AEC_VC

THIS FASCINATED
ME LAST WEEK …
ARCHITECT ENTREPRENEUR

CODER

WHY ARCHITECTS MAKE GREAT FOUNDERS

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1.6M ARCHITECTS
WORLDWIDE, Architects, global

+230K STUDYING

+10% UNTIL 2037

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IN TOTAL

5.9M PEOPLE
EMPLOYED IN
ARCHI-FIRMS

EUROPE AHEAD

SORTED BY TOP 11 IN WORLD POPULATION

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ARCHI-FOUNDERS
WHO BUILT WELL-
KNOWN TECH
FIRMS EVAN SHARP JACK DANGERMOND MIGUEL MCKELVEY

TIFFANY CHU CHARLES ADLER MAO DAQING

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WHY DOES
ARCHITECTURE
GENERATE GREAT
FOUNDERS ?

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 RELATED ARCHI

WE LEARNT FROM EXPERIENCE​ EX-ARCHITECTS 3D FOR ARCHITECTS​

ARCHI-FOUNDERS TANGIBLE BAUPAL

SNAP-

TRUDE

WE PARTNERED ANNELI JUSTUS ALEX ALTAF

WITH WELCOME

HOMES​ SPECKLE CUTR

DIM MATTEO JASPER

MARC

RAYON
STAN MANOJ RAGHU JAI

PROLANCE

STA MATTOBOARD
N
GUY

HANANAS
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REASON 1 NATURAL FOUNDER APPETITE

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ARCHI-FIRMS DO 607'000 ARCHI-FIRMS​ GLOBALLY

NOT SCALE - THE

LARGEST PLAYER
HAS 0.3% SHARE

#1
THE OTHER 606'900

TOP 100
96.5% MARKET SHARE​

0.3% MARKET SHARE​

3.2% MARKET SHARE​

0.16% OF ARCHITECTS​ 97.8% OF ARCHITECTS​

2.0% OF ARCHITECTS​
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ARCHI-FIRMS DO
NOT SCALE
BECAUSE THEY
SELL BODY HOURS

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ARCHITECTS ARE
FORCED TO SCALE ARCHI-FIRMS EARN $184K+
EARNINGS REVENUE PER ARCHITECT 184'000+
ELSEWHERE

… WHILE THE ARCHITECT

GETS PAID $79K​, <$30/HOUR​ 79'000​
(AND THAT'S MID-CAREER)

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FORCED TO HAVE
HARD DEADLINES: $HIT NEEDS GET DONE
GRIT …

CONSTRAINED: BETTER DESIGN, PRAGMATIC

UNDERSTAFFED: LOADS, LOADS OF WORK

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… AND TO BE STANISLAS CHAILLOU

PRAGMATIC RAYON

FROM MY EXPERIENCE, MOST WORK AT

ARCHITECTURE FIRMS GOES THROUGH THE
PRAGMATIC LENS OF DELIVERY.

GETTING SH** DONE IS CENTRAL TO THE ENTIRE

PROCESS, AND NOT AN AFTERTHOUGHT.

EVERY TASK GETS TIME-BOXED AND BUDGETED.

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THAT'S WHY ALEX MÜLLER

STARTING YOUR BAUPAL

OWN COMPANY IS
THE ARCHI DNA
STARTING YOUR OWN COMPANY IS OUR INDUSTRY'S MO.

IT IS SOMETHING MOST ARCHITECTS FEEL COMFORTABLE

ABOUT. OUR COMMUNITY ENCOURAGES AND ROLE-
MODELS IT.

OUR TOOLKIT TRAINS US TO BOOTSTRAP AND IMPROVISE

DURING THE EARLY PHASES OF A PROJECT, KEEPING
THINGS LEAN AND FAST.

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REASON 2 TECH + PRODUCT NATIVES

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740K+ ARCHI- PEOPLE EMPLOYED IN
FOLKS ARE 5.9M ARCHITECTURE
CODERS
WORK IN ARCHITECTURAL
3.7M DESIGN/ENGINEERING
REST IS BACKOFFICE/G&A

740K+ 20% ARE CODERS

ANECDOTAL EXPERIENCE

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ARCHITECTS ARE

BORN INTO 3D -
THE MOST
EXCITING
MARKET OF THE
2020S

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 DIMITRIE STEFANESCU

ARCHIS ARE SPECKLE

NATURAL
PRODUCT
THE GOOD ARCHITECTS I'VE WORKED WITH ARE MASTERS
JUSTUS MENTEN

BAUPAL​
MANAGERS
AT OPERATING ON HARD PROBLEMS WITH A LOT OF
MOVING VARIABLES AND HIGH UNCERTAINTIES, AND WITH
NO OBJECTIVE OPTIMAL STATE.

A BUILDING HAS A LOT OF MOVING PARTS, A LOT OF

COMPROMISES EMBEDDED IN IT. OUR JOB IS TO FIND THE
RIGHT COMPROMISE AND EXECUTE IT WELL.

SAME FOR BUILDING A COMPANY, A PRODUCT, AND A ONLY OUR BUILDING USERS CAN TELL US WHAT THE RIGHT
PLATFORM EARLY. WE ARE PRODUCT NATIVES. COMPROMISES ARE.

THAT'S WHY WE ARE PRACTICED TO FORMULATE THE RIGHT

USER QUESTIONS CORRECTLY.

AS AN ARCHITECT YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND AND

MANAGE DIFFERENT REQUIREMENTS OF DIFFERENT
STAKEHOLDERS, OTHERWISE YOUR PRODUCT WILL FAIL
EPICALLY.

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AND THEY HATE
THE "GOLD" STANDARD
SHITTY SOFTWARE SOFTWARE IN
ARCHITECTURE NEEDS
185 SHORTCUTS

EVEN THE "GOLD"

STANDARD IN OFFICE
NEEDS "ONLY"

137 SHORTCUTS

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REASON 3 THEY EASILY "RIDE THE ELEVATOR"

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TAKE IT FROM TOP
WE GET THE BIG
PICTURE AND
DAVID BASULTO, FLOOR​ ROOT CAUSES
FOUNDER
ARCHDAILY ABSTRACTION +
MEZZA- WE HAVE TO
PRIORITIZE OUR ATTENTION TO
NINE RESOURCES DETAIL !

GROUND
WE HAVE 10
MILLION DETAILS
FLOOR​ TO CONSIDER
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ARCHITECTS ARE

"A LOT OF THE COMPROMISES WE ARE FORCED TO

NATURAL MAKE ARE ABOUT PEOPLE-THINGS.
STORYTELLERS
THIS LEADS US TO BECOMING GOOD STORYTELLERS,
AND ARTFULLY ARTICULATING A COHERENT
NARRATIVE THAT MAKES PEOPLE FOLLOW OUR
REASONING."

KEY FOR HIRING + FUNDRAISING

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VISIONARIES DIMITRIE STEFANESCU

WITH A MESSIAH SPECKLE

COMPLEX ?

WHEN WORKING ON A MASTERPLAN FOR THE NEXT 20

YEARS OF AN AIRPORT - EVERY IDEA YOU PUT OUT GIVES
YOU A HIGH.

WE ARE PARTLY DELUSIONALLY CONVINCED THAT THE

WORLD REVOLVES AROUND THE STUFF WE BUILD AND
THE PLANS WE DESIGN.

A USEFUL DEFECT TO HAVE IN ORDER TO EVEN CONSIDER

DOING A TECH STARTUP.

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NOT ALL IS 3 COMMON LEARNINGS FOR ARCHIS
PERFECT

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ARCHITECTS-
TURNING-
FOUNDERS OFTEN
NEED TO:
DELEGATE
BE
THINK

STUFF PRECISE ACTION

YOU YOURSELF DO NOT COMMUNICATE IN FEWER OPERATIONALIZE
SCALE. DEVELOP COMFORT WORDS. TAK-TAK-TAK. EVERYTHING. HERE'S
IN DELEGATING. WHAT WE'LL DO TMRW.

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SUMMARY

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ARE YOU ARCHITECT ENTREPRENEUR

THE NEXT
CODER
GR8 ONE ?
WHY ARCHITECTS MAKE GREAT FOUNDERS

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AEC_VC
@AEC_VC
LINKEDIN.COM/IN/AECVC
AECVC.COM
P.S. HERE'S MY
SPREADSHEET
WITH SOURCES

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