215. Crisis Coverage w/ Darren Bechtel - The Built World & Construction Tech, Post-Pandemic

Darren Bechtel of Brick & Mortar Ventures joins Nick on a special Crisis Coverage installment to discuss The Built World in Crisis. In this episode, we cover:

• Background and path to venture?
• South Park... must be a story behind the name there?
• Overview of the thesis at Brick & Mortar?
• Just have to say... I suspect that the impacts of this crisis on the built world will be more profound that we can possibly imagine... and I won't pretend to know what those might be. Can you talk a bit about what you're seeing and what that could mean for the future?
• Circling back to your path to venture... How did your family react to your pursuit of a career in VC in lieu of the family business?
• Walk us through your first angel investment -- was it opportunistic or were you looking for startup investments actively?
• How'd that one turn out?
• Prior to founding the firm, were there any existing firms in the space that you looked to for inspiration?
• Talk about your first fundraise... you had access to a lot more capital than you closed. Why didn't you raise more?
• What was the biggest mistake you made when launching your first fund?
• Now that you're nearly 5 years into Brick and Mortar, is Built/ Construction tech where you expected it to be and are you as bullish on it now as you were then?
• Do you think a major infrastructure bill gets passed? Trump has been talking about this for years and it seems like, with the current stimulus, now is his opportunity?
• I have to imagine this will be a big tailwind for some of your portcos (and prospectives)?
• Safety has been an area of interest that you've spoken about in the past. How does that apply in the context of your investment focus and does that change w/ the current crisis?
• What advice would you give to a founder in the built technology space and how might that advice differ from the standard advice given to SaaS or consumer tech companies?

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