KP Unpacked

KP Unpacked, the #1 number podcast in AEC breaks down how early-stage teams actually win attention and revenue in 2025.  KP and Nick go deep on founder-led distribution, “ signature marketing ” vs checklist B2B tactics, and why authenticity beats AI-generated slop. You’ll hear concrete examples from guerrilla stunts at conferences, product-led marketing, event strategy (sponsor vs booth), and runn...

In this episode of KP Unpacked , KP and Nick break down one of the toughest choices for hardware and robotics founders in AEC: Should you sell the equipment, offer it as a service, or self-perform the work? We cover how to size distribution and reduce friction , when CapEx vs OpEx tilts the deal, what risk transfer really costs, and why your choice is not static . We also get into channel pitfalls...

Welcome back to KP Unpacked , the #1 podcast in AEC ! In this episode, KP Reddy sat down with Ahmad Omar , founder of Slate , also our Mastermind member , to discuss the new wave of entrepreneurship sweeping through the AEC industry. Ahmad shares his journey of leaving a large firm to start his own, highlighting how today's technology, including AI, has shattered traditional barriers to entry...

Welcome to KP Unpacked of the #1 podcast in AEC. In this conversation, KP Reddy and Nick Durham cut through the noise and challenge the stories AEC leaders keep telling themselves. From LinkedIn posts that sparked heated debates to hard truths the industry avoids, this episode doesn’t play safe. It pushes you to rethink how innovation, scarcity, and leadership actually work in the built world. We...

The #1 podcast in AEC. In this episode, KP Reddy and Nick Durham unpack why defensibility today looks less like patents and more like paradoxical thinking, and why the smartest move for AI “wrappers” is to act like a services firm that sells results, not features. 5 Big Ideas Wrappers = Services Business: If you’re building an LLM wrapper, stop pitching IP. Sell industry outcomes, deliver faster/c...

In this episode of KP Unpacked , the #1 podcast in AEC , KP and guest Frank Lazaro explore how AI is reshaping the job market for recent graduates and what parents should tell their children about future career prospects. They discuss strategies for navigating an economy where traditional entry-level jobs are disappearing and entrepreneurship offers promising alternatives. • The job market for rec...

The #1 Podcast in AEC. This episode marks a first: KP sits down with Nick for their debut recording together on KP Unpacked . Funny enough, you heard their second episode (on the MIT AI Report) before this one because the MIT discussion was too timely to hold back. But here’s where it all started. Expect raw takes, sarcastic banter, and unfiltered truths about startups, venture capital, and the bu...

Welcome to KP Unpacked, the #1 podcast in AEC. Hosted by @ KP Reddy and co-host @ Nick Durham .  What if the way we measure work is completely wrong? In this episode, KP and Nick dive into the MIT “Gen AI Divide” report and uncover how incentives, adoption, and measurement distort the real impact of AI inside enterprises. Here’s what you’ll hear in this conversation: Why most companies report “no...

Welcome to KP Unpacked - the #1 podcast in AEC . What if buying a home felt like talking to Jarvis instead of chasing a realtor? In this episode, Jeff Echols sits down with Enoc Silva , CEO of Vuen AI , to unpack how AI-powered visual agents are reshaping real estate, construction, and the built world. 🔑 Highlights from this episode: How AI visual agents give buyers on-demand 3D property tours th...

Most AEC and manufacturing firms are leaving serious money on the table. Jordan Wilson , Director of Business Development at Corporate Tax Advisors , joins Jeff to unpack a major tax law change that could put hundreds of thousands back into your business.  From reversing Section 174 amortization to unlocking retroactive R&D credits, this update has big implications for growth, innovation, and...

In this episode of KP Unpacked , the #1 podcast in AEC, Jeff Echols sits down with Chris Parsons , founder and CEO of Knowledge Architecture , to explore why knowledge management (KM) is no longer just an IT function—it's a strategic currency for AEC firms. Chris shares his 15-year journey building Synthesis , a knowledge platform purpose-built for AEC, and how today's KM 3.0 (powered by...

This episode of KP Unpacked pulls no punches. KP and Jeff dive into why real innovation in AEC doesn’t come from AI, tech stacks, or strategy decks, it comes from frustration. From timesheet tyranny to capital allocation myths, this is a wake-up call for founders, executives, and anyone stuck in the loop of “this is how we’ve always done it.” They unpack why most firms are afraid to change their b...

In this special edition of KP Unpacked , Jeff and KP dive into the heart of KP’s viral Sunday Scaries post: Brackish Waters – The Startup Survival Zone . KP breaks down why traditional lines between VC and PE are blurring — and what it means for how startups should build, fund, and scale in today’s climate. From hybrid capital models to real-world disruption via AI and robotics, this episode is a...

KP Unpacked is the #1 podcast in AEC—and for good reason. In this episode, KP Reddy and Jeff Echols start with baseball and end up somewhere way more urgent: the death of innovation-as-edge. From Moneyball to AI, from power drills to predictive hiring, they unpack what happens after everyone catches up—and what firms should do next to keep their advantage. KP drops insights on fast feedback loops,...

Welcome to KP Unpacked , the #1 podcast in AEC. In this episode, KP Reddy and Jeff Echols unpack a movement that's flipping tech, venture, and entrepreneurship on its head: vibe coding. What started as a LinkedIn post sparked one of the most active polls in Catalyst history, and it turns out, 73% of this high-performing AEC community is already doing it. They dive into: Why vibe coding is dis...

Welcome back to the number one podcast in AEC, KP Unpacked , where AI, innovation, and the built world collide. In this episode of the AI in AEC series, Jeff Echols (Executive Director, Catalyst ) is joined by Frank Lazaro (Head of Advisory , KP Reddy Co.) for a strategic deep dive into how AEC firms can assess and improve their innovation readiness before adopting AI or any new tech. They break d...

In this brutally honest episode of KP Unpacked , the number one podcast in AEC, KP Reddy and Jeff Echols take a sledgehammer to one of the industry's most overused and misunderstood buzzwords: digital twin . What even is a digital twin? KP unpacks why most people using the term don’t know what it really means, why having a 3D model doesn’t qualify, and how the lack of real-time sensing, integ...

Every AEC firm faces it: Do we build our own AI tools or buy what's already on the market? In this episode of KP Unpacked, the number one Podcast in AEC, Jeff Echols and Frank Lazaro dive deep into the strategic dilemma that's dominating boardrooms and innovation teams across the built world. From skyrocketing subscription costs to the reality of custom bot deployment in under 10 minutes...

In this episode of KP Unpacked , the number one podcast in AEC, Jeff Echols sits down with Frank Thalakotur , Senior Research Advisor at KP Reddy Co., to dig into one of the core issues holding the AEC industry back—chronic misalignment between design, delivery, and owner value. Frank brings experience across HVAC engineering, MEP project management, startup innovation, and owner’s rep work. But i...

Welcome back to KP Unpacked , the #1 podcast in AEC. In this episode, KP Reddy (Founder & CEO of Shadow Ventures) and Jeff Echols (Executive Director at Catalyst) unpack a powerful metaphor that’s reshaping how we think about startups, business models, and the built environment. We’re not just talking features or fixes. We’re talking about delivering outcomes that actually cure real industry p...

🎙 Featuring:  Jeff Echols , Chief Executive Director Catalyst, KP Reddy Co. David Niewadomski , Senior Research Advisor, KP Reddy Co. In this episode of KP Unpacked , the number one podcast in AEC, host Jeff Echols sits down with David Niewadomski , Senior Research Advisor at KP Reddy Co., to dive into the inefficiencies of construction—and how rethinking them through the owner's lens could c...

On this episode of KP Unpacked —the number one podcast in AEC— Jeff Echols sits down with Alan Montpellier , Principal and Chief Innovation Officer at PAE, to explore what it really takes to embed innovation into the DNA of an AEC firm. Alan shares how PAE shifted from ad hoc ideas to a fully resourced innovation group, why innovation can't live in a silo, and how they prioritize experimentat...

In this episode of KP Unpacked , the number one podcast in AEC , Jeff Echols , Executive Director at Catalyst, KP Reddy Co. kicks off a brand-new series featuring the in-house research team at KP Reddy Co . He’s joined by Senior Research Advisor Ted Kenney , who brings years of experience in AEC technology and building product specifications. They explore the untapped potential of specifications i...

This week on KP Unpacked —the number one podcast in AEC — Jeff Echols and KP Reddy unpack the Sunday Scaries post that broke the internet (or at least LinkedIn). It all started with a Talking Heads lyric and a throwback photo… but quickly sparked a bigger conversation: What’s your 10-year plan—for yourself, not your startup? KP shares hard-won lessons from building (and walking away from) multimil...

In this episode of KP Unpacked —the number one podcast in AEC — Jeff Echols sits down with architect and senior research advisor Zig Rubel to explore a bold question: What if the biggest issues in AEC aren’t what we think they are? Zig brings his unique lens—from massive healthcare projects to tech startups—to unpack why most industry “solutions” may be missing the mark. Together, they dig into ho...