- This event has passed.
When
9.19.2023 at 8:00AM - 9.21.2023 at 5:00PMWhere
,Not your normal Tech Conference.
Since 2016, the three-day BuiltWorlds Summit has been the premier gathering place for senior level thought leaders from across the many industries that develop, design, build, and maintain our built environment. It is where these people meet, share insights, learn from each other and the BuiltWorlds analysts, and find opportunities to evolve their businesses and to collaborate for a better future!
Americas Summit Pre-General Sessions Forum Meetings, Demo Day, Demo Day Reception, and Panel Discussions -Tuesday, 09/19/23
Ahead of the Summit's general sessions, we welcome current and potential BuiltWorlds members to join us for sessions focused on technology adoption, venture capital, emerging solutions and empowering women and diversity within the construction ecosystem.
These pre-events all take place at East Bank Club in Chicago | 500 N Kingsbury St, Chicago, IL 60654
General Sessions Opening Day and Welcome Reception - Wednesday 09/20/23
Detailed Agenda Below.
General Sessions, Roundtables, Awards, and Mavericks Dinner - Thursday, 09/21/23
Detailed Agenda Below.
2023 Speakers
Agenda
Day 1 Schedule
Venture Forum Meeting - Key Underwriting Considerations in Corporate Venture Investing Today
Our Venture Forum will have their monthly meeting in-person at the East Bank Club in Chicago. This event is reserved for members of the BuiltWorlds Venture Forum only. For more information on how to join the forum please email info@builtworlds.com
Demo Day Competition: The Early Stage
Pavewise - Bryce Wuori, CEO
Boxcore - Padaig Reilly, CEO
AITender - Geoffrey Guilly, CEO
BotBuilt - Brent Wadas, CEO
Kwant - Niran Shrestha, CEO
Demo Day Competition: The Later Stage
Cumulus - Matthew Kleiman, CEO
KYRO - Home Kabir, Head of Product
CONXAI - Benjamin Jodis, Director of Ops
Kewazo - Artem Kuchukov, CEO
BuiltWorlds Inaugural Class - Where are they now?
Since its inception in 2014, BuiltWorlds has pushed the construction tech industry forward. One of the ways our organization has been able to do this is by featuring startups within the built ecosystem that we think are going to disrupt the way things are being done. Hear from some of our earliest startup entrepreneur presenters from our first Summit, as they talk about where they were when we first met, where they are today, and where they're headed in the future.
Speakers:
Platt Boyd, Founder, Branch Technologies
Danielle Dy Buncio, Founder, Viatechnik
Peter Grant, Co-Founder, Safesite
Roger Krulak, President and Founder, FullStack Modular
Zach Scheel, Co-Founder and CEO, Rhumbix
Demo Day Reception Sponsored by Graycor
BuiltWorlds in partnership with Graycor will host a networking reception for guests of the Summit.
Lessons from the past 20 Years of AEC Tech from Industry Tech Veterans
Look back at the past twenty years in AEC tech, what promises have been fulfilled and what remains ahead. Where did change happen that we didn't expect, and where did it not. We'll draw lessons for the future from a look at the past with some of the AEC World's industry veterans.
Day 2 Schedule
Breakfast & Registration
Welcoming Address
Keynote Presentation: Where Do We Want To Go and Why Can't We get There? CEO Perspective
There is no shortage of industry experts who consistently dissect the why's and how's of the glacial pace of innovation in the built world. However, there is an increasingly concerted effort to tackle the big issues related to safety, quality, productivity, and sustainability. During this keynote presentation, we will hear from Mark Whitson about key challenges as seen from the executive level, and how one leading contractor is thinking about tackling some of these issues.
Mark Whitson, President, DPR Construction
From the C-Suite to the Field: The Delicate Dance of the Innovation Leader
As industry CEOs are increasingly looking to position their companies for the future, more companies are moving innovation leaders into the c-suite and accompanying those moves with bold statements about transformational change. It is a delicate balance, though. Companies are loathe to make big changes that can disrupt businesses that are successful today for the prospect of securing that success in the future. Similarly, employees and business partners may also say they want innovation but then resist change when it introduces risk and uncertainty in their work. Moving a company toward a successful future while managing the change to minimize disruption to success in the present, is nonetheless the challenge and opportunity for the industry’s new breed of innovation leaders. In this session we will lean more.
Eric Whobrey, Vice President, Innovation, ARCO
Gene Hodge, Vice President, Innovation, Mortenson
Brandon Milner, SVP, Digital & Data Engineering, EllisDon
Yuji Doi, Innovation Manager, Kajima
Louis Cottin, Innovation Manager, Leonard by VINCI
Networking Break
Alternative Perspectives on the Industry's Productivity Challenges
Productivity challenges in the industry have come squarely under the spotlight in recent years as the rapid growth of technology has not yet reflected improvements in productivity metrics. This panel will explore varying perspectives on the topic, including how we are calculating productivity, what the "real" impact of technology is, and when we might start to see positive movement in this area.
Martin Fischer, Professor and Director, CIFE-Stanford University
Adam Bridgman, Co-Founder & General Partner, Ironspring Ventures
Erin Roberts, Global Engineering & Construction Sector Leader, EY
Luncheon
State of Corporate Venture in the Built World
Corporate Venture Capital (CVC) has been a driving force in the early-stage AEC-tech ecosystem, leading over 33% of the investments made in this innovation niche in H1 2023 (a massive improvement from less than 10% in H1 2022). This group of strategic investors represents the heart of this industry's progression toward a digitally-enabled & sustainable future.
Tom Scarangello, Executive Chairman, Thornton Tomasetti
Erick Melgar, General Manager, Progreso X
Chris Fortunato, Vice President, CRH Ventures
The Future of Buildings and Cities Keynote
As the industry continues to trend forward, long-tailed innovation initiatives seek to improve our buildings and our cities. As the rush for efficient, smart, and sustainable solutions becomes more urgent, all stakeholders are looking for ways forward. During this keynote, Gordon Gill will share his perspectives on the matter through the lens of the designer.
Gordon Gill, Partner, Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill
Innovation In Building / How Net Zero Buildings Are Becoming A Reality
To fully understand the AEC industry's role in the well-being of our planet, you must first understand carbon's impact — both operational and embodied. The decisions we make during the design and execution phases have lasting effects, and with evolving technology, the ability to construct truly "net-zero" buildings is more attainable than ever. This panel will explore innovations that are making net-zero buildings a reality and address some of the challenges holding them back.
Marty Ozinga, CEO, Ozinga
Drury Crawley, Bentley Fellow / Director Building Performance Research, Bentley Systems
Andrea Springer, Director of Digital Technology & Innovation, Stantec
Rob Best, Americas Energy + Digital Leader, Arup
Igor Starkov, VP Digital Twin, Siemens
Networking Break
Lightning Round I: Does AI Spell Massive Disruption or is it Largely Hype?
As construction moves towards a future increasingly defined by AI, industry leaders have raised questions about how to leverage and regulate AI both on-site and in-office. This panel weighs the potential for AI to bring about significant disruption – transforming project management, automation, safety, and design – while also exploring the challenges and addressing whether certain AI claims are exaggerated hype in the construction context.
Jit Kee Chin, Chief Data and Innovation Officer, Executive Vice President, Suffolk
Trent Miskelly, COO, DocumentCrunch
René Morkos, Founder & CEO, ALICE Technologies
Lightning Round II: What Are the Biggest Trends in Venture and Private Equity Investment in the Sector Today?
The investment community in the built environment is becoming increasingly diverse as innovation in this space begins to maturate. While pure-play built-world VCs like Brick & Mortar have finally begun to reap the benefits of their labor, corporate venture capital and private equity firms are entering the space with tenacity.
Alice Leung, Vice President, Brick & Mortar Ventures
Tim Bodner, Global Head of Real Estate Deals, PwC
Bernardo Gamboa. Partner, Global Project Strategy
Lightning Round III: What is the Future of Modular in Construction?
With a growing desire to remove variables, contractors, manufacturers, and the like are looking for controlled, offsite environments to safely standardize as many processes as possible. With modular construction becoming commonplace, the industry is trying to determine best practices for continued implementation. This panel will analyze the future of modular construction, specifically, addressing the feasibility of wide-scale adoption, automation, and possible limitations.
Justin Schwaiger, VP Customer Success and Strategic Partnerships, Manufacton
CJ Best, Director of Manufacturing, McKinstry
Janis Pieterwas, Innovation Manager Construction, Goldbeck
Day 3 Schedule
Breakfast & Networking
BuiltWorlds Research Presentation
Through our AEC Benchmarking Surveys, Top List Applications, Demo Day Calls and elsewhere, the BuiltWorlds' Analyst Team is constantly collecting data on technology usage and development in the sector. In this session, the team will highlight key insights from recent research.
Keynote Presentation: Where is the Industry headed: One Year, Three Years, Ten Years, The Tech Perspectives
Nobody has a crystal ball, but the incentives and innovations of today will feed the future of the construction industry. During this keynote presentation, William Schlacks will share some of his thoughts on the future of innovation and technology from the perspective of a successful founder.
William Schlacks, President & Co-Founder, EquipmentShare
Smart Job Sites: What are the Equipment and Robotics Breakthroughs That Will Finally Improve Productivity in the Field?
As technology advances, and the industry's means to effectively, efficiently, and safely augment human labor improve, it is reasonable to assume productivity will improve proportionately. Panelists will explore emerging equipment and robotics that have the potential to not only influence schedules but the bottom line as well.
Alexey Dubov, CIO & Co-Founder, Mighty Buildings
Erol Ahmed, Director of Communications, Built Robotics
Kevin Albert, CEO, Canvas
Martijn Hoppenbrouwers, VP, Operations and Customer Success, Teleo
Networking Break
The State of Reality Capture & Predictive Analytics
The construction industry has witnessed a remarkable transformation through the integration of reality capture technologies and predictive analysis methods in recent years. These advancements have revolutionized how construction projects are planned, executed, and managed, leading to improved efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and safety. This panel will discuss the adoption and use of the cutting-edge tools and methodologies that are reshaping the industry.
Roger Yarrow, COO, Truelook
Erez Dror, CEO, Genda
Stephanie Lin, Senior Director, Global Head of Business Strategy, Matterport
Workforce in Crisis: The Needs of Today and Improvements of Tomorrow
With the continuously changing landscape of technology in the industry, upskilling, reskilling, and training the workforce to succeed is an increasingly complex task. This panel will explore how different areas of the industry are addressing this problem in different ways.
Shelley Finnigan, Director, EMDC & MPM Programs, Northwestern University - MPM and EMDC
Brianne Stewart, Construction Technology Manager, Milwaukee Tool
Romey Oulton, (N America) Consultant - ConTech/ClimateTech/DEI, LMRE
Jay Martin, CEO, ToolWatch
Managing Risk: Emerging Tech Collides with Finance
The built world is finally beginning to unsiloe and leverage the 95% of AEC data that had historically gone to waste, while IoT, reality capturing devices, and other digitally-enabled devices generate a new prolific wave of usable information. This cascading of data has created an increasingly attractive environment for FinTech & InsurTech to start underwriting the built universe. This panel will discuss the opportunities and hurdles surrounding FinTech & InsurTech in the AEC ecosystem.
Colin Laughlin, Director of Finance, Walsh Group
Bret Bush, EVP Sales & Operations, Insight Risk Technologies LLC
Awards Luncheon
The BuiltWorlds Analyst Team will confer Digital Leader Awards on the AEC firms that, through benchmarking surveys of members, have been determined to have the most advanced implementation of technology in the 30 plus key process areas surveyed and share some of the best practices observed.
E&C Forum: Latest Group Survey Results | Mid Size Contractor Modular Case Study
The BuiltWorlds E&C Forum meets monthly as a peer group to discuss a variety of technological and operational topics in order to share ideas, facilitate connections, and improve our organizations. The E&C Forum at the Americas Summit will be held on the main stage and open to all Summit Attendees.
Building Tech / Sustainability Forum: Sustainability, Carbon Footprint and New Solutions in Concrete
The BuiltWorlds Building Tech Forum is a peer group that meets periodically to discuss all things building technology and sustainability in the built world. Initiatives include identifying and understanding technology used to manage assets more efficiently, innovations in new materials, and net-zero jobsites, among others.
CEO Forum: Leadership Succession Planning in the Era of Digital Disruption
The BuiltWorlds CEO Forum is a peer group which serves as a venue for executive leaders across the industry to gather, connect, discuss, and learn about critical trends and technologies in the construction industry. During this meeting, the group will discuss succession management within their organizations, including how to plan for succession, necessary qualifications, and how to think about the longevity of the human capital in their organizations.
Jake Appelman, Partner, FMI
Networking Break
Small Group Topic Discussions
Attendees will break up into small groups of up to ten per group for discussions moderated be BuiltWorlds Members on a range of topics. Participants will have the opportunity to rotate to three different topic discussion groups over the course of this interactive networking and discussion session. Topics include BIM, innovation in mid-sized contractors, Core IT, innovations in equipment & tools, BI & dashboarding, robotics, workforce technology, and more.
-Dana Erdman, VP Technology / Innovation, Bulley & Andrews - The Future of BIM
-Aash Desai, Principal, Helios Construction - Successful Innovation Strategies for Mid Sized Construction Companies
-Matt Redman, Director Of Technical Operations, Del Amo Construction - Dashboards & Business Intelligence for Construction Companies
-Rahul Deshmukh, CIO, Vaughn Construction - You've Upgraded Your Ops Tech, Now How Do You Upgrade Your Core Tech?
-Russ Young, CBDO, Ten - Tools and Equipment are Key To Productivity Gains. So, how to we connect the office to the Face of Work?
-Vincent Melanson, Innovation manager - R&D and special projects, Pomerleau - Real World Challenges and Opportunities in Robotics Today.
-Jon Pahl, Director of Innovation, Nabholz - What is the Future of Wearables and other Technologies Design to Help the Workforce in the Field?
-Christian Burger, President, Burger Consulting Group - Whose data is it, anyway? Where the Data Sits, What Data is Valuable, and What All of Those Questions Portend for Tech in the Industry.
-Wyatt Hays, Director of VDC, Helm Group - How to Improve Collaboration in Preconstruction between AE, MEP, and GC
-Will Hudson, Business Development, Bespoke Metrics - Innovations in Contracting & Qualifying
Venture Roundtable: How Private Equity Is Providing Exit Opportunities for the Industry's Startups
Over the last decade, the built world has seen thousands new and repeat founders begin journeys to innovate, disrupt, and revolutionize the industry. A critical, and often misunderstood aspect of the journey is end of the growth journey when a company then "exits". This session will explore how to think about, develop, and ultimately complete an exit in this industry.
Jeff Herriman, Managing Director, Ascentage
Jay Snyder, President, Big Blue Innovations
AI and Machine Learning Forum: Preparing for AI/ML in AEC
This Session is designed for member companies interested in joining a new Forum aimed at helping AEC companies prepare for the changes that will result from the promulgation of AI and Machine Learning Technology. This session will provide an opportunity for members to provide feedback into the year one agenda for the forum (Limit 30 People)
Networking Break & Expo Open
Mavericks Award Reception
Mavericks Dinner & Awards
Every year, BuiltWorlds analyst team honors 50 individuals from industry, investment, tech, and beyond who have blazed new trails for the sector. The annual Mavericks Dinner is the place where we pay homage to that year's new class of BuiltWorlds Mavericks.
How To Register to Attend the Americas Summit
Summits are Special Signature events at BuiltWorlds. While non-members, may purchase a limited number of full price tickets, members receive discounted and free passes, depending on their level of membership. To find out what pricing you qualify for and to redeem your passes for the Summit, please email info@builtworlds.com, and we will make sure you get the best option for you!
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