Big Pitch 2025: Highlighting AI and Sustainability in Construction

With his vision of creating an AI platform to streamline the collection and analysis of sustainability data, Haskell Sustainability Associate Ryley Griffin won the sixth annual Big Pitch, the Shark Tank-like competition held by Dysruptek, Haskell’s innovation and venture capital arm.

Griffin’s concept, called EquipAI, will capture, organize and analyze equipment, fuel and carbon data to inform and improve project sustainability and efficiency. He received a cash award and support to develop his idea.

He emerged from a record field of 76 submissions, five of which were chosen to be refined and presented to a panel of four judges: Jim O’Leary, Haskell CEO and President; JP Saenz, Executive Vice President and COO, Andrea Inserra, Haskell board member and President at Booz Allen Hamilton and, for the first year, Danielle Dy Buncio, Co-Founder and CEO of VIATechnik.

Any Haskell team member can submit an idea. The Dysruptek team evaluates each idea and selects the finalists in consultation with internal and external subject matter experts (SMEs). Each finalist then collaborates with Dysruptek to craft a comprehensive business plan for their idea and develop a compelling narrative to present on Pitch Day.

EquipAI stood out for its clarity, scalability and immediate potential to affect how Haskell measures and manages carbon performance.

“Between federal regulations and growing demand for sustainable building, carbon transparency is no longer optional,” Griffin said. “EquipAI turns a pervasive reporting challenge into an opportunity for smarter, more efficient and more sustainable decision-making.”

This year’s runner-up was MetaSafety by Project Manager Logan Tihey and Director of Construction Josh LeFevre. This digital platform would unify and automate jobsite safety workflows, reducing paperwork and improving visibility across projects. MetaSafety will also receive development assistance.

The daylong Big Pitch was held again this year at the WJCT Studio A Soundstage. About 125 attended in person, and more than 700 watched the webcast. The day concluded with a Victory Cruise for participants on Casamia, Haskell’s corporate yacht.

The first-ever Popular Vote Award, determined by audience choice, was presented to Technical Training Lead Jill Routh for HydroVest, a hydration and cooling system that protects workers from heat stress while reducing plastic waste.

Three former Big Pitch ideas are currently in use across Haskell’s operations, and six more are in various states of development. One has earned multiple Patents, and another is in Patent Pending status.

“The Big Pitch shows that innovation isn’t limited to technology; it’s about people,” said Hamzah Shanbari, Haskell Director of Innovation and event host. “By leveraging the expertise within our own workforce, we activate passion and creativity to expand our capabilities and lead the industry in new technology. When you invite people to dream and pledge to support their ideas, the results are undeniably awesome.”

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