#063 - James Swanston - An Ex-Army Officer's Guide to Entrepreneurial Success
In today’s episode of Bricks & Bytes, we have James Swanston, the CEO and co-founder of Voyage Control and an ex-officer in the British Army.
Learn about military leadership principles applied to business and entrepreneurship, war strategies to improve decision-making, how military principles work in business, and much more!
Tune in to find out about:
Serving as an army officer and key lessons learned
Applying war principles to business decisions
Making long-term plans and dealing with uncertainty
Stress management and discipline for entrepreneurs
If you enjoy today’s episode, leave us a comment. And don’t forget to subscribe to our channel!
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James Swanston | CEO and Co-founder of Voyage Control | ConTech
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Today’s Sponsor: beta – Construction and technology network platform
– connecting the tech industry with traditional construction partners.
Check www.the-beta.com
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Timestamps:
(0:00-2:59) - Intro
(2:59-6:40) - Background on military experience
(6:40-9:45) - Key lessons as an army officer
(9:45-12:01) - War principles relevant to business
(12:01-15:16) - Motivation for starting Voyage Control
(15:16-16:19) - Teamwork lessons from military
(16:19-17:09) - Principles for hiring people
(17:09-15:53) - Leadership principles
(15:53-24:00) - Decision-making process in military
(24:00-27:39) - Dealing with unexpected challenges
(27:39-29:29) - Stress management
(29:29-31:49) - Discipline lessons learnt
(31:49-40:09) - Logistics experience
(40:09-40:37) - Outro
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Bricks & Bytes
#028 - Delia Visan - A Masterclass in Customer Success
How do you get your customers to fall in love with your brand?
On today's podcast we have Delia Visan, a master, influencer and advocate in the world of customer success.
Delia is currently the head of Customer Success at Bright Spaces and is one of the top 25 CS Leaders of 2023.
Getting existing customers to spend more is far easier than obtaining new customers. And in this episode we chat about how CS can result in improved customer retention and a higher customer lifetime value.
In this episode, we discuss:
Why customer success is important and why startups NEED it
How small businesses can integrate customer success into their operations
Current and future trends in customer success
How to learn (and dream in) new languages
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Delia Visan
Head of Customer Success @Bright Spaces || 25 Most Creative CS Leaders of 2023 by EverAfter || 2022 Top Influencers in the CS Space by Custify
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Today's Sponsor: Beta Construction and technology network platform - connecting the tech industry with traditional partners.
Check www.the-beta.com
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Timestamps:
(00:00:00-00:02:01) - Intro
(00:02:01-00:04:06) - Tech world in Romania
(00:04:06-00:04:56) - Is Romania exporting tech outside?
(00:04:56-00:05:42) - Are tech teams based in Romania?
(00:05:42-00:07:18) - When did you discover customer success and what did you love about it?
(00:07:18-00:08:02) - Is customer success different in proptech then the other industry?
(00:08:02-00:08:54) - What is customer success?
(00:08:54-00:10:27) - What is the checklist for customer success?
(00:10:27-00:11:59) - From where the customer success starts?
(00:11:59-00:13:47) - Customer success implementations
(00:13:47-00:15:18) - When should companies implement customer success?
(00:15:18-00:17:21) - Customer obsession and customer is not always right
(00:17:21-00:20:07) - What is bright spaces?
(00:20:07-00:21:54) - Customer success with lease owner
(00:21:54-00:22:04) - Is bright spaces designed for Romanian market?
(00:22:04-00:23:42) - Future plans
(00:23:42-00:24:34) - Delia other passion
(00:24:34-00:26:18) - What are some future trends you see right now?
(00:26:18-00:27:51) - Segmentation of the customers
(00:27:51-00:29:12) - Should startup approach customer success differently then other businesses?
(00:29:12-00:30:13) - Customer satisfaction
(00:30:13-00:32:14) - How to deal with customer that you don't like?
(00:32:14-00:33:34) - Simple thing to do for customer success
(00:33:34-00:37:00) - Delia is multilingual
(00:37:00-00:37:42) - Books or resources
(00:37:42-00:38:28) - Course
(00:38:28-00:38:51) - More about Delia
(00:38:51-00:39:16) - Outro
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Bricks & Bytes
#026 - Alex Walzer - All Things Innovation In Construction
How do we gamify the construction industry?
On today's show we have someone who has interesting and incredible ideas for the future of the construction - Alex Walzer.
Alex is currently a Doctoral Researcher for Entrepreneurship for Digital Fabrication and Robotics in Construction
In this episode, we discuss:
Future innovations in the construction industry
How gamification can make construction more fun and engaging
Open innovation as a way to help you find new and better ways to build things
Failure - an important part of learning and innovation
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Alex Walzer - Into Construction Tech
Doctoral Researcher at ETH Zurich
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Today's Sponsor: Beta Construction and technology network platform - connecting the tech industry with traditional partners.
Check www.the-beta.com
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(00:00:00-00:00:17) - Intro
(00:00:17-00:01:43) - How Alex reached where he is now?
(00:01:43-00:02:32) - Research
(00:02:32-00:03:31) - How do you stay focused?
(00:03:31-00:04:34) - What is worth your time from internet?
(00:04:34-00:05:33) - Strategies that can help who is embarking into construction
(00:05:33-00:06:22) - Favorite subject in contech
(00:06:22-00:07:18) - Implementation of robotics
(00:07:18-00:07:44) - Transition into robots in construction
(00:07:44-00:10:29) - Game
(00:10:29-00:12:00) - Energy
(00:12:00-00:15:04) - VC landscape in robotics
(00:15:04-00:18:12) - Contech in the moment
(00:18:12-00:19:04) - Digital fabrication
(00:19:04-00:20:03) - How digital fabrication is different?
(00:20:03-00:22:59) - What excites you in contech
(00:22:59-00:23:30) - How do we get there?
(00:23:30-00:26:18) - Consulting business and how it provides values?
(00:26:18-00:30:50) - Role of education
(00:30:50-00:33:28) - Where did you take your inspiration from?
(00:33:28-00:34:25) - Books
(00:34:25-00:36:08) - If you have unlimited budget where you would spend it>
(00:36:08-00:37:19) - More about Alex
(00:37:19-00:37:36) - Outro
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Bricks & Bytes
#030 - Stephen Poppe - ConTech Advising & Implementation At General/Main Contractors
Why do construction (tech) companies fail?
On today's podcast, we have Stephen Poppe, ConTech Advisor and Customer Success Leader.
Stephen is currently the Manager for Research & Development at HITT Contracting and Executive Partner at Blue Collar Capital
In this episode, we discuss:
Where people go wrong with construction tech & why companies fail
Considerations when investing in construction tech companies
Implementation and strategies for Main Contractors
Stephen's terrible taste in football (soccer) team
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Stephen Poppe
R&D | Contech Advisor | Customer Success Leader | Construction Professional | Lean Practitioner(ish)
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Today's Sponsor: Beta Construction and technology network platform - connecting the tech industry with traditional partners.
Check www.the-beta.com
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Timestamps:
(00:00:00-00:01:57) - Intro and Sponsor
(00:01:57-00:04:13) - Why did Stephen choose Contech?
(00:04:13-00:06:02) - What are people not getting right with technology?
(00:06:02-00:07:55) - Should construction companies focus on the management process?
(00:07:55-00:10:34) - Why does a company fail in Contech?
(00:10:34-00:12:43) - What is the lean startup methodology?
(00:12:43-00:14:08) - What is important when investing in a company as a capital allocator?
(00:14:08-00:16:55) - What are the initial problems that a startup face?
(00:16:55-00:18:23) - What is HITT?
(00:18:23-00:21:28) - Labor shortage
(00:21:28-00:22:42) - Is there something else that we should focus on except technology?
(00:22:42-00:24:23) - Future of tech
(00:24:23-00:27:38) - How can we get the basics right?
(00:27:38-00:31:17) - Trends in construction tech
(00:31:17-00:33:49) - VC doesn’t like 100-million-dollar ideas?
(00:33:49-00:35:48) - Book recommendations
(00:35:48-00:36:37) - Hobbies
(00:36:37-00:36:51) - More about Stephen
(00:36:51-00:37:09) - Outro
"AI Can't Handle Full Design Workflows!" - Automation Promises & Real-World Limitations from AEC Experts
"Is it possible to get from concept to fully constructible building designs in hours? "In today's episode of Bricks, Bucks and Bytes, we got to learn about Augmenta's $10 million seed funding for their AI-powered design platform that aims to automate electrical designs for buildings.We also learned about the ongoing debate between automated design platforms versus improved authoring tools, and which approach might ultimately capture more value in the MEP/S design space.Patric shared his investor's perspective that data infrastructure, authoring tools, and systems of record may be better investment targets than pure AI solutions, as they're likely to embed AI capabilities and control workflows long-term.Tune in to find out about:✅ The challenge of creating "fully constructible" designs through automation✅ Why minimum feature sets in building design software are exceptionally high✅ The reality that vectorial AI systems will always need human refinement✅ How the MEP design workflow might evolve with AI assistance------------Chapters00:00 Intro03:40 Augmenta's Seed Funding and Automation in Design07:02 Challenges of Constructible Designs11:35 The Importance of Minimum Feature Sets15:01 Marketing vs. Reality in Construction Tech18:19 Competition in the Automation Space20:16 Navigating the Complexities of MEP Design24:11 The Future of Automated Building Design30:11 The Role of AI in Design Automation34:26 The Intersection of Authoring Tools and Automation39:00 The Evolving Landscape of AI in Construction
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Bricks, Buck$ And Bytes
"$65 Billion Wasted!" - How Twin Knowledge's AI Prevents Costly Construction Rework
"$65 billion worth of rework happened in the United States last year in construction. The expectation in the market is that construction projects run over budgets and timelines."In today's episode of Bricks, Bucks and Bytes, we got to learn about Twin Knowledge, an AI-powered platform that raised $3.7M to help construction and real estate stakeholders QA/QC building drawings before they hit the field.We discovered how the company is tackling the massive $65B rework problem by creating AI assistants that help query unstructured data across different silos.Also, we learned about the power of "white glove" implementation approaches in construction tech from JP Bowgen of Camber Creek.Tune in to find out about:✅ Why developers feel the most pain from drawing errors✅ How Twin Knowledge can help teams do "4-5X the work with half the team"✅ Why founder expertise matters more than ever in the AI boom✅ The importance of catching errors upstream before they become costly rework-------------Sign up to the #1 Newsletter In Construction Tech. Join over 1,000 like-minded Founders, Investors and Techies disrupting the way we build. Forever : https://bricks-bytes.beehiiv.com/subscribe-------------LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bricks-bytes/X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/bricksbytespodYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmNbunUTIIQDzbJgGJt9_ZgInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/bricksbytes/---------------Chapters00:00 Introduction to Twin Knowledge and AI in Construction02:53 Understanding the Accuracy and Utility of AI in Building Drawings06:14 The Impact of Rework in Construction and the Role of Twin Knowledge08:47 Evaluating the Value of Twin Knowledge in Construction Projects11:57 The Leadership Behind Twin Knowledge and Its Market Position14:56 The White Glove Approach in Technology Implementation17:57 The Future of Twin Knowledge and AI in Construction28:10 The Vision Behind Twin Knowledge30:01 Funding and Future Plans32:02 Competitive Landscape and Unique Positioning33:55 Understanding Cost Savings and Value Proposition36:09 Rework Challenges in Construction38:58 Incentives and Business Dynamics43:59 Final Thoughts on AI and Future Prospects
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Bricks, Buck$ And Bytes
Germany's Fiscal Bazooka Ignites Europe - Construction Tech Opportunities & Capital Shifts from Global VC Perspective
"Germany's fiscal U-turn might be the drop that makes Europe's bucket overflow."In today's episode of Bricks, Bucks and Bytes, we got to learn about Camber Creek's unique investment approach with JP Bowgen - they raise funds from 300+ real estate companies to drive value for founders they back.We discussed Germany's recent "fiscal bazooka" - a massive €500 billion infrastructure fund alongside unlimited military spending, potentially kickstarting a new era of European optimism.Also, we learned about how building materials companies in Germany jumped 20% in share prices following this announcement, creating a flywheel effect for construction tech.Tune in to find out about:✅ Why JP predicts we'll see the first German construction tech unicorn in 4 years✅ How infrastructure investment creates opportunities for material innovation✅ The potential shift in global economic power dynamics✅ Why successful US startups are increasingly looking to expand into EuropeListen to the full conversation on Spotify.----------Sign up to the #1 Newsletter In Construction Tech. Join over 1,000 like-minded Founders, Investors and Techies disrupting the way we build. Forever : https://bricks-bytes.beehiiv.com/subscribe---------LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bricks-bytes/X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/bricksbytespodYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmNbunUTIIQDzbJgGJt9_ZgInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/bricksbytes/—---------------------------Chapters00:00 Introduction to Camber Creek and JP Bowgen06:09 Germany's Fiscal U-Turn and Historical Context11:53 Implications of Germany's Infrastructure and Defense Spending17:58 The Impact on Construction Tech and Startups24:01 Future Prospects for Investment in Germany28:59 Exploring On-Site Robotics and Supply Chain Solutions31:12 The Importance of Energy Efficiency in Europe33:28 Infrastructure Investment and Its Impact on Housing36:32 The Future of Venture Capital in Europe40:34 The Shift of Founders from the US to Europe44:11 Economic Implications of US Isolationism49:57 Cultural and Economic Power Dynamics
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Bricks, Buck$ And Bytes
Reneo’s €600M to Transform Real Estate, Nodes and Links $12m Scheduling Raise
"In Europe, you need your buildings to consume less energy because we don't have a lot of prime energy." - Patric on why Reneo's business model works beyond regulations.In today's episode of Bricks, Bucks and Bytes, we got to learn about Reneo's massive €600M funding round (with €45M in equity) to transform energy-inefficient buildings into greener assetsWe also explored Nodes and Links $12M Series B funding for their AI-powered scheduling management platform that enhances project delivery across construction and other industriesPlus, we gained valuable insight into how successful construction tech companies approach scheduling through three distinct models: full automation, analytics/visibility, and collaboration-focused solutions.Tune in to find out about:✅ How Reneo creates structural cost advantages through radical standardization✅ Why co-CEOs can work well with the right dynamic, especially during adversity✅ The critical difference between having a schedule versus the act of scheduling✅ Why one investor got excited seeing Salil Deshpande (Uncorrelated) backing Nodes and LinksListen to the full episode on Spotify to learn how these construction tech innovators are reshaping the industry.------Sign up to the #1 Newsletter In Construction Tech. Join over 1,000 like-minded Founders, Investors and Techies disrupting the way we build. Forever : https://bricks-bytes.beehiiv.com/subscribe------LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bricks-bytes/X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/bricksbytespodYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmNbunUTIIQDzbJgGJt9_ZgInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/bricksbytes/-----Chapters00:00 Introduction and Context01:10 Overview of Reneo and Its Business Model05:54 Reneo's Unique Approach to Real Estate Investment11:49 Investment Rationale and Market Dynamics17:52 Challenges and Opportunities in the Real Estate Sector24:05 Conclusion and Future Outlook25:40 Exploring Nodes and Links in Scheduling Technology30:01 Models of Scheduling: Automation, Visibility, and Collaboration36:02 The Future of Scheduling Software: Differentiation and Optimization39:59 Investment Insights: Evaluating Funding and Market Dynamics
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