For AEC technology companies & built environment scale-ups

Know your market.
Reach your customers.

AE Partners combines independent market intelligence, strategic advisory, communications, and a 30,000-strong community of AEC professionals to give technology companies and growth-oriented built environment firms a clear view of their market, a trusted channel to reach it, and support to grow into new ones.

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Opportunity Radar Report Sample
Technology Adoption Readiness — AEC Market
AI-assisted design
78%
Cloud platforms
71%
Digital twin / BIM
55%
Construction IoT
38%
Key findings
▲ Top risk
Data privacy concerns blocking AI adoption in 62% of firms
◆ Top opportunity
AI-assisted design tools show strongest willingness-to-pay signal
30K+
AEC community members
14
Years of independent editorial
Top 15
Global construction tech blog
Top 10
Construction thought leader
The challenge

AEC tech vendors face an intelligence gap they can't close alone

You're building products for an industry that's cautious about change, protective of its data, and skeptical of vendor claims. Your customers don't always tell your sales team what they really think.

Your own content doesn't get read because it is considered to be advertising. Keeping up with where the market is heading takes time and expertise most teams don't have. And the gap between what practitioners want and what vendors assume they want keeps growing.

These aren't marketing problems. They're intelligence problems and they require an independent voice to solve them.

AI is lowering barriers to entry

Smaller competitors and customers themselves can build faster. Your competitive moat seems narrower. You need to know what customers actually value before you invest your roadmap.

Data privacy fears are growing

Customers worry their project data trains your AI models. This trust deficit is real and it won't be solved by your own marketing team saying otherwise.

Customers feel left behind

Practitioners perceive vendors as moving too slowly, regardless of actual R&D investment. The perception gap is a strategic problem.

SaaS fee resistance is rising

Growing pushback on pricing means you need to demonstrate value more clearly and understand what your customers actually measure you on.

What we offer

Three services. One foundation.

Every service we offer draws on the same asset: 25+ years of consulting and 14 years of independent editorial trust and direct access to a global community of AEC practitioners.

01 — Market Intelligence

Find out what your market actually thinks

Independent research sourced from our practitioner community, the kind of honest insight your own surveys will never surface.

  • Annual AEC Technology Sentiment Survey
  • Custom customer & market research
  • Competitor and category analysis
  • Vendor-specific benchmarking
Learn more →
02 — Opportunity Radar

A clear view of where your market is heading

A structured 4–6 week intelligence project that gives your leadership team an independent, evidence-based view of how emerging technologies and market shifts affect your specific business.

  • Goal-setting and scoping workshop
  • Expert & practitioner interviews
  • AI-assisted research & trend analysis
  • Written report + executive slide deck
  • Live interactive presentation session
  • Option: Quarterly Radar updates
Learn more →
03 — Channel, Content & Communications

Reach your buyers through a voice they trust

Strategic communications and PR consulting plus thought leadership content through our independent media channels give you access to 30,000+ practitioners your own marketing can't replicate.

  • Strategic communications & PR consulting
  • White papers & research reports
  • Sponsored content & podcast features
  • Newsletter & social media campaigns
  • Executive thought leadership
Learn more →
The AEC Business community

Built on 14 years of practitioner trust

The AEC Business community is not a purchased panel. It is a relationship built through 14 years of honest, independent reporting on construction technology,  never affiliated with any vendor, never compromised.

When we survey this community on your behalf, practitioners respond honestly because they trust us. That is what makes our intelligence worth having.

Explore the AEC Business community →
30K+
Followers across LinkedIn, X & Facebook
19.5K
LinkedIn followers
6,000+
LinkedIn newsletter subscribers
Since 2012
Independent editorial voice
New · 3-month program

Built Environment ScaleUp Program

A structured 3-month growth program for scale-ups and international growth-oriented companies across the built environment, architecture, engineering, construction, PropTech, and ConTech firms ready to expand into new markets.

We combine market entry strategy, positioning, and strategic communications with access to our 30,000-strong AEC Business community and media channels, helping you build credibility and traction in markets where you don't yet have a track record.

Month 1 — Assess

Understand your market & position

Goal-setting workshop, market entry assessment, and a positioning and messaging review tailored to your target market.

Month 2 — Connect

Build visibility & relationships

Strategic communications and PR plan, plus introductions and visibility through the AEC Business community and media channels.

Month 3 — Launch

Go to market & review progress

Coordinated launch activities, monthly advisory sessions, and a roadmap for continued growth beyond the program.

  • Market entry & internationalization strategy
  • Positioning, messaging & go-to-market plan
  • Strategic communications & PR plan
  • Access to the AEC Business community & media channels
  • Monthly advisory sessions over 3 months
  • Growth roadmap for continued expansion
Apply for the program
Why AE Partners

What makes our intelligence different

There are other research firms and media channels. Here is why AEC technology vendors and growth-oriented built environment companies choose us.

Independent by design

We have never been affiliated with a vendor and never will be. Our audience trusts us because of that. Research findings published under the AEC Business name carry authority that vendor-commissioned work simply cannot match.

Genuine practitioner access

Our community of 30,000+ AEC professionals is a relationship, not a database. These are the decision-makers, project leaders, and technology evaluators your products are built for. We can ask them the questions you can't.

Fast, AI-powered delivery

We deliver in weeks what traditional analyst firms take quarters to produce, at a fraction of the cost. Our AI-assisted research process scans global sources rapidly, but every finding is validated by real human expertise.

Aarni Heiskanen
About

Deep expertise.
Independent voice.

AE Partners is led by CEO Aarni Heiskanen, a management consultant and architect with over 25 years of experience at the intersection of construction, technology, and innovation.

Since 2012, Aarni has built the AEC Business media platform into one of the most trusted independent voices in global construction technology, a Top 15 blog and Top 10 construction thought leader, read and listened to by professionals in over 100 countries.

Before launching the AEC Business blog in 2012, Aarni co-founded Thinking Portfolio, a SaaS company now used by over 500,000 people in 50+ countries. He has consulted for over 150 companies and authored books and articles for international AEC industry publications.

Management Consultant Architect SaaS co-founder 150+ clients
Recognised by
FeedSpot Top Construction Blog
Top 15 Construction Technology Blog
Thinkers360 Top 10 Thought Leader — Architecture
Thinkers360 Top 10 Thought Leader — Construction
Client results

What we have delivered

A selection of projects for technology companies, research consortia, and AEC innovators.

Market Research

International market studies

Future-scanning and market research for software companies and publishers entering new AEC markets; providing strategic intelligence that internal teams could not credibly produce.

Thought Leadership

Building 2030 — Aalto University

Five years of communications and thought leadership for a 20-company consortium. In 2023, Building 2030 won the Aalto Pioneering Excellence Award, in part for its public impact work.

Channel & Content

WDBE — World of Digital Built Environment

Seven years of podcast, video, and online event production for an international AEC technology event series that attracted hundreds of global attendees annually.

Common questions

What AEC tech companies ask us

What makes AE Partners different from a standard market research firm?

Three things: independence, access, and speed. We have never been affiliated with a vendor, which means our audience of 30,000+ AEC professionals answers our surveys honestly. A standard research firm buys panel access; we have a 14-year editorial relationship. And our AI-assisted process delivers in weeks, not quarters.

What is the Opportunity Radar and how long does it take?

The Opportunity Radar is a structured intelligence project tailored to a single vendor's strategic question;  typically "where is our market heading and what does it mean for our product or positioning?" It combines expert interviews, AI-assisted research, and decades of industry expertise into a written report, executive slide deck, and a live presentation session. Most projects complete in 4–6 weeks.

Who is the AEC Technology Sentiment Survey for?

The annual survey is designed for AEC software vendors, PropTech and ConTech companies who want to understand practitioner attitudes toward technology adoption, vendor satisfaction, AI readiness, data privacy concerns, and purchasing priorities. It is fielded to the AEC Business audience and sold as a full-data subscription to multiple vendors, making it significantly more cost-effective than commissioning bespoke research.

Do you work with companies globally?

Yes! The majority of our clients and our community are international. Our AEC Business blog and podcast have always operated globally, with an audience spanning over 100 countries, and our clients include technology companies from across Europe, North America, and beyond. All services can be  delivered remotely.

How does paid content work without compromising editorial independence?

We are open about sponsorships. We hold the content to the same quality and factual standards as our independent editorial, which is what makes it worth reading. We do not publish claims we cannot support, and we do not allow sponsors to alter editorial conclusions in non-sponsored content. Our audience's trust is the asset that makes the sponsorship valuable, so protecting it is in everyone's interest.

What kind of AEC technology companies do you typically work with?

Our clients are typically software companies, PropTech and ConTech startups, and established AEC platform providers with 10–500 employees and international growth ambitions. They come to us when they need to understand their market more deeply than their own sales team can tell them, or when they need to reach a credible, engaged audience of AEC decision-makers.

Who is the Built Environment ScaleUp Program for, and what does it include?

The ScaleUp Program is a structured 3-month engagement for scale-ups and other international growth-oriented companies across the built environment, including architecture, engineering, construction, PropTech, and ConTech firms. Over three months we work through market entry strategy, positioning and messaging, a strategic communications and PR plan, and access to the AEC Business community and media channels, with monthly advisory sessions and a growth roadmap to carry you forward after the program ends.

Ready to understand your market?

Let's talk about what intelligence would move the needle for your business. A 30-minute conversation is usually enough to know if we're a good fit.

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