The World’s Biggest VC Takes On Construction

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 📩 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/ 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