The 2025 BuiltWorlds Venture West Conference brought together corporate leaders, innovators and investors at the heart of the built environment's digital transformation. Gathering in San Francisco, Calif., industry leaders had the chance to witness technological advancements and trends in built world investments happening in and around Silicon Valley, as well as globally.
We're headed to Venture East in this November, where we'll continue exploring the latest investment trends as well as innovations in construction technology, with a specific focus on what's happening on the U.S.'s East Coast. Get ready for Venture East with a recap of all the topics discussed at this year's Venture West, now compiled in a convenient playlist below.
Keynote Address From Former Governor of Colorado Bill Ritter
Former Colorado Governor Bill Ritter, operating partner at Blackhorn Ventures and partner at Freestone Strategies, gave the keynote address at the 2025 Venture West Conference. In his address, Ritter examined the impact of political policies on the construction industry and built environment economy.
The Evolution of Venture Capital in the Built World and its Trajectory
PREMIUM CONTENT
Is technology and the venture capital model the industry’s answer for declining productivity and margin compression? This panel balanced entrepreneur and investor perspectives, hearing from industry experts from UFP Industries, Eclipse, Fifth Wall, and Design-Assist Lab, to discuss the needs of built environment startups, how the fundraising landscape has transformed over the last few decades, and how technology is addressing the industry’s pain points.
WND Ventures: Commitment to the Future of Construction
Over the last decade, WND, the venture arm of DPR Construction, has invested in 15 startups, incubated four entities and invested in two venture funds as a Limited Partner (LP). WND has taken the lessons learned from its innovation, R&D and venture capital experiences and created a renewed approach. This fireside chat, led by DPR Construction’s CEO George Pfeffer and CTO Atul Khanzode, explored this wider approach and what it means for the BuiltWorlds community.
HardTech and the Future of Construction
PREMIUM CONTENT
The tides of built environment venture funding have shifted in favor of advanced equipment, materials, robotics, sensors, energy systems and modular construction startups. This panel of experts from DPR Construction, Hyperframe, SafeAI, and E12 Ventures discussed why strategics are interested in HardTech and the measured industry-wide impact of fundamentally changing how we build.
Endgame Strategies for Project Management & Vertical Software
PREMIUM CONTENT
Project management software has become more expensive, while industry productivity continues to decline and AI reimagines how the role of software. Panelists from Trimble, McGough, STO Building Group, and ConstructivIQ explored how industry stakeholders are evaluating investment in field management and enterprise software, where they see efficiency gains, and where the industry is headed.
Sustainable Technology: Adoption and Investment Strategies
PREMIUM CONTENT
From green materials to renewable energy, a myriad of built environment startups advertise sustainability in their value props. But how does the industry define sustainability? This panel, comprised of industry leaders from Cemex Ventures, Prologis Ventures, GS Futures, and Kompas VC, explored how the industry’s tech adopters are implementing sustainable technology and what their unique evaluation processes look like.
Rebuilding Aging Infrastructure with Technology and Private Capital
PREMIUM CONTENT
On the heels of $1.2T of public funding for U.S. infrastructure projects, investment in horizontal construction projects and infrastructure technology startups has surged. Entrepreneurs, investors and academics from Suffolk Technologies, Turf Advisory, Impacts USA, and The University of California, Berkeley discussed the unique technological and financial needs of public infrastructure and how they are being met.
Decentralized and Web3 Applications in the Built Environment
Decentralized Infrastructure Network and Web3 technologies are often associated with volatile cryptocurrencies, but startups are currently using the principles of decentralization and Web3 to unlock new forms of efficiency and profitability in the built environment. Experts from Andrena, 3DOS, Geonet, and Mazarine explored some impactful applications of decentralization in the built environment and how companies can effectively leverage these technologies going forward.
Exit Strategies Unveiled: Insights From Founders and M&A Experts in the Built Environment
PREMIUM CONTENT
Leveraging the perspectives of founders and M&A experts from Trimble, Westerly Winds, and Procore who have scaled, sold, advised, and acquired startups, this panel discussed the deal process from inception to integration, providing advice to other entrepreneurs, investors and strategic M&A teams.
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