Ex-Palantir execs launch Dream with $17M from a16z to build AI world models for construction

Andy Elder and Arjun Mathur were Stanford roommates who both studied computer science before spending a decade at Palantir. Elder led product design for a team of 800 people building software for U.S. defense and intelligence agencies, while Mathur served as a senior vice president in the company’s commercial practice. When the friends decided to build a startup early last year, there was no question they would do it together.

Despite having no direct background in architecture, Elder and Mathur were troubled by a growing problem: Fewer buildings are constructed in the U.S. today than a few decades ago, as development costs have surged.