Construction technology has evolved dramatically in recent years, and few people understand this transformation better than Matt Perrott, founder of BuildPass. In a recent conversation on the Million Dollar Days podcast, Matt shared insights into how technology is revolutionizing construction sites across Australia and beyond.
Matt’s journey began in civil engineering with dreams of building skyscrapers. While studying at university, he gained exposure to the construction industry by working as a laborer for a shop fitter. His path took an unexpected turn when he developed an interest in technology about ten years ago, eventually leading him to work for real estate platforms and other startups. However, the construction industry kept calling him back.
What truly catalyzed BuildPass’s creation was conversations with friends in construction who complained about the clunky, inefficient technology they were using on job sites. Matt recognized an opportunity to bridge his software expertise with the construction industry’s needs. He wasn’t a builder, but he understood how to create user-friendly technology that could solve real problems.
When COVID hit, it created an unexpected opportunity. People became familiar with QR codes for check-ins, which opened the door for BuildPass’s initial product offering: digital site inductions and safety management. This provided the perfect entry point into the construction market. As Matt explains, “People were getting used to QR codes, and things like doing an induction on a construction site was often not done at all or was done on paper.”
From this foundation, BuildPass has expanded to become what Matt calls a “site operations tool” – a comprehensive platform helping builders manage everything from health and safety to drawings, schedules, quality control, defects, and communication. The key insight driving this expansion was that construction managers were tired of jumping between multiple apps to manage different aspects of their sites.
Today, BuildPass serves approximately 600 builders across Australia, New Zealand, and Canada, with over 150,000 workers using the platform. The company has grown to 45 employees and recently expanded into the United States, opening an office in Austin, Texas to capitalize on opportunities in artificial intelligence.
Speaking of AI, Matt believes it will fundamentally transform construction and virtually every other industry. Beyond just ChatGPT, AI technologies are enabling voice-to-text capabilities, photo and video analysis, and automated administrative tasks. For BuildPass, this means developing tools like “SuperSight,” which Matt describes as “the Snapchat for a construction site” – allowing workers to capture information on site that AI then processes into reports and actionable items.
Matt’s advice for builders looking to embrace AI is simple: start by building the muscle memory of asking AI to handle tasks before you do them manually. This habit of “reflexive usage” helps you learn what AI can do for you, eventually leading to more sophisticated implementations through industry-specific tools like BuildPass.
Perhaps most importantly, Matt emphasizes that builders shouldn’t fear being replaced by AI. Instead, they should see it as a tool for amplification and efficiency. “I haven’t met a single business owner that doesn’t want to grow and make money,” he notes. AI allows businesses to do more with their existing resources – not by replacing people, but by making them more productive and focused on high-value activities.
Matt’s journey from construction enthusiast to tech entrepreneur demonstrates the power of understanding industry pain points and applying technological solutions in a focused way. By staying dedicated to solving specific problems in construction, BuildPass has carved out a significant niche in a traditionally tech-resistant industry – proving that with the right approach, even the most established industries can be transformed through thoughtful innovation.