Gryps

At Contech Alliance we are breaking down barriers, having real conversations , and problem solving. At our last event, we discussed how we can bridge the gap of technology adoption. Points of discussion included: ???? ???? ?? People Should Always Come First: Process or Technology Implementation Demands the Right People and Skills People want to experience the ROI: clear ROI is not up for debate, but when the ROI is theoretical, project teams are skeptical. Having the opportunity to experience the benefits (and fast) dramatically increases the success of an innovation. ?? ?? Organizations are Spending on Technology, but are they Spending Enough on Education? Organizations often pour resources into the latest tools without ensuring their teams are equipped to use them effectively. Instead, a shift in focus towards education and training can drive higher returns on investment (ROI). Professional Organizations & Non Profits: have a responsibility to provide a forum and a place that is not a “pay to play” to exchange ideas, learn about innovative technologies, real ROI, collaborate and exchange ideas. Read more about our discussion in the link. Thank you to my group for the open discussion Nicole S. (Peter Scalamandre & Sons Construction), Ibtissam Bakchich (Columbia University), Miranda Bonamo (Constrafor), Ansh Mehra, EIT (Skanska), Shannon (Keeler) Brown (Evercam), Devika Kodi (New York University). Thank you to our sponsors for making this discussion possible (Tough Leaf, Anchin, Skanska, OpenSpace).

Fangirling Dareen Salama, Co-Founder of Gryps in yesterday's AI in Action panel at the AWS Women in AI summit! ?? Dareen highlighted AI's role in eliminating mundane tasks, freeing up time for more engaging, skill-building work. This shift is particularly impactful for early-career talent, challenging the notion of monotonous "rites of passage" that hinder productivity and innovation. In saying that, there's still value in the perspective gained from occasional "grunt work". Helping employees appreciate and maximize opportunities when interesting work comes across the desk. How workplaces find balance between the two will be interesting to observe over the next 12 months! Snaps to the other panelists Ally Huchro, Bear Douglas and Anna Nicanorova. Will be testing out a few of your personal AI use cases!! Hello triathlon training...

?? Contech Alliance is NOT slowing down! ?? We’re continuing to deliver value to our community and partnering with leading construction and contech groups in NYC! That’s why we’re thrilled to join forces with New York Build, the BIGGEST construction event in NYC! ????? ?? Date: Thursday, March 13 ?? Location: Jacob Javits Convention Center Join us for an evening of networking, collaboration, and innovation in the built environment. Whether you’re a seasoned pro or new to contech, expect insightful conversations, valuable connections, and light refreshments with the industry’s best. ?? Register for New York Build Expo & secure your spot! https://lu.ma/cu3ubyfd We can’t wait to see you there! ??♂??? #ContechAlliance #NYBuild #ConstructionTech #Networking #Innovation #BuiltEnvironment OpenSpace Skanska Gramercy Group Inc Kimco Realty Corporation Gryps

Gryps continues to get recognized by institutional and infrastructure owners. Our team has built an amazing product but don't take it from me. This is the second competition we participate in and win to solve real challenges. The prize is: to prove it at scale! ????♀??? We are excited to work with Innovation Labs and NYC Department of Buildings on solving the Data Utilization Challenge. ?? Increasing staff capacity by connecting data from different silos, simplifying access to data at scale, turning unstructured to structured data, and answering questions in seconds!

Over the past few months, I’ve had the privilege of working on the #BuildingsTechLab, in partnership with the NYC Department of Buildings, where we’re exploring cutting-edge technologies that can make our city’s buildings regulatory processes more sustainable, and more efficient. From using #AI tools to power insights from construction documents to conducting guided plan review checks, the startups in our latest cohort are pushing the boundaries of what’s possible for NYC DOB. These proof-of-concept projects aren’t just theoretical—they’re being tested with real-world data! A huge shoutout to the incredible founders leading this work: Dr. Benjamin Coorey, Dheekshita Kumar, Neha Gaonkar, AIA, Jenny Song, Luke Blazek, Tom Vazhekatt, Dareen Salama, Amir Tasbihi, James Gallagher, Benjamin Allen, Keith Dumanski Check out the full list of challenge finalists and their innovations here: ?? https://lnkd.in/e8R8iSSV #BTL #PropTech #BuildingsTechLab #NYC #TechForGood

We are thrilled to share that our Co-founder & CEO Dareen Salama has been recognized in the Construction Dive Champions list. Congratulations to Dareen for this well deserved recognition! ?? ? “Dareen Salama is more than an innovator — she is a trailblazer, mentor and advocate for progress in an industry that has long been slow to change,” her nominator said. “Her work is shaping the future of construction, making her an exceptional choice for this recognition.” Link in comments to check out the full list of honorees! #contech #constructionindustry

What a great day to talk about the best routes to extract value from digital construction assets, with conversations ranging from the intersection of project management and technology to the increasingly important and complex role of data as an asset, to how the public sector is advancing digitization and innovation to build our future infrastructure. A big thanks to our speakers, who generously shared their expertise and experiences with us, and to our audience, who made time on a chilly Thursday to join us. We started these monthly meetings to bring together the city's and region's construction leaders for more intimate, in-depth discussions on hyper-specific topics, and the support and attendance has been well worth the effort. If you're interested in joining us for any of our upcoming Meetings at BuiltWorlds, learn more or register at https://lnkd.in/gNZJnn3J Tomislav ?igo, AIA, Gregory G. Nadeau, Dr. Ann Schneider, Matthew Valle, Dareen Salama, Brian Tracy, PE, CCM, Sam Larson, ARCO/Murray, Construction Management Association of America (CMAA), Ausonio Incorporated, Gryps, Transforming Infrastructure Delivery (TIDe) Fund, Infrastructure Ventures, Clayco

Hackathons are a great way to engage our community, bring talent into the #construction industry and solve problems together. ????♀???????Contech Alliance events just keep raising the bar. Hear more from our Cofounder & CEO Dareen Salama on why we participated and why it was special for us!

I had the opportunity to guest lecture at Columbia University #entrepreneurship in Civil Engineering class. Thank you for having me Pierce Reynoldson, AIA and Ibrahim Odeh, PhD, MBA. Students were extremely engaged and the topics we discussed inspired me to share with a wider audience for anyone out there beginning their entrepreneurial journey. I encourage all founders to share more #real stories on their journey. One area we talked a lot about was the #cofounder relationship, here are some highlights. ? Finding your cofounder and making the leap: Amir Tasbihi and I met and worked together 7 years prior to starting Gryps. We had a pretty good idea and level of awareness of our own skillset and complimentary skillsets we are looking for in a partner.?During the 7 years, we made it a priority to work on projects together, explore ideas and share our vision for the future of #contech. Fun fact is, we were both looking for cofounders before we met, and in the first week we worked together at STV, he told me “one day you and I will start a company together”. To all the #international students out there, we were both on student visas at the time. Don't give up the dream! ?? Formalizing the cofounder relationship: This one was particularly interesting. It’s not one size fits all, but it is highly recommended to discuss values, objectives, working style, level of commitment, and norms as early as possible. Amir and I had a standing meeting to discuss ideas before the decision to start Gryps. Through these conversations we actually discussed and wrote down our expectations out of this process even if it was not a legal document yet, but we made commitments to each other. This document included our roles, risk appetite, financial commitments or worries, family responsibilities, personal responsibilities, goals for the business as well as goals for us as founders. ???????? Number of Cofounders: this highly depends on the business, the optimal scenario is you look for co-founders who complement your skillset, share your values and the change you want to bring to the world, and extremely important that you trust and respect each other. You are going into a partnership for a long time that will constantly put you to the test.?Some businesses needed a third or even fourth and others may not need any. Cofounders wield the vision together. ? What do I do if my cofounder can’t spend as much time as I do??this is very nuanced but really depends on the stage of the company. At the early stages the best thing to do is make sure you are aligned on the future goals and future state. One cofounder maybe more involved than the other at the early stages but it's best to clearly define that milestone where all cofounders are fully committed. For Amir Tasbihi and I, we agreed that my graduation date from Harvard Business School was the day we both are fully committed to Gryps do or die! What is your cofounder story? Share it!

????♀??? We love solving challenges! Especially when it comes to #data, #ai and #construction. We are excited to work with Innovation Labs and NYC Department of Environmental Protection (NYC DEP) on solving Data Management and Governance challenges. ??Connecting data from different silos, turning unstructured to structured data, and answering questions in seconds!