Post by Austin Westerfeld

At Heartland Ventures, one of the most meaningful relationships I built was with Shir and the Firmus team. Early on, I had the chance to work closely with them — funny enough, even writing the “Why We Invested” article after we backed the company. It was clear from the start: Firmus was tackling one of construction’s toughest challenges — bringing trust and clarity into the design process. That conviction stayed with me. I left investing to join Firmus full-time as Chief of Staff. Six months later, I was sitting alongside Shir as we've navigated the acquisition process that has now brought us together with Bluebeam and the Nemetschek Group. What I’ve seen in these six months isn’t just world-class technology (though our AI for design review is setting a new standard). It’s a culture — ambitious yet humble, collaborative, and relentlessly focused on solving real problems for the people who build our world. Now, with Bluebeam and Nemetschek, we have the opportunity to scale that ethos to millions across the industry. Special thanks to Matt Wheelis, Usman Shuja, Andrea Benavides, Don Jacob. The future is bright 😎