BuiltWorlds

Judges of the 2025 Innovating Building Materials & Supply Chain Conference Demo Day Competition got a firsthand look at where construction technologies and financial softwares are headed in Latin America during the Licify pitch, presented by the startup’s Founder & CEO Fernando Olloqui. Backed by Brick & Mortar Ventures and Accion Venture Lab, Licify digitizes procurement and supply chain management for real estate and construction sectors across LATAM.

Industry leaders from Trimble, Cemex Ventures, Blue Auditor, and Cemvision dove into the latest regulatory updates from the European Green Deal and how the AECO industry is impacting the targets. Panelists discussed the practical implications for decarbonization and the strategic roadmap required to reach net-zero targets by 2050.

Strong general contractor-subcontractor partnerships built on transparent communication, aligned technology platforms, and shared project goals create multiplier effects that drive better outcomes across schedule, safety, and profitability.

Shamoon Siddiqui, CEO of Human Friendly Robotics, pitched the startup at the 2025 Tokyo Global Summit. The company, based in Marlboro, New Jersey, designs purpose-built, collaborative field machines that integrate directly into existing commercial construction and interior finishing workflows. Membership includes access to proprietary research, the interactive member directory, forum discussion groups, publishing tools, live and digital conference passes, and more! Click Here to Learn More

Max Quertermus - Posted on August 14, 2026August 14, 2026 This point-in-time analysis digests all of BuiltWorlds’ primary venture capital markets data to provide emerging trends and insights. The quarterly venture report covers analysis in venture investment, tech adoption, and tech M&A as it relates to the built environment.

As AI tools proliferate across design, construction, and operations, the critical question shifts from what AI can do to how AI actually reshapes how we work. This session spotlighted real-world workflow transformations, how AI is being embedded into planning, modeling, handover, and field execution, and examined the practical implications for roles, decision-making, collaboration, and process governance in AEC.

Principles of the circular economy, in many ways, seem like a perfect fit for construction, as the industry generates more than 2 billion tons of waste annually—a considerable amount of which is feasibly reusable. Yet, we’ve been slow to adopt. This BuiltWorlds Conversations episode digs into what exactly the circular economy is, what’s hindering widespread adoption and why companies may want to consider it in the future.

Leading contractors are no longer just technology buyers; they are building their own innovation engines. From internal product teams, R&D groups, and digital divisions to venture arms, accelerators, and JV labs, progressive builders are turning jobsite pain points into scalable products, data platforms, and new revenue lines.

Chicago Build 2026 returns to McCormick Place on October 28 and 29, bringing together 30,000+ AEC and built environment professionals for two days of insights, networking, product discovery and business opportunities. Following the launch of registration earlier this year, attention is now turning to the 2026 agenda, with sessions exploring the technologies, projects and market shifts shaping construction, design and development across Chicago and the wider Midwest.

This lightning round from the 2026 Construction Tech Conference in Chicago, Ill., analyzed the shift from reactive task-tracking to integrated digital lifecycles, exploring how leaders are utilizing automated commissioning workflows and “as-built” digital twins to transform handover into a strategic competitive advantage.