Is it Tough for Construction Tech Startups to Survive?
Once upon a time, there was a horse galloping furiously down the road. It seemed that the rider had somewhere important to go.
Another man was standing alongside the street, and while watching the horse storm by he shouted:
“Rider! Where are you going?”.
To which the rider replied worryingly:
“I don’t know! Ask the horse!”.
It is not uncommon for construction projects to be riding in the dark, and it’s not unusual for construction teams to guesstimate when and where they will arrive.
Marco Herbst, the CEO of time-lapse cameras Evercam, joined our latest podcast and shared his educated perception of how construction is evolving past the “riding in the dark” dilemma. In his usual cheerful and thoughtful manner, Marco laid out the venture for perhaps the most dominant, perennial question in construction:
Where is my project at?
This is typically a complex question for any construction project to answer.
Marco and his team however are on a mission for making this much simpler. And that, we believe, is the key for a Construction Technology company to not just survive, but to thrive.
Cameras. Are. Here.
Bill Gates used to say, “a computer in every home”, it turns out he was underselling it, Marco says in amusement. Similarly, “a camera on every construction site” is now obvious. From repairing your kitchen sink to delivering a Giga Project in the Middle East, site captures are slowly but surely becoming the norm. The game doesn’t end there, the sophisticated software built on top of visuals is transforming every camera lens into a wormhole, sucking construction into a parallel, productivity-driven Universe. The question though remains: Where is my project at? Is Progress Tracking really here?
Don’t underestimate a picture, don’t overestimate software
On the field, very many battles have been won with a picture, and very many mysteries have been solved with a picture. Experienced eyes sitting in the Head Office can tell a lot about their project’s progress by simply looking at the visuals.
Live cameras, 360 captures, and drones are some of the data capturing tools hijacking nowadays many project sites across the globe. The software built on top of these tools is another huge leap forward helping you deconstruct and dematerialize your site. But can the software really relate site captures to the quantities, schedule, and risks, without any human intervention? Marco’s team and the rest of the tech companies are making serious progress, yet, there’s no one single solution that delivers an accurate, sufficient answer. In fact, I’d be skeptical of anyone who claims to do so.
Implementing technology is signing an unwritten contract to help get that project delivered
Construction has chewed and spit many idealists before and while being a hardcore technology enthusiast, Marco is not willing to repeat their mistakes. “I think some of the best and wisest people in construction have tried technologies a little too early” he admits. They have been sold the future when all they needed was something that works now.
Clearly, Marco’s enthusiasm is bottled in practicality, and he has consciously and judiciously chosen another mantra. By implementing technology, you are signing an unwritten contract to help get that project delivered, he asserts. The spirited team at Evercam with around 80 clients, 350 time-lapse cameras live and 3500 users are clearly turning this predicament around.
The Contractor metamorphosis
Argumentativeness between project stakeholders is a trait all too common in our industry Marco says thoughtfully. At the same time, there’s a new class of Contractors that is pulling ahead who’s using technology to transcend these feelings through more transparency and collaboration. As he articulately puts it “we are witnessing the professionalization of the industry”.
“It’s obvious what’s coming down the track,” Marco says convincingly and believes there are compelling reasons for Contractors and Developers to ride the camera wave first. You get to choose what system goes in and you get to control the data feed.
Listen to the full episode and Marco’s insights here:
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