BuiltForward: AI and the Future of Construction

Jason Jacobs
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated Weekly

BuiltForward explores how AI and other emerging technologies are reshaping construction. Host Jason Jacobs, a longtime entrepreneur and investor, learns in public through conversations with the operators, founders, and leaders driving that transformation. Together they dig into how organizations continuously adapt as technology evolves, what actually works on the ground, and where the biggest opportunities are emerging.

Episodes

  1. 4d ago

    The Future of Construction Procurement: A Conversation with Micah Rodman of Kojo

    Micah Rodman is the CEO and co-founder of Kojo, a procurement, warehouse management, and finance platform built for trade contractors. Kojo started with a simple observation: trade contractors were still spending enormous amounts of time moving information manually between the field, purchasing teams, and accounting systems. The founders spent months visiting job sites, talking with contractors, and watching how materials actually moved through their businesses before building their first product. In this episode, Micah and I talk about how that initial wedge grew into a broader procure-to-pay platform, why contractors that initially appear completely unique eventually reveal what he calls “patterns of snowflakes,” and why he says Kojo isn’t really selling software—it’s selling organizational change. We also get into what AI changes when software can understand operational data and take action, how contractors should think about building versus buying technology, whether AI will lead to fewer construction software vendors, and why robotics may reach construction through prefab and industrialized construction before it transforms the job site. Episode highlights: 00:00 — Introduction and a timely Kojo implementation03:25 — What Kojo does and the “operational debt” inside construction05:35 — Why the founders chose construction and the trades09:25 — Buying donuts, visiting job sites, and finding the initial wedge11:25 — The manual purchase-order workflow that helped inspire Kojo15:40 — From $30–100M contractors to billion-dollar customers17:00 — Why contractors are “patterns of snowflakes”19:00 — The seven steps of the procure-to-pay process24:00 — Why contractors tolerate operational pain for so long26:30 — “We’re not selling a product. We’re selling organizational change.”29:00 — Meeting contractors where they are vs. changing inefficient workflows32:00 — How AI changes what construction software can actually do35:30 — Build vs. buy in the age of AI40:00 — Does venture capital fit construction tech?43:20 — Services as software and the next generation of construction technology48:20 — Will contractors have more software vendors or fewer?50:20 — The “holy grail” of a unified construction operating platform55:35 — Robotics, prefab, and industrialized construction58:15 — What construction can learn from automotive manufacturing1:00:00 — Why Micah believes this is construction technology’s most exciting moment BuiltForward Exploring the future of construction and how AI will and won't transform it. Hosted by Jason Jacobs. More at https://builtforward.ai — or follow the weekly newsletter on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/builtforward-7299979495069929472/

  2. Sep 29

    The Future of HVAC: Thalo Labs and Predictive Maintenance

    Brendan Hermalyn is the founder and CEO of Thalo Labs, which builds connected technology that helps commercial HVAC contractors monitor equipment, diagnose problems, and identify potential failures before they happen. In this episode, Jason and Brendan discuss how technology could transform HVAC from a reactive service business into a predictive one — and what that could mean for technician productivity, contractor margins, equipment manufacturers, and the future structure of the industry. Episode highlights: 02:00 — What Thalo Labs does and why HVAC is ripe for change06:00 — Why Brendan chose HVAC and the role of electrification12:00 — Hundreds of millions of HVAC units vs. hundreds of thousands of technicians14:00 — Why Thalo started with commercial HVAC maintenance17:00 — How installation quality can make or break heat pump performance19:00 — Why selling energy savings isn't necessarily the best way to sell new technology24:00 — Moving from individual projects to fleet-wide HVAC monitoring27:00 — Escaping "pilot hell" and getting contractors to adopt new technology31:00 — Why a sensor needs to become a "robot technician," not just another source of data32:00 — How an air conditioner actually works37:00 — Predictive maintenance, first-time fix rates, and the future of HVAC service calls39:00 — Could HVAC ultimately be sold as a service?41:00 — The fragmented HVAC equipment landscape44:00 — Why third-party technology can have an advantage over individual OEMs47:00 — Vertical integration: could contractors start making their own equipment?50:00 — How Thalo sells into a fragmented, relationship-driven industry53:00 — The emergence of higher-margin, technology-enabled service businesses55:00 — Private equity, innovation teams, and who actually adopts new technology58:00 — What separates forward-thinking HVAC contractors from the rest1:01:00 — Regulation, refrigerants, electrification, and what could accelerate adoption1:04:00 — Why HVAC infrastructure is hiding in plain sight BuiltForward Exploring the future of construction and how AI will and won't transform it. Hosted by Jason Jacobs. More at https://builtforward.ai — or follow the weekly newsletter on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/builtforward-7299979495069929472/

  3. Sep 22

    Build vs. Buy in the Age of AI - Longtime Construction CIO Rob Spencer on the Future of Construction Technology

    Rob Spencer has spent more than 27 years inside construction companies, working his way from warehouse laborer to CIO and Chief Administrative Officer. He now runs BuiltTech Strategy Group, advising contractors on technology strategy, systems, AI and digital transformation. In this conversation, we dig into how contractors should think about build vs. buy, why app fatigue is becoming a problem, where bespoke AI fits alongside established software platforms, and what it takes to turn employee experimentation with AI into dependable company-wide workflows. We also get into data foundations, human-in-the-loop systems, shadow AI, technology budgets, and why Rob believes mid-sized contractors will increasingly need outside help to build and maintain custom AI tools. Episode Notes 00:00 — Introduction02:25 — Rob’s path from warehouse laborer to construction CIO05:25 — What’s consistent across contractors — and what differs08:25 — The acceleration of construction technology and growing app fatigue10:35 — When contractors should buy software vs. build it themselves14:30 — Getting the field involved in process and technology decisions17:40 — Connecting technology investment to the top line and bottom line20:25 — Leading edge vs. bleeding edge23:25 — How Rob evaluates and pilots new construction technology27:15 — What construction could look like 10 years from now31:55 — How much contractors should spend on technology33:30 — IT, innovation teams and frontline employees37:40 — Where humans need to stay in the loop with AI38:30 — Why the data foundation matters43:00 — Shadow AI and the importance of governance47:15 — Building an AI strategy around business objectives50:45 — Giving employees freedom to experiment — with boundaries53:45 — Turning an employee-built AI tool into a company-wide workflow55:20 — Why construction may be heading toward fewer software vendors57:15 — Where bespoke AI fits alongside the major platforms59:15 — How AI changes the build-vs.-buy equation1:00:40 — Who will build bespoke AI for mid-sized contractors?1:01:50 — What does “AI-native contractor” actually mean?1:03:45 — Rob’s new firm, BuiltTech Strategy Group1:07:25 — How Rob assesses a contractor’s technology operation1:09:30 — Repair, integrate or replace existing software?1:11:00 — Using outside AI firms to build custom solutions1:14:00 — Rob’s wish list for construction technology1:16:00 — How contractors can get their data ready for AI1:18:00 — Why owners should treat technology as part of delivering the project Learn more about Rob Spencer BuiltTech Strategy Group: builttechsg.comLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/spencer-robert/ BuiltForward Exploring the future of construction and how AI will and won't transform it. Hosted by Jason Jacobs. More at https://builtforward.ai — or follow the weekly newsletter on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/builtforward-7299979495069929472/

  4. Sep 15

    Bridging Startup & Industry: A Conversation with Ben Price of WND Ventures

    Ben Price joins Jason to explain how WND Ventures - the venture arm of DPR Construction - connects startups with one of the country’s largest general contractors. WND helps emerging technology companies test their products on active DPR projects and may invest when those pilots demonstrate real value. Ben breaks down how DPR evaluates new tools, balances internally developed technology with off-the-shelf solutions, and moves successful pilots toward broader adoption. They discuss WND’s strategic-first investment model, its work with Dusty Robotics, and the growing roles of AI, robotics, prefabrication, and automation in construction. They also explore why the industry remains in the early innings of its technological transformation, how contractors can avoid chasing shiny objects, and what founders should understand before approaching a major construction company. In this epiosode: How WND Ventures connects DPR with construction technology startupsWhy WND often pilots a product before making an investmentWhat strategic success looks like beyond financial returnsDPR’s approach to internal innovation and project-level technology choicesHow successful tools spread across a large construction organizationWhere AI, robotics, automation, and prefabrication could have the greatest impactHow DPR evaluates pilots using qualitative feedback and measurable resultsWhat founders need before approaching WND Ventures or another major contractorTimestamps: 00:00 – Introduction02:20 – Ben’s path into venture capital and construction07:20 – DPR Construction and the evolution of WND Ventures12:00 – Piloting technology before investing13:20 – How WND works with DPR’s internal innovation team15:10 – Defining strategic success beyond financial returns16:20 – Dusty Robotics as a model for adoption at scale17:40 – Thesis-driven investing versus opportunistic deal flow20:20 – Strategic fit for DPR versus broader market potential31:20 – Building technology internally and spinning out new companies34:00 – Closing the gap between off-the-shelf tools and individual AI workflows35:20 – How new technology spreads across DPR projects37:30 – Is construction technology saturated or still nascent?39:50 – How AI could transform construction41:20 – Robotics, automation, and the future construction workforce43:30 – Avoiding shiny objects and scaling technology thoughtfully45:20 – Building a more rigorous pilot and evaluation process47:20 – WND’s areas of interest, from robotics to prefabrication49:40 – Advice for founders who want to work with DPR and WND51:30 – Closing thoughts Show notes: Ben Price on LinkedInWND VenturesWND Ventures on LinkedInDPR ConstructionDusty Robotics BuiltForward Exploring the future of construction and how AI will and won't transform it. Hosted by Jason Jacobs. More at https://builtforward.ai — or follow the weekly newsletter on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/builtforward-7299979495069929472/

  5. Sep 8

    Building Better Construction Companies: Gregg Schoppman of FMI on Process, Productivity & Operational Excellence

    Gregg Schoppman is a Partner at FMI and leads the firm’s Operations practice, working with contractors to improve productivity, profitability, and operational performance. In this episode, we dig into how contractors actually improve their businesses, why process change is so difficult, how knowledge and judgment get transferred across organizations, and where technology and AI fit. In this episode: 00:00 — Introduction03:42 — Gregg’s path to FMI05:18 — What FMI’s operations practice does08:16 — Why contractors call FMI10:38 — The problem you see vs. the real problem13:42 — How Gregg diagnoses operational problems15:34 — Why technology doesn’t fix broken processes17:24 — Best practices vs. a contractor’s unique DNA21:29 — Getting buy-in from the field26:06 — Learning by observing how the work actually gets done30:15 — Fix the symptom or look at the whole business?34:14 — Why AI is coming up more with contractors36:52 — How mid-sized contractors should approach AI40:32 — Will AI fundamentally change construction?43:09 — How AI is changing FMI45:32 — What construction could look like in 10 years BuiltForward Exploring the future of construction and how AI will and won't transform it. Hosted by Jason Jacobs. More at https://builtforward.ai — or follow the weekly newsletter on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/builtforward-7299979495069929472/

  6. Sep 1

    The Real Challenge of AI Transformation - Professor Jerry Kane

    Professor Jerry Kane has spent more than a decade studying digital transformation and how organizations adapt to new technology. In this episode, we explore what AI transformation actually looks like inside an organization - and why Jerry believes the technology itself may be the easy part. We discuss: • Why AI transformation is fundamentally a people, workflow, and organizational challenge • Why waiting for AI technology to stabilize could leave companies too far behind • What Jerry is learning from teaching students to build and work with AI • Why widespread AI adoption doesn't necessarily translate into meaningful business impact • The difference between automating existing work and actually transforming how work gets done • Why AI workflows are “grown,” not simply built • Why the people who understand a company's workflows may be better positioned to drive AI transformation than outside technologists • Jerry's concept of the “backward-deployed engineer” • Why he is skeptical of the traditional forward-deployed engineering model for many companies • What becomes valuable when the cost of building software continues to fall • Why experimentation and organizational adaptability may become durable competitive advantages • How AI is changing education and the skills students need to develop • Why the organizations that win may not be the ones that pick the right AI tools, but the ones that become best at continuously adapting as the technology changes BuiltForward Exploring the future of construction and how AI will and won't transform it. Hosted by Jason Jacobs. More at https://builtforward.ai — or follow the weekly newsletter on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/builtforward-7299979495069929472/

  7. Aug 25

    Inside a 35-Person Elevator Contractor - Matt Pincus, Pincus Elevator

    Matt Pincus is Owner of Pincus Elevator, a family-owned elevator contractor founded by his father in 1953. In this episode, Matt takes us inside the day-to-day realities of running a specialty contracting business. His biggest constraint is skilled labor: elevator mechanics take years to develop, experienced people are difficult to hire, and simply adding headcount isn't an easy answer. That makes productivity increasingly important. Matt describes the goal in concrete terms: if a job takes 200 labor hours today, how do you get it done in 150 with the same people, without sacrificing quality or safety? We also discuss what happens when customers who once paid in 30–60 days start stretching toward 90–120, why Pincus brought in a fractional CFO, and how quickly that changed decisions around collections, forecasting, and hiring. And we get into technology and AI: where Matt sees opportunities to improve the business, why contractors can know exactly where their inefficiencies are and still struggle to fix them, and what it would take for new technology to actually change how the work gets done. Topics include: The skilled labor constraint in the elevator industry Why developing an elevator mechanic takes years Productivity when you can't simply hire more people The 200-hours-to-150-hours challenge Cash flow and lengthening payment cycles Bringing in a fractional CFO Knowing your operational problems vs. actually fixing them Technology adoption inside a specialty contractor Where AI and automation could realistically help Running a multi-generational family business BuiltForward Exploring the future of construction and how AI will and won't transform it. Hosted by Jason Jacobs. More at https://builtforward.ai — or follow the weekly newsletter on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/builtforward-7299979495069929472/

  8. Aug 18

    WorkHero: The AI Back Office for HVAC w/ Furman Haynes

    BuiltForward host Jason Jacobs interviews Furman Haynes, co-founder and CEO of WorkHero, an “AI back office” for the smallest HVAC contractors - often one- to three-truck shops. WorkHero takes 10–20 hours per week of admin like invoicing, permits, heat pump rebates, and other paperwork off contractors’ plates, using software plus expert office managers working inside the tools they already use, including ServiceTitan, Jobber, Housecall Pro, QuickBooks, and email. Haynes shares his path from apprenticeship programs and trade immersion to identifying “admin inflation” as a key bottleneck to quality work and heat pump deployment, and explains why WorkHero started with people before automating workflows. They discuss fragmented contractor data, trust and privacy, why WorkHero goes wide rather than solving a single workflow, job costing and price books, human-in-the-loop AI, the limits of automating broken processes, and what comes next—including better AI “computer use,” diagnostics innovation, and potential expansion into plumbing and electrical. 00:00 Show Intro and Guest 03:04 WorkHero in 60 Seconds 05:18 Origin Story in the Trades 08:22 People First, Not Software 11:39 Remote Work and Data Reality 15:09 AI vs. Incumbent Software 18:51 Subscription Model: Going Wide 21:22 Who WorkHero Serves 22:28 Workflow Bottlenecks Explained 28:07 Tool Stack Integrations 29:29 Expert Judgment Layer 33:44 Privacy and Data Sharing 36:19 Teach-to-Fish Debate 39:41 Fixing Broken Workflows 44:41 Automation and Jobs 48:30 Mission and Market Choice 52:00 Five-Year Vision 53:30 Industry Ten-Year Outlook 55:37 Expansion Beyond HVAC 57:03 AI Computer-Use Frontier 58:39 Closing Thoughts BuiltForward Exploring the future of construction and how AI will and won't transform it. Hosted by Jason Jacobs. More at https://builtforward.ai — or follow the weekly newsletter on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/builtforward-7299979495069929472/

  9. Aug 11

    The innovation team has no budget - Kevin Halter on how construction software actually gets bought

    The innovation team is not the buyer. The project is. Kevin Halter has spent about 15 years figuring out how technology actually gets bought and adopted in construction. He led sales at PlanGrid as the company grew from roughly $5 million to $120 million in revenue before Autodesk acquired it for about $875 million, then spent six years helping combine those acquisitions into what became Autodesk Construction Cloud. In this episode, Kevin explains why construction software companies so often sell to the wrong people. The innovation team may run the pilot, but it usually has “no budget, no authority to buy.” The real money sits closer to the project — with the people whose P&L, schedule, and bonus depend on getting the job done. Kevin also tells the story of diligencing the drone market for Emergence Capital before its Series A investment in DroneDeploy. At the time, heavily funded Airware looked formidable. Years later, Airware was gone and DroneDeploy had taken over its office lease. We recorded this conversation the day after Procore announced its acquisition of DroneDeploy. We get into: • Why PlanGrid sent people into the field in hard hats and steel-toed boots instead of trying to understand construction over Zoom • Why its product team kept removing buttons instead of adding features • How to run structured pilots that can actually expand across a construction enterprise • Why one successful project rarely translates automatically into an enterprise-wide rollout • “Tier zero” contractors, their innovation teams and venture arms, and why they aren't representative of most of the industry • Why the innovation team often has no budget — and how to find the money on the project P&L • Why construction software companies need to integrate with competitors rather than trying to own the entire stack • Why Kevin thinks too many startups are still building for the commercial GC • Where he sees opportunity instead: the trades, civil, industrial, residential, and owners of capital projects • Whether the big construction platforms should become more “headless” and let AI-native products sit on top of them • Who should actually be worried about AI and automation — and why Kevin thinks it isn't the skilled trades • Why owners ultimately buy certainty of cost and certainty of schedule • The labor shortage, retirement wave, and data-center boom reshaping the industry • How construction can become a career people actively choose • What Kevin makes of private equity rolling up MEP contractors - and why he says, “I don't love it. I don't love it. And I don't know how that ends.” We also go back to Kevin's path into construction: from engineering at Tufts and healthcare sales at Pfizer to founding an equipment-rental marketplace in 2012, joining PlanGrid, and ultimately spending his career helping construction technology companies figure out how to reach the people doing the work. 00:00 Show kickoff 02:05 Welcome 04:55 Engineer, Pfizer, and starting Getable 09:40 Kevin Spain and the drone diligence 11:35 Airware's $100 million and the drone wars 12:45 DroneDeploy takes over the competitor's lease 15:30 Joining PlanGrid 18:15 Venture money, boards, and how much to raise 22:15 Labor shortage, retirements, and data centers 25:10 Get off Zoom 29:00 COVID, customer tours, and in-person selling 32:25 Team composition and solution engineers 35:15 Structured pilots and land-and-expand 39:10 In-house innovation teams 40:35 Tier zero 41:40 The innovation team has no budget 43:05 Point tools, services, and integration 47:55 Stop building for the commercial GC 49:50 Sustaining versus disruptive innovation 52:45 Start where the market is underserved 55:30 Consolidation, M&A, and going headless 1:00:45 Who should be afraid of automation 1:01:55 Permitting, zoning, and the cost of building 1:04:15 Owners buy certainty 1:09:20 Making construction a career people choose 1:14:05 PE money and the MEP roll-ups 1:19:35 Ten years out 1:26:10 What Kevin advises on now BuiltForward Exploring the future of construction and how AI will and won't transform it. Hosted by Jason Jacobs. More at https://builtforward.ai — or follow the weekly newsletter on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/builtforward-7299979495069929472/

  10. Aug 4

    "Construction Supply Chains Are Starving" - Guy Saxelby of Earlytrade on Cash Flow, Risk, and Getting Subcontractors Paid

    Construction has more bankruptcies than any other sector. Almost none of them are about bad building. Guy Saxelby is the co-founder and CEO of Earlytrade, a marketplace that lets subcontractors get paid early on invoices that have already been approved. The sub names a discount, the general contractor pays out of its own idle cash and earns a return on money that was sitting in a money market fund, and no lender sits in the middle. He started the company in Sydney in 2018 after late payments in one of his own businesses cost him employees, went all in on construction in 2023, and moved his family to Denver to build the US business. The arithmetic underneath it is the part that stayed with me. A subcontractor pays their crew every seven to fourteen days. They buy materials sixty days before the project starts. They do the work. Then they wait sixty to ninety days for the invoice. Who's funding that? We get into: Why construction has more bankruptcies than any other sector, and why they're almost all cash flow Pay-when-paid, and why "risk falls down the hill" from owner to GC to sub How the marketplace actually works, and why it isn't factoring Why the subs using it most are the ones growing, not the ones failing Why a good general contractor says no to more work than it takes on What's different about the US market: no regulated payment terms, and a private sector that dominates Why the big ERPs haven't simply built this themselves Breaking in as an outsider: "Who are you? You're a foreigner, and you're not from construction" Fifty-one sets of state rules, and why changing construction's legal plumbing is a fool's errand Designing something non-invasive: a financial benefit without being a financial product Where private equity actually makes its money in construction, and why it's rarer than people assume AI agents as a growth play rather than an efficiency play Ten years out: robotics, and the data-portability problem that matters more Links: Earlytrade - https://earlytrade.com | Guy Saxelby on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/guy-saxelby/ 00:00 Show kickoff  00:24 Meet Guy Saxelby  03:19 What Earlytrade is, and how it started in Sydney  04:53 How COVID pulled the company into construction  06:02 Why Denver  08:01 Australia versus the US on payment terms  10:43 Construction supply chains are starving  11:16 Risk falls down the hill  12:15 Pay when paid  13:36 How the marketplace actually works  14:56 Dynamic discounting versus a fixed rate  16:42 Selling to the GC, serving the sub  17:13 The pitch to a general contractor  18:21 Is it only for desperate subs?  19:26 The sub's cash cycle  21:01 Why good GCs say no to work  21:53 The ideal customer profile  26:00 Sitting on top of the ERP  27:41 Objections and misconceptions  30:26 Why the ERPs haven't copied it  34:50 "Who are you? You're a foreigner"  38:18 Change the system or design around it  39:44 Fifty-one sets of rules and a fool's errand  44:33 Private equity in construction 4 6:59 The $10M wall and venture in contech  50:54 AI at EarlyTrade  55:04 Ten years out  58:11 The ten-year vision for Earlytrade  59:57 Who Guy wants to hear from  1:00:47 Scared money don't make money BuiltForward Exploring the future of construction and how AI will and won't transform it. Hosted by Jason Jacobs. More at https://builtforward.ai — or follow the weekly newsletter on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/builtforward-7299979495069929472/

  11. Jul 28

    The Equipment Is Not the System - Ed Smith of Amply Energy on Building Better HVAC Businesses

    Ed Smith ran Wayfair's Canada business to nearly a billion dollars in revenue. Then he spent a year installing heat pumps - and learned firsthand why there's no such thing as a nationwide home-retrofit contractor: the equipment is not the system. The system is what a good contractor custom-manufactures on site, home by home. Ed is co-founder and co-CEO of Amply Energy, a software company helping residential HVAC contractors size, design, and sell heat pump systems - built on "Goldilocks" sizing and LiDAR-based home scanning and digital twins, replacing the outdated design tools (and finger-in-the-air rules of thumb) the incumbents left behind. He and co-founder Erik Fitz started Amply as a whole-home electrification contractor before pivoting to the software they'd built for themselves. We get into: Why heat pumps perform best when they're "Goldilocks" sized — and why square-footage sizing fails The pivot from installs to software, and why residential retrofits resist scale Amply's ideal customer: family-owned, heat-pump-forward, quality-focused, tech-forward shops Growing nationwide, fully remote, with no outside capital and zero ad spend — word of mouth, partners, and The Heat Pump Podcast Ed's skepticism of private-equity roll-ups and "box swapping" The long-term vision: whole-home electrification design and contractor "mixed groups" for peer learning AI at Amply: heavy internal use, ROI-focused, cautious on core product logic Links: Amply Energy - https://amply.energy | The Heat Pump Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-heat-pump-podcast/id1747806243 | National Comfort Institute - https://www.nationalcomfortinstitute.com/ BuiltForward explores where construction is heading over the next decade — and how AI and other emerging technologies will and won't transform the industry. If this was useful, share it with someone building in the industry and follow the show so you don't miss what's next. 00:00 Show kickoff 00:24 Meet Ed Smith 02:15 What Amply does 03:08 Do heat pumps work 05:13 From installs to software 09:06 Why contracting won't scale 12:10 Private equity rollups 14:55 Ideal customer and channels 17:49 Moat and AI reality check 19:51 What Amply replaces 21:59 Nationwide go to market 23:47 Acquisition philosophy 26:40 Residential vs commercial HVAC 28:02 Defining the ideal customer 28:39 Electrification contractor vision 30:34 Software gaps in the stack 31:47 Bootstrapping vs competition 32:49 Pigs and chickens parable 33:48 Dr. Seuss and constraints 35:57 Customer community mixed groups 40:53 Remote team and culture 44:18 AI use and ROI reality 47:41 AI future in construction 49:50 Closing plugs and farewell BuiltForward Exploring the future of construction and how AI will and won't transform it. Hosted by Jason Jacobs. More at https://builtforward.ai — or follow the weekly newsletter on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/builtforward-7299979495069929472/

  12. Jul 7

    BuiltForward Trailer

    BuiltForward explores how AI, technology, and leadership are reshaping construction—and the broader physical economy. Host Jason Jacobs, an entrepreneur and investor, learns in public through conversations with the operators, founders, and leaders driving that transformation. Together they dig into how these organizations continuously adapt as technology evolves, what is actually working on the ground, and where the biggest opportunities are emerging. New episodes weekly. Subscribe and come along for the journey! BuiltForward Exploring the future of construction and how AI will and won't transform it. Hosted by Jason Jacobs. More at https://builtforward.ai — or follow the weekly newsletter on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/builtforward-7299979495069929472/

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BuiltForward explores how AI and other emerging technologies are reshaping construction. Host Jason Jacobs, a longtime entrepreneur and investor, learns in public through conversations with the operators, founders, and leaders driving that transformation. Together they dig into how organizations continuously adapt as technology evolves, what actually works on the ground, and where the biggest opportunities are emerging.

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