Last Week in ConTech - 23 February 2026
Is Autodesk ever getting disrupted?
As a heads up we hosting our first ConTech in person community event in Melbourne with Superseed Ventures and Zacua Ventures this Thursday February 26th. Over 90 people have registered and there’ll be food and drinks provided. Come down and say hello! Register here to attend.
Deep Insight: Is Autodesk ever getting disrupted?
This week, Libo from Building Probable published a great article titled “Autodesk is Dead, All Hail Autodesk.” It offers a timely breakdown of Autodesk’s moat and how the company continues to strengthen its position, even as the cost of software product development rapidly declines.
Many of us have been quick to disparage Autodesk but as we explored previously, drawing on Guido’s analysis of Autodesk’s foundation model strategy and now their recent $200m investment into World Labs, a spatial intelligence company building Large World Models (LWMs) capable of perceiving, generating, and interacting with the 3D world, Autodesk is positioning itself to be one of the incumbents best equipped to navigate, and potentially define, the industry’s AI transition.
Here’s the breakdown from Libo on how Autodesk’s moat is in its network effects (I highly recommend reading the full piece).
Revit has grown from 27% to 49% market share in the UK over the last 6 years with next placed, ArchiCAD at 22%. There are three main reasons for this growing market share:
Government BIM mandates act as an adoption driver.
In the last 20 years, 34 countries and regions have enacted a BIM requirement. As Revit is the de facto tool, a BIM mandate becomes a soft Revit mandate.
This applies across regions as a multinational firm which invests in Revit in one region is unlikely to use another tool when another region’s regulation follows suit.
Talent Lock in
Libo highlights a lock in format in professional software markets that many never mention:
Firms can’t switch products without re-skilling their workforce
Workers generally won’t acquire skills that are not in demand.
Course providers and bim-fluencers don’t create content for skills with no demand.
Because AEC is service-based, time and money spent on training is time not making money and money not chargeable to clients, both have a direct negative impact on the bottom line.
This means that firms don’t want to spend time and money training in new skills and instead they hire people with the skills they need. As Libo mentions “Revit has 14x more LinkedIn Learning courses than ArchiCAD, and 683x more US job postings.”
An employer who builds their firm around ArchiCAD faces a smaller talent pool and higher training costs than Revit, which can easily offset thousands of dollars in software license savings.
Developer Ecosystem lock in
Scripts and automations that are built on top of Revit are another form of lock in.
If a company switches providers, they must rebuild the automations and there may be less development talent available. As Libo notes:
Revit has 143x more GitHub repos targeting its API than ArchiCAD (1,577 vs 11), and 158x more stars (the “likes” of Github). The Dynamo4 and pyRevit5 sub-ecosystems alone, each with 400+ repos, have no ArchiCAD counterpart at all.
This creates a compounding moat meaning that:
Government mandates drive BIM adoption. Revit, as BIM leader, captures that adoption
Higher Revit adoption generates more job postings requiring Revit
More job postings pull more students and professionals into Revit training
A larger trained workforce lowers firms’ switching costs for Revit and raises them for alternatives
More firms on Revit means more pressure on collaborators and contractors to use Revit
The resulting revenue advantage funds R&D and acquisitions that extend the platform
The last point is important as:
Autodesk’s AECO business alone is 2.7x larger than Nemetschek’s entire company and 2.2x Bentley’s entire company.
It means that they have more money for R&D or acquisitions and that’s reflected in Autodesk’s recent $200m investment in World Labs. It’s notable as the press releases states the partnership will involve the companies collaborating on how World Labs’ models, AI systems that can generate and reason about immersive 3D environments, can work alongside Autodesk’s tools, and vice versa.
As Daron Green, Autodesk’s chief scientist mused:
customers might like to start with a world-model-based sketch in World Labs (say, of an office layout) and then drill down on certain design aspects (like the design of the desk), which is where Autodesk’s tech might come in.
This co-design model is powerful because it combines speed with precision. World models can rapidly generate early stage concepts, while Autodesk’s tools provide the control needed for detailed design, iteration, and production ready modelling. This addresses a common limitation of generative systems today, where creating an initial output is easy, but making precise, structured edits remains difficult.
Given the workforce is already trained on Autodesk’s software, this workflow makes adoption far more natural. Generative tools can handle early stage ideation, while Autodesk remains the environment where designs are finalized. This reduces switching costs and, as Libo pointed out, reinforces Autodesk’s position by embedding itself even deeper into the industry’s existing workflows.
In this issue there are:
15 Startup Fundings
13 Policy and Regulatory Changes
6 New National Infrastructure Projects & Priorities
0 New investment funds
2 Acquisitions
6 News articles
47 new jobs posted - view here
Reading time: 13 mins
Startup Funding
Building Decarbonization
Zero Homes, a Denver startup, raised $16.8m in Series A funding. They are building an end to end digital platform and marketplace that helps homeowners plan, quote and schedule energetic retrofits such as heat pump, insulation and EV charge installation using a mobile app to create digital scans and offering virtual assessments for customized electrification plans. More here.
Optiml, a Swiss startup, raised €8m in Seed funding. They are building a real estate decision intelligence platform helping owners, investors and consultants to optimize capex planning and create cost-effective, reliable and low CO2 investment strategies and handle complex retrofitting scenarios with energy simulations and digital twins. More here.
AI
World Labs, a San Francisco startup, raised $1b in funding with $200m from Autodesk. They develop neural networks that generate interactive 3D virtual environments. More here.
Procurement / Marketplaces
HomeRun, a Bangalore startup, raised Rs 60 crore (~$6.6m USD). They are building a construction and interior materials marketplace offering on demand delivery within 60 to 90 minutes through a network of strategically located dark stores and an all-electric delivery fleet. More here.
Robotics
Sitegeist, a German startup, raised €4m in Pre-Seed funding. They are developing an autonomous modular robotic platform that is designed for unstructured construction environments with a focus on concrete removal and renovation. More here.
Notes:
Removing deteriorated concrete is quite complex and requires using a high pressure water or abrasive blasting requiring close supervision to avoid damaging steel reinforcement.
Sitegeist’s robots are built to operate directly on existing structures without requiring prior digitisation or 3D models.
Safety / Construction Management
FYLD, a London startup, raised $41m in Series B funding. They are providing a platform for real time operational intelligence whereby the field captures short videos instead of forms and AI analyzes conditions to identify safety, quality, and delivery risks before they escalate providing live visibility across job sites. More here.
Tech-Enabled Contractors
nuuEnergy, a German startup, raised €4.3m in Seed funding. They are building a digital blueprint and operating system for local heat pump installers, supporting the end to end installation process for customers and leveraging a partner network for delivery. More here.
Notes:
nuuEnergy is interesting as some of their press releases describe them as a “startup which specialises in building regional heat-pump installation businesses.”
Digging further into their website, they are actively looking to partner with HVAC technicians who are running a business or looking to start one.
For this persona they provide:
Consistent orders within their region.
A digital operating system they can use to manage the installation process from planning to insulation including heating load, design, material lists and documentation.
nuuEnergy essentially works as a partner in setting up local businesses and taking care of the administrative hassle by providing modern tooling and structured working conditions.
This allows them to provide a consistent and high quality experience for the end customer while operating ‘asset light,’ drawing on partner’s capacity when needed rather than carrying fixed costs in house.
Supply Chain
Certivo, a Washington startup, raised $4m in Seed funding with Suffolk Technologies leading. They are building a supply chain compliance management platform that automates the request and validation of supplier documentation, monitors regulatory changes across jurisdictions, maps compliance obligations directly to product portfolios and integrates into existing systems. More here.
Decarbonization
Gorlem, a Japanese startup, raised $5m in Seed funding. They are building a construction data platform that assists with tasks such as quotation management, construction plan preparation, drawing checks, purchasing sorting and more. It also has a CO2 tool that allows users to easily calculate emissions using a method that complies with the specialized rules of the Japanese construction industry. More here.
Project Management
conmeet, a German startup, raised €1.3m in Pre-Seed funding. They are building a fully cloud native platform for construction that combines a CRM, ERP, project management, banking and finance and communication on one platform. More here.
Inspections
Sunfish, a Texas startup, received investment. They are building an underwater autonomous robot that is able to complete tasks such as underwater pier/dam/harbor inspection, tunnel mapping, imaging of underwater critical infrastructure and offshore surveys. More here.
Notes:
Sunfish was developed in collaboration with NASA for a future exploratory mission to the Jovian moon, Europa.
Their AUV was designed to explore an ocean hidden beneath more than 15 km of ice and autonomously gather data from the alien planet.
There’s a strong correlation between solutions for harsh or remote construction projects having applications for space missions.
For example underwater robotic solutions can be modified for the space environment and supply chain considerations for projects in Antarctica where there are limited resupply opportunities mimic space missions.
Equipment / Fleet Management
Datoms, an Indian startup, raised $2.77m in Series A funding. They are building an asset management system for geographically distributed assets and equipment, selling to multiple sectors including the construction industry to improve the management of equipment. More here.
Moab, a New York startup, raised $16m in funding across Seed and Series A rounds. They are building an operating system for equipment rental and dealership businesses supporting operations, dispatch, billing, accounting and integrating into telematics providers and CRMs. More here.
Urban Planning
SatVu, a London startup, raised £30m in funding. They develop thermal imaging technology for earth observation which is used in a variety of use cases including identifying areas of urban heat and planning mitigation actions. More here.
Other
Optimitive, a Madrid startup, received €5m in Series A funding from investors including Cemex Ventures and Titan Cement Group. They provide analytics and AI solutions for the operational optimization of heavy industries with a focus on cement equipment providing real time recommendations to reduce equipment downtime and increase production. More here.
Policy and Regulatory Changes
US
Housing bill sails through the House
The House overwhelmingly passed a major bipartisan housing package by a vote of 390–9.
The Housing for the 21st Century Act is designed to expand supply, modernize federal housing programs and expand paths to homeownership.
It includes provisions such as:
Exempting certain housing projects from the National Environmental Policy Act review process.
Lifting the public welfare investment cap from 15% to 20%.
Increases the maximum eligible income for HUD’s HOME Investment Partnerships Program.
Establishes a new grant program to assist regional, state and local entities with strategies to support affordable housing.
Southern California air board rejected pollution rules after AI-generated flood of comments
An AI-powered platform generated at least 20,000 emails that helped defeat a proposal to phase out gas-powered appliances in Southern California.
Experts said the use of AI for civic engagement is growing and could make it harder for elected officials to engage in earnest with the public.
The defeated rules would have added a surcharge to gas appliances.
Last week, the Treasury and the IRS released the first major Foreign Entity of Concern implementation rules.
They outline the new stricter foreign ownership and sourcing requirements and tighter project deadlines that companies and projects must hit to access clean energy tax credits.
The rules amended eligibility for the tech-neutral 45Y Clean Electricity Production Credit and the 48E Clean Electricity Investment Credit, plus the 45X Advanced Manufacturing Production Credit.
If the facilities, investments, technologies, or components received “material assistance” from a prohibited foreign entity (companies tied to China, Russia, Iran, or North Korea) for tax years after July 4, 2025.
The article breaks down how these rules work including the calculations for material assistance from a prohibited foreign entity.
New York Ends Fifth Offshore Wind Solicitation Process ‘Due to Federal Actions Disrupting Market’
The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) has closed the state’s fifth offshore wind solicitation, launched in 2024.
It did so without awarding any offshore renewable energy credits (ORECs).
The reason behind the decision was the current market conditions caused by federal actions.
How the NRC lost its independence
One year ago, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission was an independent agency, setting safety standards without White House interference.
President Donald Trump has overhauled the agency, firing a Democratic commission member, handing off some authority to the Department of Energy and requiring a White House review of all draft rules.
Most recently, Trump replaced the NRC chair, completing his remake of a commission that now has a 3-2 Republican majority.
Three current officials, anonymously said that the NRC is no longer independent and only makes major decisions with the consent and sometimes at the direction of DOE or the White House.
Notes:
Congress created the NRC in 1975, making it the independent safety regulator for commercial reactors.
The DOE was created soon after, with a mission to advance nuclear energy technology.
The aim was to avoid a conflict of interest, separating the promoter of nuclear power from the regulator in charge of public safety.
California’s long-debated transit-oriented housing law is approaching its July 1 start date.
Senate Bill 79 took seven years of negotiations, rewrites and failed attempts before finally passing last year.
The measure allows mid-rise housing construction near major transit hubs in select regions of the state.
To secure enough votes for passage, they narrowed the law’s geographic scope and included multiple carveouts.
Areas vulnerable to wildfire or sea-level rise can be excluded, and parcels already containing apartment buildings are protected from certain redevelopment provisions.
The responsibility for defining exactly where the law applies was handed to regional metropolitan planning organizations.
But defining eligibility has proven complicated.
They have not ruled out delaying implementation if technical and political challenges cannot be resolved in time.
Washington Wants Data Centers to Bring Their Own Clean Energy
A bill wending through the Washington State legislature would require data centers to pick up the tab for all of the costs associated with connecting them to the grid.
It echoes laws passed in Oregon and Minnesota last year, and others currently under consideration in Florida, Georgia, Illinois, and Delaware.
It seeks to protect state climate goals by ensuring that new or expanded data centers are powered by newly built, zero-emissions power plants.
At least six states, including New York and Georgia, are also considering total moratoria on new data centers while regulators study the potential impacts of a computing boom.
Pritzker to Halt Data Center Tax Perks as Power Bills Soar
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker is seeking to temporarily halt incentives for data centers to contain soaring power bills.
Pritzker wants to implement a two-year moratorium on new state-issued tax credits for data centers and is urging the PJM Interconnection LLC to make large energy customers pay their fair share.
The Trump administration must release over $200 million in funds for the Gateway Tunnel rail project.
This comes after a federal appeals court declined to overrule a lower court’s decision compelling it to let the money flow for two weeks.
Related: Trump Says Government Won’t Pay for NJ-NY Tunnel ‘Cost Overruns’
Healey orders review of building codes in effort to boost housing options
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey ordered the creation of a technical advisory group to explore the safety impacts of easing a building code restriction.
Healey wants the group to analyze allowing single staircases in residential buildings that are higher than three stories.
Under existing building code, residential developments above three stories or with long hallways must have two staircases.
This is a rule that housing advocates say impedes construction on smaller lots.
India
India Seeks to Revive Private Investment in High-Speed Roads
India is working to lure private capital back into highway construction with new rules that promise revenue protection for developers.
The government targets to award projects worth 1 trillion rupees ($11 billion) to the private sector by fiscal year 2027.
They want private investment to account for up to 25% of highway development next year.
The push to revive private investment in highways is part of a broader effort to expand corporate participation across infrastructure and reduce logistics costs.
Civil Aviation Ministry Launches National Review of Building Height Regulations Around Airports
The Ministry of Civil Aviation has launched a pan-India study with the International Civil Aviation Organization to review building height restrictions near airports.
Existing regulations by the Airports Authority of India impose strict height caps, 150m no-construction zones, and mandatory NOCs across 165+ airports.
Pakistan
SBCA revises rules to make fire safety mandatory in all building projects
The Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) has made fire safety infrastructure a mandatory and integrated component of any project design and completion.
It means all public sale projects, industrial buildings and amenity plots must now incorporate separate underground and overhead water tanks dedicated exclusively for firefighting purposes.
This is at both planning and completion stages.
The measure ensures that firefighting water storage becomes a core structural element rather than an afterthought.
National Infrastructure Projects & Priorities
US
A Tunnel to Transform Los Angeles
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority board of directors approved the outlines of a plan to dig a subway.
It has a projected ridership of more than 100,000 passengers per day and a decade-plus development timeline.
LA Metro estimates that the trip along the 13-mile line will take under 20 minutes.
Compared to anywhere between 40 and 80 minutes by car.
The Pentagon and the Energy Department for the first time airlifted a 5MW small nuclear reactor, enough to power 5,000 homes, from California to Utah.
This demonstrates what they say is the U.S. potential to quickly deploy nuclear power for military and civilian use.
Notes:
There are 94 operable nuclear reactors in the U.S. that generate about 19% of the country’s electricity.
These could be used as a source of clean energy for remote construction projects.
India
Adani Plans to Invest $100 Billion in AI-Ready Data Centers
Adani Group plans to invest $100 billion by 2035 to develop green-powered, AI-ready data centers.
The investment is likely to “catalyse” an additional $150 billion investment across server manufacturing, advanced electrical infrastructure and related sectors over the next decade.
India expects to attract more than $200 billion in AI-driven investments over the next two years.
UK
£11bn Lower Thames Crossing ‘set to be built with foreign steel’
The £11 billion Lower Thames Crossing is sounding out steel manufacturers to provide 20,000 tonnes of “low embodied carbon steel”.
Industry sources say this will exclude domestic manufacturers from the tender and force ministers to approve the provision of steel from abroad that meets the UK’s green targets.
The project has set targets to reduce carbon emissions by up to 85 per cent by mandating low-carbon materials and technologies.
Canada
N.S. wind farm gets environmental assessment approval, construction to start this year
The project will include up to 27 turbines with a total generating capacity of 147 megawatts of electricity, which could power up to 50,000 homes.
Construction is expected to start in late 2026 and last for roughly 15 months.
Finland
Steady Energy launches pilot for small nuclear heat reactor in Finland
Finnish nuclear development group Steady Energy has begun building a pilot plant in Helsinki.
It aims to pave the way for Europe’s first small nuclear heat reactor.
The company is building its shipping-container-sized 50-megawatt pilot plant to test the technology.
Acquisitions
Consor Engineers, a North American engineering and advisory firm, acquired Cavnue, a Washington startup developing and deploying smart road technologies including delivering a digital twin of the entire roadway environment and leaving sensors, cameras, and digital infrastructure to provide real-time visibility into traffic operations and hazards. More here.
Notes:
Cavnue was developed and incubated by Sidewalk Infrastructure Partners (SIP).
They were founded inside of Alphabet (Google) in 2017 and spun out as an independent infrastructure developer in 2019.
Vectorworks, a Maryland company developing design and BIM software solutions, acquired Morpholio, a New York company developing mobile design and sketching applications. More here.
News
Maybe America Needs Some New Cities (New York Times)
Beyond the Hype: An Owner’s Guide to Construction Robotics (Thesis Driven)
Advancing adaptation: Mapping costs from cooling to coastal defenses (McKinsey)
Musk needed a new vision for SpaceX and xAI. He landed on Moonbase Alpha.
Developers are converting empty office buildings to keep up with demand for housing
Silicon Valley is building a shadow power grid for data centers across the U.S.
If I missed anything this week, please reply and let me know! I’ll make sure to include it next week.