Darren Bechtel is a pioneer in the engineering and construction technology industry and is leading the charge to modernize one of the last industries to step squarely into the digital age.

As the founder of Brick & Mortar Ventures -- the first and largest venture capital firm focused solely on supporting the commercialization of emerging construction technology -- Darren is forging a new path in an industry his family and its eponymous global engineering construction firm, Bechtel, have helped shape for over one hundred and twenty years.   

Darren’s Brick and Mortar Ventures announced in 2019 its $100 million fund backed by global heavyweights from across the construction value chain including Autodesk, Cemex, United Rentals, Hilti, and Google sister company Sidewalk Labs. Darren and his team continue to invest those funds exclusively into early-stage construction technology startups. Among Darren’s portfolio of over thirty-five past and present investments are notable startups PlanGrid, BuildingConnected, Fieldwire, Rhumbix, and BuildZoom.  

Darren’s ethos is not that of a “disruptor”; rather, he is interested in how technology and early-stage risk capital can be paired with the skilled talent and industry expertise of established construction industry leaders to reduce the cost and risk of capital projects and make one of the world’s largest industries cleaner, safer, and more productive.