Post by BuiltWorlds

For entrepreneurs in AEC, finding the right people to champion your solution early on, in both big and small ways, can make the difference between a success and failure. For Document Crunch Co-Founder & CEO Josh Levy, finding those early advocates and supporters may not have happened without BuiltWorlds. It all starts at the 2020 Chicago Summit, where Josh met Vivin Hegde. "Vivin had not yet announced (Zacua Ventures)," Josh told us in a one-on-one conversation with BuiltWorlds Founder & Executive Chairman Matthew Gray. "He said to me on the river, 'Hey, this is a secret, but I'm starting a venture fund, and we think that you could potentially be a great first investment for us.'" Later that year, at Venture Conference 2020, Josh pitched Document Crunch at the BuiltWorlds Demo Day and took home the top prize. "I knew (my seed round raise in January) was kind of coming up, but winning that competition at BuiltWorlds was a very big thing for us. It kind of legitimized us," Josh recalled. But, winning the Demo Day wasn't the only nod of encouragement Josh received at the 2020 Venture Conference. "You pulled me aside," he told Matt, "and you just said, 'I've been doing this a long time and I know that Document Crunch is going to be a very great outcome." By the following month, Zacua led Document Crunch's seed round, raising $4.6 million that set the wheels in motion for the success story we're watching play out in real time as Trimble Inc. recently announced it would be acquiring the AI-powered startup. In March 2021, Josh connected with Louis Schotsky from Navitas Capital, the firm that would end up leading Document Crunch's Series A round which raised $9 million. But, as Josh revealed in his interview with Matt, Navitas would not have led the round if not for another Document Crunch champion and Josh's mentor, OpenSpace CEO Jeevan Kalanithi—who Josh also met at a BuiltWorlds event! It's a testament to the both the importance of these types of relationships within the industry and caliber of connections found at BuiltWorlds events. By intentionally curating startups based on focus and audience, we're able to ensure alignment with the challenges and priorities of the industry leaders in attendance. Watch the video linked in the comments to hear Josh's full story and conversation with Matt 👇

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