Bricks And Bytes

Bricks And Bytes
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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.

  1. £102bn Failure, AI Bills, and the Construction Robots Shipping Now

    3D AGO

    £102bn Failure, AI Bills, and the Construction Robots Shipping Now

    This week in construction: the official verdict on HS2 landed, and it's worse than most people realise. Cost to complete is now £87.7-102.7bn. First services delayed to 2036. Britain is paying 15-20x the European rate per kilometre for high-speed rail. But the more interesting stories happened underneath it. Owen breaks down what every construction executive needs to know about three things colliding this week. One. The AI cost paradox. Per-token prices have dropped 280x in two years. So why are enterprise AI bills exploding? OpenAI just doubled its flagship rate card. Anthropic raised prices without touching the rate card at all. The pricing page is no longer telling you what your bill will look like. And Jean-Marc Shimizu, who runs open innovation at one of Japan's top five contractors, says the subsidy era is ending. Two. The construction robotics story almost nobody outside venture capital is reading. After sixty years as the last unautomated sector, the robots are finally shipping. Bedrock raised $270m in February. Crewline took $7m as a four-person team with a $26m order book waiting. Rebar tying robots are running at 4-6x human speed. Solar piling, reality capture, and a new category of self-verifying installation robots are all generating real revenue. Plus the corrective on humanoids that most executives haven't heard yet. Three. HS2 and what it actually means. Three reviews, twelve months, same five conclusions. And the uncomfortable question every leader needs to sit with: is your business built like HS2, or like the alternative? If you run a construction business, this is the briefing that will reshape how you read the next twelve months. Plus details on the in-person fireside conversation with Chetan Kotur, the ex-Polestar designer now leading the team rebuilding Laing O'Rourke from the inside. London, 3rd June, evening of Digital Construction Week. Senior exec spaces already filling. Show notes, references, and the link to sign up for the full newsletter and our Physical AI 2026 research are below: ------ 1. Event: Re-Engineering The Main Contractor · Luma2. Physical AI and Robotics Report: https://bricks-bytes.com/downloads/physical-ai-robotics-2026/ 3. Newsletter: https://bricks-bytes.beehiiv.com/

    28 min

  2. 3D AGO

    AI Costs Are Quietly Exploding, HS2 now £102.7bn, Waymo Steals Luggage

    "Mandating how many AI tokens your engineers burn isn't a productivity metric. It has nothing to do with outcomes." That's Dustin Devan, CEO of Ediphi and it's one of the sharpest takes on the AI spend debate we've had on the show This week on Bricks, Bucks and Bytes we're joined by Cameron Page of ClearStory, processing $3.5B in change orders every month, and Sophia Millar of Sonnaball Instruments, catching weld defects in real time before they ever reach inspection. Tune in to find out about: ✅ Why enterprise AI bills keep rising even as token costs fall ✅ How ClearStory is replacing email-and-spreadsheet change order chaos for 7,500 companies ✅ Why 1.3 million categorised change orders might be construction's most underrated dataset ✅ How acoustic weld detection is transforming prefab quality control 🎧 Listen now on Spotify and YouTube #bricksandbytes #bricksbucksandbytes #aec #construction #constructiontech #ai 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 Reunion and Introduction 01:57 AI Tokens and Their Costs 07:57 Managing AI Token Usage 11:21 Balancing Speed and Customer Needs 15:13 Efficiency in AI Usage 20:21 Waymo's Customer Service Incident 21:57 Discussion on Expensive Rail Projects 22:01 The Cost of High-Speed Rail in the UK 26:03 Comparing Costs: What Could $100 Billion Buy? 27:44 Debating Income Tax and Jeff Bezos' Proposal 30:18 The Rise of Trillionaires: Elon Musk's Potential 32:07 Data Centers in Space: A Feasible Future? 35:09 ClearStory: Revolutionizing Change Order Management 42:00 Streamlining Change Order Management 45:36 ClearStory's Market Position and Growth 47:09 Leveraging Change Order Data for Insights 50:01 Innovations in Welding Defect Detection 56:32 The Role of AI in Welding Quality Control

    1h 6m

  3. 6D AGO

    Why Zero RFI Is Buying Owner Rep Firms Instead Of Selling Software

    "If you're not tinkering with AI today, it's going to be a problem for you in the future." This week on Bricks & Bytes we sat down with David Niewiadomski from Zero RFI — KP Reddy's new venture backed by General Catalyst that's rolling up owner reps, advisory, and building data firms under one roof. Tune in to find out: ✅ Why standalone construction tech software is dying as a business model ✅ What General Catalyst saw in Zero RFI and why services beat SaaS for industry impact ✅ Why owners should never pay a subscription to access their own building data ✅ Why owner rep firms under 50 people are the sweet spot for acquisition Watch now on Spotify and Youtube. 🎧 #aec #construction #constructiontech #bricksandbytes #bricksbytes #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 00:47 Introduction to Zero RFI and Its Founders 03:22 The Role of AI in Construction Tech 06:27 Understanding Zero RFI's Unique Approach 09:21 The Importance of Data Integration 11:10 Sponsors 14:12 Acquisitions and Their Impact on Zero RFI 17:34 General Catalyst's Investment and Vision 20:24 Building Works and Its Evolution 23:26 The Future of Construction Technology 25:33 The Evolution of AI in Software Development 26:30 Leveraging Historical Data for Current Projects 29:15 Acquisition Strategies and Scaling Opportunities 32:27 The Future of Construction Firms in a Tech-Driven World 34:53 The Role of Owners in Project Management 36:41 Targeting the Orchestration Layer in Construction 38:51 Differentiating Zero RFI from Other Tech Players 40:29 Envisioning the Future of Zero RFI 41:18 Call to Action for Industry Professionals

    44 min

  4. MAY 15

    Why Pre-Con Is So Broken, AI Takeoff Hype, California Wealth Tax, $2.18T Construction Spend & Bentley’s $424M Quarter

    "Pre-construction has become less efficient than construction itself." That is the claim Dustin Devan made on this week's Bricks, Bucks & Bytes after returning from Advancing Pre-Con. Martin, Patric Hellermann and Dustin also dug into the proposed California wealth tax, Bentley's Q1 earnings, and why VCs keep funding the 51st AI takeoff company. Tune in to find out about: ✅ Why 80% of project cost is locked in before design is even 30% done ✅ How the California wealth tax proposal would actually value private companies ✅ Patric's case for indexing into "directionally right" early-stage bets ✅ Why takeoff is a feature, not a company Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube. #aec #construction #constructiontech #bricksandbytes #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 00:35 Introduction and Overview of Topics 02:15 US Construction Spending Trends 09:52 California Wealth Tax Proposal 26:29 Advancing Pre-Construction Insights 34:38 Building Cost Infrastructure and Pricing Engines 40:30 The Role of Design in Construction Projects 45:39 The Importance of Feasibility in Design 50:46 The Impact of AI on Construction Estimation 53:25 Navigating the Takeoff Tool Landscape 57:02 Innovations in Construction Robotics

    1 hr
  5. A $120M Contractor Just Killed Its ERP. Procore Should Be Worried.

    MAY 15

    A $120M Contractor Just Killed Its ERP. Procore Should Be Worried.

    A 350-person Canadian contractor just did what most of the industry would call insane. They put their entire business inside the same software platform that powers the CIA. They've killed their paper time cards, their dispatch system, their safety software — and now they're killing their ERP. This week, Owen unpacks the Cavanagh playbook with their head of digital strategy and asks the harder question: is this the future of construction software, or just an expensive bet on the wrong vendor? Plus: Procore just spent $11M acquiring an AI company in January. Are we watching the start of a platform war that ends with one operating system per contractor? Then: the 2026 recovery story just died. US inflation hit 3.8%. Construction input prices rose at a 12.6% annualised rate. Every fixed-price bid in the market is a bet on Middle East de-escalation. And data centres aren't saving construction — they're hiding how weak the rest of the market really is. Key resources Cavanagh Construction and Palantir partnership case study Procore Technologies acquires Datagrid for agentic AI capabilities US April CPI releaseConstruction input price data, Q1 2026 Hill County, Texas data centre moratorium Gallup poll on data centre vs nuclear reactor opposition IEA report on AI data centre power demand growth US construction spending and nonresidential contraction data

    23 min

  6. MAY 13

    4 Founders. $700M+ In Exits. The Truth About Selling A Startup

    "Companies are bought, not sold."That single line from Yves Frinault reframed the entire conversation on our first-ever Exited Founder Acquisition Roundtable.We sat down with four construction tech founders who collectively sold their companies for hundreds of millions:✅ Yves Frinault (Fieldwire → Hilti) ✅ Dustin DeVan (BuildingConnected → Autodesk, $275M cash + $40M stock) ✅ Mo Akbari Hochberg (HoloBuilder → FARO, ~$36M) ✅ Zach Scheel (Rhumbix → Autodesk, fresh off the deal)Tune in to find out:✅ Why Hilti told Fieldwire "we'll never acquire you" four years before acquiring them ✅ The one negotiation tactic Dustin says every founder should use against corp dev teams ✅ Why an acquisition is a "one-way door" once you walk in, and how to know you're ready ✅ The QSBS detail that decides how much of the exit you actually keepFull episode on Spotify and YouTube now.#aec #construction #constructiontech #bricksandbytes #bricksbytes #bricksbucksandbytes #ai #vct Our 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 Intro00:46 Introduction to the Acquisition Round Table03:25 Founders' Experiences and Lessons Learned 06:31 Understanding the Role Post-Acquisition 09:40 The Importance of Timing in Acquisitions 09:56 Sponsors 12:57 Fundamentals for Being an Attractive Acquisition Target 31:06 The Exit Journey: Building Value Before Acquisition 33:14 Business Fundamentals: Attracting Strategic Acquirers 36:04 Diligence and Documentation: Preparing for Acquisition 38:56 Revenue and Customer Love: Key Acquisition Drivers 41:13 Understanding ARR: Acquisition Thresholds and Market Dynamics 48:53 Negotiation Strategies: Preparing for the Table 54:46 Lessons from Exits: Growth as a Founder 01:00:45 Defining Success Beyond Numbers 01:02:42 Mindfulness in Leadership During Transitions 01:04:22 The Importance of a Strong Executive Team 01:05:20 The Shift in Perspective Post-Acquisition 01:06:11 Reflections on Founding and Structuring Companies 01:08:37 Creating Value Over Tax Strategy 01:11:21 The Reality of Startup Success Rates 01:11:54 Choosing the Right Company to Join 01:14:48 The Value of Collaboration and Shared Experiences 📩 Subscribe to the Bricks & Bytes Newsletter: https://bricks-bytes.beehiiv.com/🌐 Visit our website: http://bricks-bytes.com/📲 Follow us: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bricks-bytes/ Twitter: https://x.com/bricksbytespod Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bricksbytes/Enjoying the insights? Hit that Subscribe button to stay ahead in construction tech, AI, and the future of how we build.

    1h 18m

  7. MAY 12

    EXCLUSIVE: ProcurePro Just Raised $11M To Fix Construction Procurement

    EXCLUSIVE: ProcurePro just closed an $11M round and we got the founder on the mic first. "Control your risks, control your margins." That's the line Alastair Blenkin, CEO of ProcurePro, kept coming back to on the latest Bricks & Bytes — and it's the bet behind their fresh raise. Procurement is the most underinvested workflow in construction tech. By the time you're on site, you're just managing the risk you already locked in at buyout. ProcurePro has spent five years building the platform to fix that — and now has $130B+ of construction spend and one of the largest pricing data sets in the world flowing through it. Tune in to find out about: ✅ Why procurement, not site management, is the real commercial lever on a project ✅ How ProcurePro went from a COVID pivot to Series B in five years ✅ What investors actually wanted to see between Series A and B ✅ AI bid leveling, live copilots, and flipping the model on subcontractor pricing Watch now on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube. #aec #construction #constructiontech #bricksandbytes #bricksbytes #ai #vc

    15 min
  8. 1,069 Dead. UK Construction Collapses. Caterpillar Prints Money.

    MAY 9

    1,069 Dead. UK Construction Collapses. Caterpillar Prints Money.

    The UK's official construction forecast for 2026 was just slashed from plus 1.7 per cent growth to a 2.5 per cent decline. Same week, Caterpillar reported 63 billion dollars worth of equipment already on order, up 79 per cent in twelve months. In this week's Executive Weekly Briefing, Owen walks through what the macro really says about your business, what the latest results from Caterpillar, Trimble, Bentley and Procore actually mean once you strip the jargon out, and the question every contractor needs to answer this week: where are you sitting on the line between the half of the industry that is shrinking and the half that is booming? Plus five fast takes from this week on Bricks and Bytes, including why banks are adopting AI faster than construction, what Nemetschek's 2.4 billion dollar HCSS deal really signals, and Palantir's quiet push into the construction industry. And for Construction Safety Week, the three numbers every executive needs to hear, the news that Turner Construction has just made its AI safety tool free to the entire industry, and a tease of the Bricks and Bytes Safety Tech Report dropping shortly. Episodes referenced this week Yves Padrines, CEO Nemetschek + Usman Shuja, CEO Bluebeam: the HCSS acquisitionChase Gilbert, CEO + Chris DeVito, Built Technologies: the AI documentation bottleneckMallory Brodie, CEO Bridgit: the workforce benchmark reportBrett Adams + Dan Julien, Forgesight: Palantir Foundry in construction (Coming soon)Key resources CPA Spring 2026 ForecastRICS UK Construction Monitor, Q1 2026Q1 2026 earnings releases: Caterpillar, Trimble, Bentley, ProcoreTurner Construction SafeT Coach announcementBLS 2024 construction fatality data

    23 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
5 Ratings

About

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.

Information

  • Creator
    Bricks And Bytes
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    305
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Bricks And Bytes
  • Show Website
    Bricks And Bytes

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