Connect with us

Technology

WND Ventures Charts New Direction to Accelerate Innovation in Construction Tech

Published

on

Industry audience at BuiltWorlds Venture West gets first look at evolved strategy from the venture arm of DPR Construction

SAN FRANCISCO, April 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Following a compelling debut of its refreshed vision at BuiltWorlds Venture West, WND Ventures announced a transformative new approach to corporate venture capital in the AEC industry, designed to deepen relationships with startups with the potential to create new efficiency in construction and deliver value throughout project lifecycles.

Backed by DPR Construction and more than a decade of investing experience, WND is doubling down on its commitment to being a force for industry change by building, partnering, and investing differently.

At the core of WND’s new direction is a long-term, practical approach to innovation that fits the real needs of the construction industry. With AI and robotics advancing quickly and growing pressure from labor shortages and rising material costs, WND is focused on solutions that automate work, speed up decision-making, and improve cost and schedule predictability. A big part of that is making real project data available to innovators, so they can build the tools the industry actually needs.

“For 35 years, DPR has been building complex projects and pushing the industry forward,” said Atul Khanzode, Chief Technology Officer at DPR. “WND reflects what we’ve learned: innovation only matters when it’s applied, and to find solutions, we need to work together. That is why we are partnering with other innovators in the space to solve real problems and deliver more predictable outcomes for our owners and the industry.”

“Owners and developers are feeling the impact of rising costs, labor shortages, and growing complexity across their projects,” said Kaushal Diwan, WND Ventures leader. “We’re refining our model to help deliver greater schedule and budget certainty in a time when volatility has become the norm. If we want to keep meeting customer expectations, we need to innovate with purpose.”

As the venture arm of DPR for the last 10 years, WND has already invested in more than 14 startups, incubated four companies, and backed two funds as a limited partner. But what’s launching now is a reimagined model—one purpose-built for the complexity of the built environment and the urgency of the moment.

Through investments in startups like Dusty Robotics, Rhumbix, and ConstructivIQ, WND has already helped shift what’s possible on the jobsite. Now, with a sharper focus on AI, supply chain intelligence, and automation, WND is positioning itself as a new kind of CVC: one built by practitioners, for practitioners.

Key pillars of the new WND model include:

Shorter spinout cycles (1–2 years instead of 3–5)Hands-on collaboration with DPR’s subject-matter experts and projectsA future data platform to support scalable AI integrationLong-term capital commitment to sustained innovationActive and engaged partnerships across the supply chain, including owners, technology companies, other CVCs, and AEC practitioners

“This is about lasting impact,” added Diwan. “We’re building long-term partnerships and putting innovation to work on real projects, solving complex problems that have held the industry back. WND is here to be a force for change.”

For more information, visit dpr.com/wnd-ventures or follow WND Ventures on LinkedIn.

About WND Ventures
WND Ventures is the venture capital arm of DPR Construction, changing the way the AEC industry builds by backing technologies that drive real impact. Since 2015, WND has partnered with forward-thinking innovators to solve complex industry challenges, offering capital, expertise, and access to real projects and data. By focusing on practical applications of AI, automation, and collaborative innovation, WND helps bring solutions to market that deliver more consistent and predictable outcomes. Learn more at www.dpr.com/wnd-ventures.

About DPR Construction
DPR Construction is a forward-thinking, self-performing general contractor and construction manager specializing in technically complex and sustainable projects for the advanced technology, life sciences, healthcare, higher education and commercial markets. DPR’s portfolio of work ranges from large-scale new construction to small tenant improvements and special projects. Founded in 1990, DPR is a great story of entrepreneurial success as a private, employee-owned company that has grown to a multi-billion-dollar organization with offices around the world. Strategically focused on delivering more predictable outcomes through applications of virtual design & construction, prefabrication, its team of self-perform craft, and leveraging data to learn and improve from DPR consistently ranks among the top building contractors and employs approximately 11,000 professionals across its family of companies. For more information, visit http://www.dpr.com.

For more information, please contact:
Jay Weisberger
pr@dpr.com

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/wnd-ventures-charts-new-direction-to-accelerate-innovation-in-construction-tech-302426161.html

SOURCE DPR Construction

Continue Reading

Technology

Call out – Optimize’s glass-box approach provides greater insight to explainable property-specific settings, controls, and demand. Spherexx® Expands Optimize Revenue Management with CoPilot Predictive Simulation and Strategic Governance

Published

on

By

New internal coaching and simulation capabilities expand predictive insight, strategic governance and user control

TULSA, Okla., Oct. 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Spherexx announced the addition of CoPilot to Optimize, its neural-driven multifamily revenue management platform. CoPilot expands Optimize’s strategic governance capabilities with explainable visibility into how recommendations are developed, how operating controls influence outcomes, and how adjustments may affect future performance.

Optimize’s glass-box approach to revenue management gives greater insight into why leasing rates are recommended.

Designed to strengthen Optimize’s glass-box approach to revenue management, CoPilot provides revenue managers with greater insight into why each leasing rate is recommended based on explainable property-specific settings, controls, and demand. Users can evaluate potential adjustments while maintaining direct human oversight, decision authority, and accountability. This methodology also applies to lease-up construction apartments where previous data is nonexistent, Optimize formulated Its neural network to identify occupancy growth patterns based on lease-up data and certificates of occupancy since 2013; becoming the first revenue management platform to successfully target and exceed construction proforma expectations.

A robust, layered simulator allows revenue managers to model the potential impact of changes before implementation, helping teams understand how adaptive controls may influence future results. For each unit type, users can elect to maintain the current published leasing price, accept Optimize’s recommended leasing price, or hold a price from an earlier date. Additionally, Optimize provides a concession simulation against public comparables to reveal how the cost of recurring or one-time concessions will affect actual new lease pricing.

CoPilot consolidates these decisions within a central workspace where users can review available leasing prices by status, existing rates, recommendations, explanations for changes, and the history of prior decisions. Revenue managers can adjust directly within the workflow, while embedded training video segments provide task-specific guidance throughout the platform.

Optimize continuously incorporates client’s property data through property management software integrations, along with client-selected settings for additional intelligence providers.

Forward-looking intelligence provides revenue managers with an expanded view of asset performance. Optimize displays the property’s known upcoming performance based on scheduled expirations, notices to vacate, and future lease data. Based on this information and historical performance, Optimize forecasts future occupancy, projected renewals, and potential new move-ins three months beyond the max lease term the property offers, i.e. a twelve-month lease will forecast a 15-month horizon. Market positioning based on public-comparable data can be reviewed for rent, vacancy, concessions and leasing velocity daily, weekly, or across a custom period.

CoPilot also extends governance capabilities for affordable and rent-controlled floor plans and units, enabling additional controls for fixed maximums, lease terms, and other applicable operating parameters

“We created Optimize as one of the early neural-intelligent revenue management platforms, and its intelligence has continued to evolve,” said Becca Wilson, Owner and CEO of Spherexx. “Our original vision remains the same: give clients pertinent, accurate and accessible intelligence they can understand, evaluate, and govern. CoPilot advances that vision by allowing revenue managers to see not only what Optimize recommends, but why it recommends it, explore the potential impact of their decisions, and remain firmly in control of the outcome.”

CoPilot builds upon Optimize’s established approach to transparent revenue management by combining predictive intelligence, adaptive controls, and strategic governance within a single decision environment.

About Spherexx.com®

Spherexx.com®: Redefining Real Estate Technology

Spherexx.com® continues to lead with cutting-edge predictive, generative, agentic, AI across a suite of software solutions, setting industry benchmarks for innovation.

With over two decades of experience, Spherexx.com® delivers top-tier Software as a Service (SaaS) internet-based software, data analytics, and marketing solutions to clients across the US and Canada. Spherexx expertise spans multifamily, single-family, affordable, senior, rent control, self-storage, and manufactured housing.

Spherexx technology stack streamlines operation and enhances brand experiences for clients, and their residents, and investors. Our technology stack includes:

Website CMS/Inline EditorSEM/GEO/AEO/LLM/PPCILS SyndicationCommission & Bonus ManagementBI DashboardsCRM + AI AgentWebsite Chat & Voice AIComparable AnalyticsRevenue ManagementInteractive Site PlansTouchscreen Leasing KiosksCustom Programming

Spherexx.com® is the authoritative trusted source for innovation and transformation in real estate technology. Visit www.spherexx.com to explore the future of PropTech.

News@spherexx.com

866.491.7500

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/call-out—optimizes-glass-box-approach-provides-greater-insight-to-explainable-property-specific-settings-controls-and-demand-spherexx-expands-optimize-revenue-management-with-copilot-predictive-simulation-and-strategic-gove-302928579.html

SOURCE Spherexx

Continue Reading

Technology

Empowering Malaysia’s Digital Future: AWS and Elitery Celebrate Grand Finale of AWS CendekiAwan

Published

on

By

20 Finalist Teams from Four Top Malaysian Universities Reach the Grand Finale of AWS CendekiAwan

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Nov. 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Elitery recently celebrated the Grand Finale of AWS CendekiAwan at Universiti Malaya (UM).

The event brings together 20 student finalist teams from four top Malaysian universities to pitch cutting-edge Generative AI solutions powered by Amazon Bedrock, tackling critical societal and enterprise challenges. Competing across five categories, the finalists will demonstrate how AI can be applied to address real-world challenges across education, healthcare, sustainability, financial inclusion, government technology, and social impact.

The CendekiAwan Malaysia program is a collaborative digital talent initiative by AWS and Elitery designed to bridge academic learning with practical industry requirements. Moving beyond theoretical AI concepts, the hands-on curriculum equipped participants from tech and non-tech backgrounds with practical skills in cloud computing, application development, and Generative AI.

Beginning at Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation (APU), the initiative expanded through self-learning, hands-on workshops, and showcase sessions across Multimedia University (MMU), Nilai University, and Universiti Malaya (UM). Utilizing AWS developer tools including PartyRock, Kiro, and Amazon Bedrock, students built functional prototypes from scratch. The program encouraged students to move beyond learning AI concepts and gain practical experience developing technology-driven solutions for real-world needs.

“CendekiAwan reflects our belief that AI should be built and deployed by hands and minds like these students to solve real challenges facing communities across Malaysia,” said Daniel Zhang, Regional Data Center Operations Leader Malaysia, AWS. “Together with Elitery and our partner universities, we are proud to see these students turn skills in Kiro and Amazon Bedrock into practical solutions for education, healthcare, sustainability, financial inclusion and public services.”

The showcase brings together key decision-makers across government, higher education, and industry, including representatives from Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur (DBKL). Beyond the competition, the event underscores Elitery and AWS’s shared commitment to building a resilient, future-ready AI workforce across Southeast Asia. “The CendekiAwan training programme supports Kuala Lumpur’s vision of ‘A Prosperous City for All by 2030’ by investing in talent development, strengthening capabilities, and fostering knowledge exchange. Through sustained training and collaboration, the programme seeks to contribute to a more dynamic, inclusive, and future-ready Kuala Lumpur, in line with DBKL’s commitment to the city’s socioeconomic progress and well-being,” said Ts. Kamariah binti Kamarudin, Representative of DBKL.

Representing Elitery, President Director Kresna Adiprawira said, “Through CendekiAwan, we help students move beyond learning AI concepts to building practical applications that address real-world challenges. We are proud to see their ideas turn into meaningful innovations and help shape the next generation of digital talent.”

Finalists showcase projects across five categories:

Smart Education: Enhancing learning and accessibility.Digital Health: Improving healthcare and wellbeing.Sustainable Environment & Climate: Advancing sustainability and climate resilience.Financial Inclusion & SME: Supporting business growth and financial access.GovTech & Social Impact: Improving public services and community inclusion.

Through these categories, students demonstrate how Generative AI can translate into practical applications that address challenges faced by communities, institutions, businesses, and society.

“The development process was seamless thanks to the comprehensive technology provided by AWS. For students looking to build AI-powered solutions, the most vital factor is the core idea focus on solving real-world problems.” Dewan AI — Winner, GovTech & Social Impact, Multimedia University (MMU).

As Generative AI transforms industries, CendekiAwan equips students with practical skills and innovation capabilities to develop impactful, real-world solutions through collaboration between AWS, Elitery, and Malaysian universities.

CendekiAwan Malaysia is an AWS and Elitery initiative with partner universities, equipping students from four Malaysian universities with practical cloud computing and Generative AI skills through hands-on learning, culminating in 20 finalist teams competing across five categories using Amazon Bedrock.

PT Data Sinergitama Jaya Tbk  (Elitery, IDX: ELIT)  is an Indonesian publicly listed technology company specializing in IT Managed Services, AI, and cloud solutions, serving over 200 customers across three countries. In 2026, Elitery earned the AWS Migration Competency Designation.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/empowering-malaysias-digital-future-aws-and-elitery-celebrate-grand-finale-of-aws-cendekiawan-302927876.html

SOURCE Elitery

Continue Reading

Technology

Small Joys, Big Market: Products That Spark Joy Take the Spotlight at 140th Canton Fair

Published

on

By

GUANGZHOU, China, Nov. 3, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — As emotional value becomes a key consumption driver, consumers are increasingly willing to pay for fun, companionship and peace of mind, offering an everyday interpretation of what “Better Life” truly means. This trend was on display throughout Phase 3 of the 140th Canton Fair.

Small Products, Big Feelings

In the Office Supplies Section, beyond traditional business supplies, vibrant products are capturing attention. Pens are expected to be visually appealing while staplers are designed to be cute as well as functional. Products that provide a burst of pleasure are gaining popularity.

3D stickers have emerged as a favorite among journaling enthusiasts. These stickers double as puzzles, requiring no glue and allowing users to assemble them for fun, turning decorations into interactive toys.

In the Toys Section, bag charms in various designs are ubiquitous. Meanwhile, animal-shaped sofa cushions in lazy, prone poses offer a healing touch. Filled with eco-friendly weighted glass beads, they provide a gentle hugging sensation, offering comfort and relaxation.

Emotional Comfort Across Categories

Emotional comfort was equally evident in products designed for children and pets.

A duck-shaped toy created for infants and toddlers aged 6 to 36 months attracted interest from overseas buyers. Simulating the movements of a real duck through head-turning and waddling motions alongside lights, sounds and voice guidance, the toy supports crawling, early learning and emotional comfort. Educational and bedtime-soothing modes offer music, stories, nursery rhymes and bilingual content, helping nurture development and providing a sense of security.

Meanwhile, the Pet Products and Food Section demonstrated how emotional needs also extend to animal companions. From creatively designed cat climbing structures to interactive automatic toys, exhibitors presented products aimed at enriching pets’ daily lives and strengthening the bond between pets and their owners.

As consumers increasingly seek products that deliver emotional as well as practical benefits, Phase 3 of the 140th Canton Fair offers a glimpse into evolving lifestyles and expectations. The message behind “Better Life” is clear: better living is no longer defined solely by utility, but by products that bring comfort, connection and joy.

For more convenient attendance, please click here for pre-registration:

https://buyer.cantonfair.org.cn/register/buyer/email?source_type=16

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/small-joys-big-market-products-that-spark-joy-take-the-spotlight-at-140th-canton-fair-302927549.html

SOURCE Canton Fair

Continue Reading

Trending