Andy Elder

Co-founder @dreamhq | Built world models

[Andy Elder @AndyElder11]

Most AI can show you what a building might look like. @Dreamhq’s built world models understand the complex systems and physical interactions that make it stand up. Thanks @MTemkin and @TechCrunch for the story!

[TechCrunch @TechCrunch]

Dream is grounded in real physics and construction standards. Just as LLMs learn from text, Dream's world model is trained on more than 100 million square feet of building data gathered from permit archives across the United States. https://t.co/VY7uqyhRfP

[Andy Elder @AndyElder11]

@TFDeskHQ Thanks for the coverage! A building is thousands of decisions that depend on each other: move one wall and the ductwork, wiring, and foundation all shift with it. That web of dependencies is what Dream's built world models are trained to understand.

[Andy Elder @AndyElder11]

@StudioLHC @dreamhq Thanks for the write-up! The order matters to us: when structure and systems are resolved early, designers end up with more freedom on the facade, not less.

[Andy Elder @AndyElder11]

@TANANY_VC Thank you for sharing Dream with your community in Japan. Every country builds under its own codes and constraints, which is exactly the kind of complexity built world models are designed to reason about.

[Andy Elder @AndyElder11]

@dailypunchlist @kovalsky_stas @arjunmathur_ @a16z @svangel @xyz_vc @ziggcap @dreamhq Catching a clash in the model takes minutes. Catching it after the pour takes weeks and a lot of goodwill on site. We'll gladly take that lunch!

[Andy Elder @AndyElder11]

Today @arjunmathur_ and I are introducing Dream.

We’re announcing $17M in seed funding from @a16z , @svangel , @xyz_vc , and @ziggcap.

@dreamhq is developing a new class of models trained to reason about physical space: its geometry, its constraints, and the relationships between objects and the spaces that contain them. With these models, AI can make a real impact in the $13 trillion architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry for the first time.

[Andy Elder @AndyElder11]

https://t.co/mxLdwwZty4

[Andy Elder @AndyElder11]

Thank you, @SVAngel team. We're incredibly excited to bring the power of these built world models to real projects - glad to have you with us for many more ahead!

[SV Angel @svangel]

We're excited to partner with @dreamhq as they build AI that actually understands how the physical world is designed and constructed. Incredible to see the impact already on live projects across the country.

[Andy Elder @AndyElder11]

@thejamesreina @arjunmathur_ @a16z @svangel @xyz_vc @ziggcap @dreamhq Thanks, @thejamesreina - let’s go Dream Team!

[Andy Elder @AndyElder11]

@zabie_e @arjunmathur_ @a16z @svangel @xyz_vc @ziggcap @dreamhq Thank you, @zabie_e !

[Andy Elder @AndyElder11]

@kovalsky_stas @arjunmathur_ @a16z @svangel @xyz_vc @ziggcap @dreamhq Thanks @kovalsky_stas ! Our bet is that architects can spend less time redrawing a plan every time a constraint changes, and more time on the calls only they can make: how light moves through a space, what a client actually needs day to day.

[Andy Elder @AndyElder11]

The real projects are where this gets interesting. Every drawing a contractor builds from teaches us something new about how buildings actually come together. Grateful to build the next chapter with @kimberlywtan and @a16z.

[Kimberly Tan @kimberlywtan]

We @a16z are thrilled to be working with @dreamhq! For all the progress in AI, there's been minimal innovation in the built world in architecture and construction. Dream is developing a new class of models trained to reason about physical space: its geometry, its constraints, and the relationships between objects and the spaces that contain them. Dream is already being used on real projects, and we believe they will change how the physical world is designed and built. Congrats to the team!

[Andy Elder @AndyElder11]

@MTSlive Such a pleasure to chat with @SophiaDew at @MTSLive today and spread the word about Dream’s built world models. Thanks for the great conversation!

[Andy Elder @AndyElder11]

@sophiadew @arjunmathur_ @a16z @svangel @xyz_vc @ziggcap @dreamhq Thanks, great chatting with you today @sophiadew!

[Andy Elder @AndyElder11]

@petewilz Thanks @petewilz ! Beauty is usually the first thing cut when a project runs over budget. We want great design to be what's still standing when the numbers come in.

[Andy Elder @AndyElder11]

The 10 projects are what I'm proudest of. Each one is a building people will actually live or work in, and each teaches our models something a rendering never could. Thanks @TradedVC, and thank you @a16z, @svangel, @xyz_vc, and @ziggcap.

[Traded: Venture Capital @TradedVC]

JUST IN: @dreamhq raised a $17M seed led by @a16z

Its AI designs buildings a contractor can actually build.

It's already the architect of record on 10 projects.

Founders @AndyElder11 and @arjunmathur_ spent a decade at Palantir.

[Andy Elder @AndyElder11]

@kimberlywtan @a16z @dreamhq Thank you, @kimberlywtan ! Having a partner who understands why the built world needs its own kind of model has made all the difference, and we're just getting started.

[Andy Elder @AndyElder11]

@Jack_S_Moore Thanks for the support, @Jack_S_Moore !

[Andy Elder @AndyElder11]

@Eisenberg Thanks for the support, @Eisenberg ! You've watched this problem longer than almost anyone, your read on it carries real weight with @arjunmathur_ and me. So excited about our partnership with @ziggcap - pumped for what's next!

[MTS @MTSlive]

Dream co-founder @AndyElder11 reveals how his startup is bringing AI to a $13 trillion industry still relying on software from the 1990s:

"We are creating built world models. These are models that actually design the physical world around us."

"The $13 trillion architecture, engineering, and construction industry has really been left behind."

"The building that you're recording this podcast from was likely designed using software from the late ’90s, and it probably took 12 to 18 months to design. The models we're developing can do that in a fraction of the time and a fraction of the cost."
@dreamhq

[MTS @MTSlive]

Dream co-founder @AndyElder11 explains how AI is making designing real houses as easy as playing The Sims:

"We've built in 73 unique types of architectural and interior design styles."

"You can upload something from Instagram that you liked, and we'll find real products, real materials, the backsplash, the flooring, the light fixtures, even the furniture, and design a full concept that’s regulatorily sound and structurally sound."

"I grew up playing the Sims. We all had this feeling of, wait, why is there not something just as easy for the real world? As easily as you drew walls in the Sims, you can now do that, except there’s a layer of intelligence behind it."
@dreamhq

[Andy Elder @AndyElder11]

@MariaDavidson @arjunmathur_ @a16z @svangel @xyz_vc @ziggcap @dreamhq Thanks for all of your support and partnership @MariaDavidson , so pumped for what's next!