
• Cutting through AI hype vs. reality: what’s real, what’s noise, and why human connection still matters.

Whether you’re in real estate, construction, or simply curious about where AI is headed, this conversation shows how close we are to living with personal AI agents.

Sounds like you? Join the waitlist at https://kpreddy.co/

Check out one of our Catalyst conversation starters, AEC Needs More High-Agency Thinkers

Hope to see you there!