L147 : How Cedar is Reshaping Mixed-Use Development with Kyle Vansice

In this interview, Kyle Vansice, co-founder of Cedar, shares his inspiring journey from architecture to building a design tech startup. Kyle discusses how his background in architecture and structural engineering, along with his passion for computational design, led him to start Cedar with his co-founders. The conversation delves into the challenges of developing a scalable software product for the architecture and construction industry, and how Cedar is addressing the complex problem of infill housing and mixed-use development. Kyle emphasizes the importance of establishing credibility, understanding customer needs, and finding the right balance between servicing customers and building scalable technology.Throughout the interview, Kyle provides valuable insights and advice for architects and designers looking to start their own companies. He highlights the significance of mentorship, learning to value one's skills, and the potential of AI in democratizing high-quality design. With an optimistic outlook on the future of Cedar, Kyle envisions a platform that enables AI-driven site planning and encodes design knowledge to build better neighborhoods on a citywide scale. Checkout : https://www.cedar.build/ Here are the key sections and chapter timestamps for the video transcript: 00:00 - Introduction and Kyle's background 01:33 - Kyle's architecture and engineering journey 05:47 - Challenges navigating architecture and engineering fields 10:01 - Phases and excitements in Kyle's architecture journey 13:20 - Role models and favorite buildings 16:01 - Transition from corporate job to startup 19:04 - Early days of developing the startup idea 22:59 - Strategy for getting early adopters 27:48 - Challenges of building a startup in the AEC industry 30:11 - Difficult choices during ideation and development of Cedar 32:47 - A day in the life of Kyle and managing responsibilities 36:47 - Cedar's journey with Antler and experience 39:59 - Vision for Cedar one year and five years from now 43:20 - Advice for computational designers or architects starting a company 49:03 - Kyle's fun fact and co-founders 50:27 - Importance of mentors and mastermind groups 51:23 - Rapid fire round