The interview with Patrick Chopson, co-founder of Cove.tool, covers his entrepreneurial journey building a software company in the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry. Patrick discusses the highlights of getting the daylight simulation engine and energy modeling engine working after years of bootstrapping and consulting work. He explains how they validated the product idea through extensive customer research and finally launched their MVP in 2017. Since then, Cove.tool has expanded the product capabilities, raised funding from investors like Robert Downey Jr., and grown to over 20,000 users. Looking ahead, Patrick shares his vision for creating a building information network by connecting people and data through APIs. Throughout the interview, he provides insights on startup challenges, company culture, recruiting, sales, pricing, and more based on his experience as a technical founder and CEO in the AEC tech space.00:00 - Introduction00:18 - Patrick's background and getting started with Cove.Tool01:23 - Developing the daylight simulation engine02:30 - Bootstrapping the business in the early days03:21 - Bringing on technical co-founder to build the product04:26 - Launching the MVP at Greenbuild 201705:13 - Raising funding and growing the team06:09 - Developing the product based on customer feedback07:38 - Selling to architects and overcoming skepticism08:36 - Learning from old research papers for efficient computations09:03 - Developing business and sales skills10:36 - The challenges of extensive business travel11:58 - Advice for founders - listen to feedback but believe in your vision13:20 - Upcoming product launches and the building information network14:25 - Advice for pitching and finding the right investors15:00 - Growing the product team in 202215:44 - Leveraging APIs and integrations with other platforms16:29 - The biggest challenge is articulating the value proposition17:18 - Middle managers as the biggest roadblock to tech adoption18:59 - The potential of AI in architecture and construction20:06 - The infrastructure needed to apply AI and generative design20:25 - The importance of linking geometry and data in generative tools21:51 - Perspective on blockchain and the metaverse23:27 - The problem solving culture and rapid iteration cycles at Cove.Tool24:50 - Recruiting and demonstrating the exciting things happening25:41 - Patrick's advice for new founders26:29 - Cove.Tool's global customer base27:53 - Pricing based on the value delivered to customers29:01 - Starting with the largest addressable market30:50 - Getting the first customers through face-to-face meetings and trust32:15 - Similarities in architecture globally33:35 - Closing thoughts - focus on the fundamentals and mathstartup, entrepreneurship, SaaS, AEC industry, architecture, construction, energy modeling, simulation, validation, customer research, MVP, fundraising, investors, Robert Downey Jr., product development, building information, APIs, technical founder, CEO, startup challenges, company culture, recruiting, sales, pricing#covetool #sustainability #architecture

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