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, Technology leader and Leadership Team member
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 projects
- A future data platform to support scalable AI integration
- Long-term capital commitment to sustained innovation
- Active 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.”
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