May 21, 2020
What You Will Learn:
- How is technology changing the building industry
- What skills and areas of study should you be focussing on to set yourself apart in the building world?
- Valuable industry insights from a venture capitalist’s perspective
In the latest episode of GWP’s Constructing Brands podcast, we speak with Jesse Devitte. Jesse is the cofounder and general partner at Building Ventures, an investment group that partners with visionary entrepreneurs that are reimagining the world we live in through technology. The world is rapidly changing, with technology at the forefront of these changes. This is true for the building materials industry as well. More than ever before skills in areas such as CAD design, computer software, computer science, and other related fields are being highly valued in the building world, and by investors. Jesse discusses how the building materials world is being shaped by technology, how it is impacting the future of the industry, and what venture capitalists, like himself, are looking for in building companies to invest in, partner with, and create a better-built world.
About Jesse Devitte
Jesse leverages his hands-on operating experience and industry contacts to source and nurture innovative companies applying technology to design, build, and improve our world. At Building Ventures, Jesse coleads the Investment Committee and currently manages the firm’s involvement at the board level with Hypar and Join.Build while working closely with the teams at Blokable, Built Robotics, Dandelion, enVerid, Join.Digital, Measurabl, 75f and Smartvid.io.
Previously, Jesse represented the firm’s investment in Assemble Systems (acquired by Autodesk) and Borealis Ventures’ investments in Honest Buildings (Acquired by Procore), Newforma (acquired by Battery Ventures), Envista Software (acquired by Accela), Handmark (acquired by Sprint), IrisMaps (acquired by OmniEarth), Scribe Software (acquired by The Mustang Group), SketchUp (acquired by Google), SpaceClaim (acquired by ANSYS), TinkerCad (acquired by Autodesk) and VICO Software (acquired by Trimble).
Prior to co-founding Borealis Ventures, Jesse served as an
executive in two public application software companies. He helped
grow Softdesk from a New Hampshire start-up to a successful
venture-funded public company as an Executive and Board Director
concluding in the sale of the business to Autodesk. While at
Autodesk, Jesse led the integration of the two companies and served
on the Autodesk executive staff as the Vice President & General
Manager of the AEC Market Group. He is a founding member of the
Urban Land Institute’s Technology and Real Estate Council and
serves on the Freddie Mac Housing Technology Council.
Jesse graduated with Distinction from the Indiana University School
of Public and Environmental Affairs and completed his military
service as a member of the White House Communications Agency.