2026 AEC Emerging Tech

Piloting, Partnering, and Adopting Construction Technology

When

Nov 18, 2026 - Nov 19, 2026

Where

Convene One Boston Place 201 Washington St Boston, MA 02108

The 2026 AEC Emerging Tech Conference is a showcase of the newest tech transforming jobsites around the globe. It’s designed to put contractors at the bleeding edge of innovation in the built environment. The event will connect GCs and specialty contractors to the wider world of emerging tech, providing an interactive environment for discovery, validation, and partnership through collaborative Working Group sessions, roundtable discussions, workshops, case studies, and variety of program curated to help attendees move past pilots and learn to work more effectively with startups, founders, and innovative tech.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND

  • General contractors and specialty contractors seeking early access to emerging technology solutions and pilot opportunities that can drive field productivity and margin improvement
  • Architects and engineers exploring next-generation design tools, digital workflows, and materials that enhance project delivery and coordination
  • Venture capital and corporate venture capital teams tracking early-stage built environment innovation and sourcing differentiated deal flow
  • Early-stage construction technology startups looking to validate use cases, secure pilot partners, and build relationships with strategic investors and operators
  • Growth-stage technology vendors aiming to expand enterprise adoption, form strategic partnerships, and better understand contractor and owner buying behavior
  • Industry consultants and advisors supporting digital transformation, innovation strategy, and technology implementation across the built environment

WHAT YOU'LL GAIN

  • Real-world playbooks and case studies highlighting examples of how emerging technologies move from pilot to scaled adoption, including what worked, what failed, and how teams proved ROI
  • Panels on moving from pilot to scale, covering partnership strategy, pilot design, field adoption, and the operational changes needed to make new technology stick
  • Roundtable sessions led by general contractors, VCs, CVCs, and tech providers, designed as small-group, interactive discussions where attendees exchange perspectives on partnerships, product fit, deal flow, and adoption challenges
  • Peer discussions that allow attendees to benchmark strategies, compare experiences, and pressure-test ideas with others across the ecosystem
  • Structured networking through Dealmaker’s Alley, enabling targeted meetings between startups, GCs, VCs, and CVCs focused on pilots, partnerships, and investment opportunities

EMERGING TECH SOLUTION LOOKING TO BE INVOLVED?

Apply to present your company and showcase your emerging AEC technology in our startup Demo Day.

Meet contractors, investors, and strategic partners to discuss pilots, funding, and collaborations in the built environment.

Julide Bozoglu

Director of Technology, Goettsch Partners

Colette Burd

Founder, SpecFunnel

Marciel Gaier

CEO, AeroNova Advanced Materials

Angela Sanchez

CEO, Merge-Tek

Zaid Kahn

Co-Founder & CEO, Neuron Factory

Steve Dell’Orto

Founder and CEO, ConCntric

Susan Shultz

Founder & CEO, Teamstack.ai

Ross Bosn

Managing Director, UFP Industries

Ben Price

Investment Lead, DPR Construction

Natan Reddy

Ironspring Ventures

Varad Mohod

Investor, Zacua Ventures

Daniel Tarlas

Senior Associate, Gray Capital

Tyler Ashby

Partner, GroundBreak Ventures

Mack Rush

Senior Associate, Emerging Technologies, Suffolk Technologies

Nick Deraney

Venture Manager, Saint-Gobain

Anthony Offak

Senior Technology Specialist, Walbridge Aldinger

Amber Autumn

CEO, Living Building Systems

Aaron Baskerville-Bridges

Co-Founder & Chief Commercial Officer, AeroShield

AEC Emerging Tech Pre-Event & General Sessions

Day 1 Schedule

Suffolk BOOST Cohort 7 Demo Day | Wednesday, November 18, 2026

Day 2 Schedule

8:00AM – 9:00AM
The Gallery

Check-in, Breakfast, Networking | Thursday, November 19, 2026

9:00AM – 9:10AM
The Forum

Opening Remarks | Thursday, November 19, 2026

9:10AM – 9:40AM
The Forum

Keynote | Thursday, November 19, 2026

9:40AM – 10:20AM
The Forum

Panel: From First Meeting to Market: How GCs, Investors and Industry Players Grow Early-Stage Startups | Thursday, November 19, 2026

This session unpacks the journey from first meeting to scaled deployment for early-stage construction and built environment startups. General contractors, investors, industry players, and founders will discuss how they source one another, design high‑value pilots, structure early partnerships, and build the proof points needed to move from pilot to portfolio-wide rollout. Attendees will leave with a clearer view of what “investable” and “implementable” looks like to GCs and capital providers at the earliest stages.

9:45AM – 10:30AM
The Library

Building Tech Working Group Session | Thursday, November 19, 2026

This session is restricted to members of BuiltWorlds' Building Tech Research Track ONLY.

10:20AM – 10:50AM
The Gallery

Networking Break | Thursday, November 19, 2026

10:50AM – 12:20PM
The Forum

Demo Day | Thursday, November 19, 2026

Demo Day at AEC Emerging Tech will feature 6–10 early-stage construction and built environment startups presenting in a live pitch competition. Founders will showcase their solutions, share traction and use cases, and highlight how their technology improves workflows, safety, sustainability, and project performance across the AEC ecosystem. Attendees will see emerging tools before they scale, hear directly from the teams building them, and have opportunities to connect around pilots, partnerships, and investment conversations.

12:20PM – 1:20PM
The Gallery

Lunch | Thursday, November 19, 2026

12:20PM – 1:20PM
The Library

Venture & Investment Working Group Session | Thursday, November 19, 2026

This session is restricted to members of BuiltWorlds' Venture & Investment Research Track ONLY.

1:20PM – 1:30PM
The Forum

Venture Research Presentation | Thursday, November 19, 2026

1:30PM – 2:10 PM
The Hub East

SPONSORED SESSION: Neuron Factory

Neuron Factory is an AI‑native construction technology platform that helps cross‑functional teams collaborate on complex preconstruction workflows using a construction‑focused knowledge graph. In this sponsored session, Neuron Factory and a customer will share a collaboration case study showing how structured data and AI‑driven context can improve planning decisions, reduce risk, and better align project stakeholders before work begins.

1:30PM – 2:10 PM
The Hub West

SPONSORED SESSION: TeamStack.ai

TeamStack.ai uses AI, data, and the collective intelligence of teams to predict and drive better performance across organizations. This sponsored session will feature TeamStack.ai and a customer presenting a case study on how workforce signals and performance insights informed leadership decisions, strengthened team alignment, and improved outcomes on key initiatives and projects.

1:30PM – 2:10 PM
The Library

Construction Tech and Equipment & Robotics Working Group Session

This session is restricted to members of BuiltWorlds' Construction Tech and Equipment & Robotics Research Tracks ONLY.

2:10PM – 2:50PM
The Hub East

SPONSORED SESSION: ConCntric

ConCntric’s 360‑degree preconstruction platform unites data, workflows, and people to provide a dynamic view of projects and portfolios. In this sponsored session, ConCntric and a customer will share a case study illustrating how unified preconstruction processes support better planning, budgeting, procurement, and collaboration, helping teams win more work and deliver with greater certainty of outcome.

2:10PM – 2:50PM
The Hub West

Case Study, Breakout Session, or Workshop | Thursday, November 19, 2026

2:50PM – 3:20PM
The Gallery

Networking Break | Thursday, November 19, 2026

3:20PM – 4:00PM
The Forum

Panel: From Innovation Theater to Real Change: How AEC Leaders Make New Tech Stick | Thursday, November 19, 2026

This session explores what it really takes to move new technology from demos and pilots into everyday practice across the built environment. AEC leaders including contractors, owners, technology providers, consultants, and investors will discuss how they prioritize use cases, design meaningful pilots, align incentives, and manage change so tools are actually adopted rather than shelved. Attendees will leave with practical frameworks and examples they can use to turn innovation theater into durable, scaled impact inside their own organizations.

4:00PM – 5:00PM
The Forum, The Hub East, The Hub West

Roundtable Sessions | Thursday, November 19, 2026

Our roundtable sessions are designed to break down silos across the AEC technology ecosystem and create direct, small-group conversations between the stakeholders driving innovation and adoption. Each table focuses on a critical lens of emerging technology, spanning capital, deployment, and product strategy:

VC Roundtable: Capital, deal flow, and what investors are prioritizing in the next wave of AEC innovation

CVC Roundtable: How corporates are partnering with startups to drive strategic advantage and accelerate adoption

General Contractor Roundtable: Field-level implementation, change management, and scaling new technologies across projects

Tech Provider Roundtable: Product development, interoperability, and building within the broader construction tech ecosystem

Each attendee will select two roundtables to join and participate in two 30-minute, highly interactive sessions.

Importantly, you do not need to belong to a specific category to join a given table. Some of the most valuable insights come from cross-perspective dialogue, such as investors hearing directly from contractors, startups learning from corporate buyers, and operators understanding how capital is shaping innovation. These sessions are intentionally structured to encourage that exchange and surface practical, real-world insights that rarely emerge in traditional panels.

5:00PM – 5:10PM
The Forum

Closing Remarks | Thursday, November 19, 2026

5:10PM – 6:00PM
The Gallery

Closing Reception | Thursday, November 19, 2026

Member Registration

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