Am I crazy enough to disrupt the industry?
My beloved humanity, this post is for those who want to live in beautiful future neo-cities in this life. I’m a 35-year-old son of a construction developer, and this is my third major attempt to disrupt the construction industry. Here is my story from the last 18 years:
Part 1: Aerospace Engineer
I graduated with honors as an aerospace engineer from Russia's best technical university, worked in the aerospace industry, and started PhD research on the flight movement of earth satellites.
🦾My key takeaway: Human can build complex autonomous systems.
Part 2: Corporate IT
I decided to move to IT and helped McDonald's, a telecom operator, and Yandex implement Oracle and SAP. Later, I was invited to McKinsey Academy and then became part of the IT advisory team at KPMG.
💩My key takeaway: Consulting sucks, don’t be a consultant, be an entrepreneur.
Part 3: Startup Founder
This is where my founder journey started. After KPMG, I launched my first big venture: a construction material marketplace. We raised venture investments, achieved top 100 commerce in Russia, and built a system that was acquired by a strategic investor.
❤️My key takeaway: Start companies out of love, not for money.
Part 4: Reassembling
After February 2022, I left Russia and moved back to Kazakhstan. Then, I was invited to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, to launch a B2B construction material marketplace. After launching the product and building a team, I realized, “How can I consider myself a techpreneur without ever being in Silicon Valley?” In 2023, I joined the Draper Family.
✌️My key takeaway: Stick to your principles.
Part 5: Serendipity
In my first months in the US, I traveled throughout California, visited the Hawaiian Islands, attended TechCrunch, got my playa name on Burning Man and met over 500 people, including my US-based co-founder Omar Zhan.
⚛️My key takeaway: You need to be strong mentally and intellectually to rely on serendipity.
And here I am, a California-based startup founder, building autonomous construction software to automate repeatable projects like McDonald's. Imagine saying, "Hey Subway GPT, deploy a new project in Austin, Texas." That's what we do! When we deliver our first project, it’s just a matter of time before the industry starts using AI to build buildings, to build cities and not just on this planet 🚀🚀🚀
❗️My ask for you: We're starting the first cohort of professionals for our "Autonomous Construction Workshop". Join industry leaders to learn about AI in construction tech, best practices, and case studies showing 70% cost reductions. If you're in the construction industry or know someone who is, comment below, and I'll DM you with more details. Let's build the future together! 🚀
#entrepreneurship #construction #AI
