Mobile, cloud computing, and IoT technology – all fueled by a tsunami of venture capital investment and growing M&A activity – has made it imperative for AEC CEOs to understand the technology landscape and formulate strategies for adapting their organizations effectively in the face of disruption.
Now, as business leaders face a myriad of opportunities to grow their enterprises through innovation, they must develop responses around one key question – which strategies are right for my organization?
Beginning Tuesday, leaders will convene for BuiltWorlds’ 2024 CEO Tech Forum in Chicago to discuss how the industry is meeting the challenges.
Among them is Jason Pritzker, co-founder and managing partner of the recently-launched 53 Stations, which announced a $190 million fund focused on early stage technology across various industries. He’ll share his perspectives on the launch of their fund, what is important for them, and private equity opportunities in the AEC space. More on Pritzker and the fund here.
Key to the Forum is also establishing the broader context influencing the industry. We’ll hear from Chad Syverson, professor of economics, University of Chicago Booth School of Business, who has studied the lagging productivity in construction and the question of why, despite the increased adoption of technology, the industry’s productivity has in fact decreased. Last year, Syverson co-authored a research report alongside Austan Goolsbee, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, on the topic. BuiltWorlds analyzed the findings and opportunities for the industry to improve.
Also no conversation about contech is possible in 2024 without mentioning AI, which Togal CEO Patrick Murphy is ideally positioned to discuss. Togal’s estimating solution uses deep machine learning to analyze blueprints and streamline the bidding process (as he explained to BuiltWorlds members in this recent analyst call). On Wednesday, Murphy will share his observations from the leading edge of this technology and how companies are starting to develop partnerships, data strategies, and initiatives to take advantage of it.
Last on the event’s docket, innovations and investments in “offsite” construction continue to make headlines around the globe, most recently with the news of Canada’s $6 billion fund that’s expected to (among other things) harness contech to build affordable housing more quickly. Mark Skender, co-founder of RaaP, a tech platform for preconstruction companies, is slated to address the growth of non-traditional construction modular building. Skender discussed the topic of vertical integration in this model on a BuiltWorlds panel last spring.
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