"Owners want buildings, not software."

That one line from Andrew Zukoski (CEO, JOIN) reframes the entire AEC tech market.

In B&B Fight Night 3, Andrew goes head to head with Clifton Harness (CEO, TestFit) on AI, architects, venture capital, and what the next five years look like.

Tune in to find out about:

✅ Why only 3 AEC companies have IPO'd in 15 years and what that means for founders raising VC

✅ Whether builders or architects come out on top in an AI-driven AEC industry

✅ The real test for separating AEC AI products from rappers

✅ Why the next big AEC IPO might be a services firm, not a SaaS company

Watch now on YouTube and Spotify!

#bricksandbytes #bricksbytes #bricksbucksandbytes #aec #construction #constructiontech #ai #vc

Our Sponsors:

BreadCrumb- 50,000+ projects globally. All running safer, faster, with Breadcrumb. - breadcrumb.co

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

Chapters

00:00 Teaser

00:58 Introduction to the AEC Octagon and Fight Night

02:42 Debating AI: Industry-Specific vs. Foundational Models

05:13 Evaluating AI Tools for Architecture and Construction

08:23 The Future Role of Architects in the AEC Industry

11:27 Architects as Civic Arbiters of the Built Environment

14:15 The Impact of AI on Construction and Design

16:33 Sponsors

19:34 The Evolution of Architect Roles and Responsibilities

22:01 The Future of Architecture in an AI-Driven World

34:30 Evaluating Code Quality and Architectural Efficiency

35:33 The Role of Venture Capital in Business Growth

39:10 Navigating the Risks of Venture Funding

43:30 AI's Impact on the AEC Industry

48:42 Bootstrapping vs. Venture Funding: A Personal Perspective

50:27 Predictions for the Future of Construction

57:29 AI's Role in Accelerating Business Success

"HCSS fills the missing middle where plans become production."

That's how Usman described the $2.4B Nemetschek + HCSS deal on this week's Bricks & Bytes.

We sat down with Yves (CEO, Nemetschek Group) and Usman (Build Segment) to unpack the strategy behind one of the biggest construction tech deals of the year.

Tune in to find out about:

✅ Why Nemetschek structured this as a partnership with Thoma Bravo (28% rolled stake) instead of a clean buyout

✅ How HCSS slots in alongside Bluebeam, GoCanvas, SiteDocs and Nevaris

✅ The real prize — 40 years of proprietary heavy civil lifecycle data and what it means for vertical AI

✅ Usman's blunt advice to founders right now (hint: not "PowerPoint or vibe-coded apps")

🎧 Watch the full episode live on YouTube and Spotify!

#bricksandbytes #bricksbytes #bricksbucksandbytes #aec #construction #constructiontech #ai #vc

Two AI-backed private equity firms just confirmed the same thesis in the same week. They're not buying construction software. They're buying the firms that use it.

This week: I sit down with the team behind Zero RFI (General Catalyst-backed) and a partner at E3 Tech (the Andreessen Horowitz JV) to unpack the rollup playbook coming for owner's reps and trade contractors.

I cover the UK tier one that just put a humanoid robot on a live construction site for the price of a small van, and what the methodology behind that deployment actually teaches you.

Plus a recap of April and a look at what's coming next week, including our episode with the CEO of Nemetschek on the HCSS deal.

Three things you can action this week. No fluff.

Links and resources mentioned in this episode:

1. Bricks & Bytes Supply Chain & Procurement Report - https://bricks-bytes.com/downloads/procurement-report/
2. Zacua Ventures Construction Robotics Report 2026 - https://zacuaventures.com/construction-robotics-report-2026/
3. AEC Magazine on agentic BIM data wall - https://aecmag.com/ai/agentic-bims-missing-infrastructure/https://aecmag.com/ai/agentic-bims-missing-infrastructure/
4. All3 / Mantis $25M raise - https://bricks-bytes.com/funding-ma/all3-25m-seed-construction-robotics/
5. NABTU + Microsoft AI training partnership - https://news.microsoft.com/source/2026/04/21/nabtu-and-microsoft-expand-nationwide-initiative-to-strengthen-ai-training-and-career-pathways-across-the-skilled-trades/
6. Daily Blueprint editions covered (27-30 April 2026) - https://bricks-bytes.com/daily-blueprint/
7. Our newsletter - https://bricks-bytes.beehiiv.com/
8. LinkedIn post for this episode (for comments/engagement) - [link coming

"AI is about to create the biggest divide humanity has ever seen."

That's the warning Chinn, founder of dConstruct, dropped on Bricks & Bytes.

He sold his startup to Autodesk. Built Singapore's Smart Nation. Now he's putting AI robots on construction sites that see every flaw in millimetres.

Tune in to find out about:

✅ Why perfect site data is bankrupting construction projects

✅ The new AI currency that will split the industry in two

✅ Why 90% of construction robots are a lie

✅ The data move every construction leader has 10 years to make

Watch now on Spotify and YouTube 🎧

#aec #construction #constructiontech #bricksandbytes #bricksbytes #bricksbucksandbytes #ai #vc

Our Sponsors:

BreadCrumb- 50,000+ projects globally. All running safer, faster, with Breadcrumb. - breadcrumb.co

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

Chapters

00:00 Intro

01:54 Quickfire Questions

04:51 Chinn's Career Journey

07:26 Sponsors

10:49 Insights from Working with Autodesk

13:52 Building Smart Nation Solutions in Singapore

16:51 Lessons from Government Work

19:53 The Role of Technology in Construction

22:57 dConstruct: Addressing Labor Shortages with Robotics

24:46 Challenges and Opportunities in Robotics for Construction

28:45 AI's Impact on Society and the Future

32:01 Final Thoughts and Future Directions

Nemetschek just dropped $2.4B on a software company nobody's heard of.

This week on Bricks, Bucks & Bytes, Owen, Patric and Martin dug into the biggest AEC deal of the year, plus two robotics founders changing how we build.

Tune in to find out about:

✅ Why HCSS is the smartest AEC acquisition of 2026

✅ Why Kawazu ditched construction for oil and gas

✅ Mesh Robotics on solving rebar, the ugliest problem in construction

✅ Martin Fisher's rule: 80% data, 20% AI

#aec #construction #constructiontech #bricksbucksandbytes #bricksandbytes #ai #vc

Our Sponsors:

BreadCrumb- 50,000+ projects globally. All running safer, faster, with Breadcrumb. - breadcrumb.co

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

Chapters

00:00 Intro

00:56 Celebrating Milestones and Future Aspirations

03:25 Insights from the Martin Fisher Event

06:33 The HCSS Acquisition by Nemetschek

12:09 Strategic Implications of Acquisitions in Construction Tech

30:04 The Genius of Brad Jacobs

30:40 Meditation and Success

31:49 Exploring AI Tools and Credits

35:44 The Future of Urban Mobility: Glideways

45:01 Innovations in Nuclear Power

50:14 Understanding Labor and Scaffold Costs

52:36 The Evolution of Robotics in Construction

54:29 Data-Driven Insights in Material Flow

56:44 The Role of Transparency in Construction

57:58 Scaling Robotics Solutions in Construction

1:01:09 The Intersection of Robotics and Rebar

1:05:31 Bridging the Gap from Lab to Market

1:11:46 The Future of Assembly in Robotics

Most of you are spending the wrong 80% of your AI budget right now. And the man who said it has been at Stanford for 40 years.

This week: we unpack Professor Martin Fischer's uncomfortable 80/20 reallocation and why building digital feedback loops has to come before the AI layer.

We sit down with Suffolk Construction's CTO Jit Kee Chin and Speckle founder Dimitri Stefanescu on what happens when the most data-mature general contractor in the US decides the next bet isn't another point solution.

We break down why Andreessen Horowitz — the firm behind Facebook, Airbnb and GitHub — has just publicly planted a flag in construction.

And we cover our third Fight Night, where TestFit's Clifton Harness and Join's Andrew Zukoski disagree on whether AI compresses or fragments the industry.

Three things you can action this week. No fluff.

Links and resources mentioned in this episode:

1. Martin Fischer & Bricks & Bytes - COMING SOON
2. Suffolk Technologies' investment in Speckle - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcPDoOwU_pk&t=78s
3. Andreessen Horowitz's public construction thesis - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzaqa52ccng&t
4. Bricks & Bytes Fight Night 3 — Clifton Harness vs Andrew Zukoski (full episode) - COMING SOON
5. Bricks & Bytes Fight Night — Mike vs Luigi on AI estimating - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9eVyABO2AQ
6. Bricks & Bytes Fight Night — KP vs Dustin on the future of construction software - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=If0jJnX7tZY
7. Tilbury Douglas becomes first UK contractor to deploy a humanoid on site - https://www.tilburydouglas.co.uk/tilbury-douglas-becomes-first-contractor-to-launch-a-humanoid-robot-on-construction-site/
8. Breadcrumb — digital safety, orientations and permits synced into Procore - https://breadcrumb.co
9. Our newsletter — Beehiiv subscription page - https://bricks-bytes.beehiiv.com/
10. LinkedIn post for this episode (for comments/engagement) https://www.linkedin.com/posts/owen-drury_a-wild-week-at-bricks-bytes-highlights-ugcPost-7454535708599332864-N61m?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAABXSR7cBUIyREyKntJC_BA6bnfeuPWgNUtA

"Architects might start feeling useless."

That's Dimitrie Stefanescu, founder of Speckle, on this week's Bricks & Bytes — on why GCs moving upstream into design is triggering an existential crisis across AEC.

Joined by Jit Kee Chin, CTO of Suffolk Construction and co-founder of Suffolk Technologies, who just led Suffolk's investment into Speckle.

Tune in to find out about:

✅ Why 3D data is the missing infrastructure layer for AI in construction

✅ The real reason design-build is eating traditional architecture

✅ The most insane thing a customer has built on top of Speckle (yes, you'll want to hear this one)

✅ What actually triggered a $B GC to bet on an open-source startup

Watch now on YouTube and Spotify!

#aec #construction #constructiontech #bricksandbytes #bricksbytes #ai #vc

Every building you've ever been in was designed by software built in 1997.

That's the headline a16z used to put the bat signal out to AEC founders — and Joe Schmidt got dragged for it on LinkedIn.

But he's not a tourist. His grandfather invented the concrete pump.

In today's episode of Bricks & Bytes, we had Joe Schmidt from Andreessen Horowitz and got into the three attack vectors for disrupting Revit, why the services layer is the hidden prize… and many more!

Tune in to find out about:

✅ The 3 ways startups are attacking Autodesk's "workflow monopoly" — and which one Joe would bet on today

✅ Why replacing Revit in 5 years is unlikely (and why you don't need to)

✅ The real "why now" for AEC AI — it's not just LLMs

✅ Joe's advice to contractors and designers: adopt fast or get left behind🎧 Full episode out on Spotify and YouTube!

Chapters

00:00 Intro

01:20 Introduction to A16Z and Joe Schmidt's Background

05:00 Understanding A16Z's Investment Philosophy

09:29 The Construction Industry's Potential and A16Z's Interest

15:57 Thesis Overview: Innovation in Construction Tech

20:21 The Role of AI in Transforming Construction

25:45 Challenges and Opportunities in Construction Tech Adoption

25:52 The Evolution of Design and Budgeting in Construction

31:34 Incentives and Rework: A Double-Edged Sword

37:38 AI's Role in Enhancing Design Efficiency

42:12 The Human Element in AI-Driven Design

47:51 Navigating the Future of Construction Technology

#aec #bricksandbytes #bricksbytes #construction #bricksbucksandbytes #constructiontech #vc #revit #autodesk #a16z

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Our Sponsors:

BreadCrumb- 50,000+ projects globally. All running safer, faster, with Breadcrumb. - breadcrumb.co

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