Funding the Physical Future: Investing in Built World Tech That Has To Work in the Field – Venture West 2026

This panel unpacked how investors are underwriting hardware-heavy, field‑deployed construction and infrastructure technologies that must perform under real‑world jobsite conditions. Industry leaders from DPR Construction, Navitas Capital, Suffolk Technologies, and Hilti Venture explored how VCs and strategics evaluate technical risk, durability, safety, installation complexity, and service models alongside traditional SaaS metrics, and what proof points founders need to show from pilots and early deployments.