In this episode of Wired & Hammered, we explore corporate venture capital with Eliot Jones, Principal at Trimble Ventures. As part of the global technology leader's investment arm, Eliot shares insights on how established corporations are partnering with emerging construction tech companies to drive industry innovation.

Key topics covered:

• Trimble's investment sweet spot: Why Series A startups are the focus
• The shocking reality: Construction represents 14% of global GDP but gets only 1% of VC funding
• How the Construction Startup Competition sources 500+ companies annually
• Building two-sided partnerships between corporates and startups
• The evolving role of CIOs in construction companies
• Interoperability challenges vs. data protection in the AI era
• Why getting construction workers back to the field (not the office) drives product development

Whether you're a construction professional curious about emerging technologies, a startup founder looking to understand corporate partnerships, or simply interested in how innovation happens in traditional industries, this conversation offers valuable insights into the intersection of construction and venture capital.

Summary

In this episode, John sits down with Steve White, General Manager at Civillo, to unpack how spatial data is changing the way civil infrastructure projects are delivered. Steve started his career as a surveyor, and he explains the everyday bottlenecks that pushed his team to build Civillo; a simple, web-based way for engineers, supervisors, managers, and clients to access and work with spatial information without specialist software.

Steve breaks down how Civillo lets teams bring CAD, GIS, BIM, 12D, drone imagery, and underground services into one shared workspace, giving everyone on the project the same view of what’s happening. They talk through real-world impacts: cutting time spent on survey requests, reducing rework, improving communication, and modernising painful workflows like excavation and HotWorks permits.

Steve also shares how Civillo’s adoption grew organically across major contractors like Seymour Whyte, why project-wide access is core to their model, and how digitising permits has become one of the platform’s biggest productivity wins.

A practical, ground-level look at how better spatial visibility improves safety, reduces risk, and helps teams build things right the first time.

In this episode, John sits down with long-time friend and Tekifi Managing Director, Mike Arnold, to break down what “smart buildings” actually mean today; and why we’re only at the start of the curve. Mike explains how modern buildings are becoming more like smartphones: built on a unified digital infrastructure that enables everything from better user experience to major productivity and energy gains.

They dig into examples across Australia, London, and Dublin, including how air quality sensors boost worker performance, how simple changes like mobile access credentials eliminate daily friction, and how AI is reshaping traditional engineering design. Mike also talks through retrofitting older buildings, the myths that hold owners back, and why 95% of the global building stock is where the real opportunity sits.

A practical, grounded look at what’s possible right now, and what’s coming next.