Buildots Acquisition, Procore Groundbreak’s Awkward Week, Pre-Con Is On Fire

Buildots acquired workforce tracking company Genda – combining progress monitoring with real-time worker data in a way their competitors can't match.

In this episode of Bricks, Bucks & Bytes, Owen, Martin, Patric, and Dustin dig into the week's biggest stories in construction tech, from strategic acquisitions to what actually happened at Groundbreak.

Key topics discussed:

• Why Buildots bought Genda and how tracking workforce alongside progress creates a competitive edge (especially for catching inflated change orders)

• Dustin's firsthand account of Procore's Groundbreak keynote – an hour about AI agents, but almost nothing about solving real construction problems

• The awkward moment when Tooey handed over CEO duties, and why the transition felt rushed and unprepared

• Luigi La Corte from Provision explains how skimping on branding early hurt their credibility with customers (even while being capital efficient)

• A proper argument about 2D takeoffs: Dustin thinks they'll be commoditized, Luigi defends why 99% accuracy matters

• Candid Intelligence's claim they can compress years of pre-construction work into hours (and what that actually means)

• The reality that contractors will never blindly trust AI quantities – and for good reason

"If you don't do your own branding early, someone else will do your branding for you." – Luigi La Corte, Provision

Dustin also teases some Groundbreak gossip he can't share yet. You'll have to wait until next week.

Sponsors:

Archdesk - “The #1 Construction Management Software for Growing Companies - Manage your projects from Tender to Handover” check archdesk.com

BuildVision - streamlining the construction supply chain with a unified platform - www.buildvision.io

Chapters:

00:00 Intro

01:30 Introduction to BuildDots and Recent Acquisition

04:32 The Importance of Workforce Tracking in Construction

07:23 Challenges in Merging Progress and Workforce Tracking

10:21 Insights on Acquisition Strategies and Market Dynamics

13:30 Evaluating the Impact of Acquisitions on Competitive Landscape

16:25 Procore and Autodesk: A Shift Towards AI

19:12 Leadership Transition and Strategic Vision at Procore

29:01 Introduction and Recent Developments

30:49 Debate on Commoditization of Construction Tech

33:58 The Importance of Data Sets in Estimation

37:03 Challenges in Achieving Accuracy in Construction Estimates

40:56 The Role of AI in Construction Management

43:49 The Future of AI and Human Collaboration

48:01 Capital Efficiency and Branding in Construction Tech

51:53 Marketing Strategies and Customer Engagement

53:19 Trust in Quantification Tools

55:34 Transitioning Leadership in Tech Companies

57:15 Innovations in Pre-Construction Processes

01:01:34 Challenges in Construction Technology Adoption

01:08:39 Building a Startup in Construction Tech

01:11:29 Investor Relations and Business Growth Strategies