The world is fully digital these days. You can watch any video or presentation online, jump on a Zoom call with anyone, at any time, from anywhere. Which raises a fair question—why get on a plane and attend a physical event?
The answer is simple: people.
Events are the best way to disconnect from the daily grind, meet great people, and have conversations that simply do not happen online.
Earlier this week, I traveled to Austin, TX to attend the TechTalk 2025 Executive Summit. This was my second TecTalk, and I want to start by saying a big thank you to Ron Fritz and the Tech Soft 3D team for organizing such a high-quality forum. The combination of an amazing group of people, strong discussions, and a uniquely warm atmosphere makes this event truly special.
Below are a few of my notes and takeaways, written fresh on my way back home.
CAD, AI, and the Future of the Stack
One of the highlights for me was the presentation by Tyler Mincey, Co-Founder & GP at Baukunst VC — Contours of CAD + AI. It was a super insightful view into how Baukunst thinks about the CAD stack and where AI will transform it.
They brought a collective research effort to outline the evolution of the CAD stack and new opportunities ahead. One of my favorite visuals was the CAD Stack diagram — a powerful way to think about where we are and where innovation is headed.
You can find the full report on the Blaukunst website —highly recommended reading.
On Building Companies and Culture
The fireside chat between Darius Mirshahzadeh and Ron Fritz was another standout moment. It went deep into what truly shapes company success—culture. Not the buzzword version, but the real, practical, “this is how people show up every day” version.
As someone who has been building teams and products for a long time, it resonated with me a lot.
AI in Engineering: The Energy is Real
There was a fantastic panel featuring founders building AI-driven products for engineering.
- CoLab
- Luminary Cloud
- Neural Concept
- C-Infinity
AI is clearly dominating the conversation in engineering software. We are still early in the cycle, but the momentum is real—exploration → active development → early adoption. The first wave of practical value is already visible, not just theory and hype.
A Look Beyond Manufacturing
I enjoyed the perspective from Jesse DeVitte of Building Ventures. on what’s happening in the construction and AEC industries—and especially the intersection between AEC and manufacturing. It’s a space going through massive transformation, and there is much to learn from adjacent industries.
Some of the market data shared about datacenters and where capital is flowing was eye-opening. A great reminder that great investors are, first of all, experts in understanding markets. Jesse’s decades of experience clearly show.
The Three A’s: AI, Agile, and Additive
The closing conversation between Ron Fritz and Jon Hirschtick was a perfect way to wrap the event. Jon has over 40 years of history building CAD products, so every time he speaks it’s a learning moment. The discussion covered the “Three A’s” shaping our industry now: AI, Agile, and Additive.
With Ron’s thoughtful questions and Jon’s perspective, the hour flew by.
Location, Atmosphere, People
The venue added to the experience—starting with a great rooftop bar and a warm Austin-suburb setting that encouraged real conversations.
When the atmosphere is right, the discussions go far beyond slides and presentations.
What is my conclusion?
It’s hard to beat two days of meaningful discussions with a truly exceptional group of people who are passionate about engineering, product development, and the future of technology.
I’m looking forward to TecTalk 2026 already.
Just my thoughts…
Best, Oleg
Disclaimer: I’m the co-founder and CEO of OpenBOM, a digital-thread platform providing cloud-native collaborative and integration services between engineering tools including PDM, PLM, and ERP capabilities. Interested in OpenBOM AI Beta? Check with me about what is the future of Agentic Engineering Workflows.
With extensive experience in federated CAD-PDM and PLM architecture, I advocate for agile, open product models and cloud technologies in manufacturing. My opinion can be unintentionally biased.
