About
Architect by training. Builder by output.
Architect by training. Twelve years later I am building enterprise search and document-intelligence systems for engineering firms and running the full stack of a SaaS company. Nobody planned that trajectory. Least of all me.
The through-line is systems thinking. Robotic toolpaths for carving EPS foam at RMIT. An Elasticsearch pipeline across 19 offices at Bollinger Grohmann. The pricing model for Imersian. Same muscle every time. Figure out what is actually broken. Build the thing that fixes it. Make sure the person using it does not hate it.
I would rather show you a working system than a slide about one. That preference has shaped every job I have held.
Career arc
- 2026—
Founder · vencolab
Independent · Melbourne
Productised AI and automation consulting for Australian AEC and professional-services firms. Fixed scope, working system at the end. Writing at vencolab.com.
- 2021— (concurrent)
Co-Founder, CEO & CPO
Imersian · Sydney (remote)
Co-founded and ran the whole thing. Product, engineering, marketing, investor pitching, P&L, customer success. Made a bad call on NFTs in 2022 that cost three months of execution. Restructured the PLG model and got 50% signup lift. Still building. Seed round in progress.
- 2022—2025
Computational Product Lead
Bollinger Grohmann · Vienna
Sole designer, developer, and product owner on the Knowledge Hub. MongoDB, Elasticsearch, React, Python, Azure. First commit to production in four months. 62% adoption across 19 offices in nine countries.
- 2021
Entrepreneur in Residence
Antler · Sydney
Selected for Antler's global early-stage VC incubator. Explored and validated deep-tech and spatial startup concepts.
- 2020—2022
Computational Design Consultant
Bollinger Grohmann · Vienna / Sydney
Generative design and computation on large-scale infrastructure. AUD 591M project coordination.
- 2018—2022
Design Technology Lead
Hayball Architects · Melbourne
Built the design technology function from scratch. Five people, three studios. Radiation Analytics Tool, Facade Design Tool, Rapid Feasibility Tool. All in daily production use.
- 2018—2023
Sessional Lecturer / Tutor
Swinburne · RMIT · University of Melbourne
Architecture studio lead across three universities. Taught Rhino 3D, Grasshopper, parametric design, and digital fabrication. One student project guided to a Good Design Award.
- 2016—2018
Research Assistant
Studio Roland Snooks × RMIT
Robotic fabrication research under Roland Snooks. Custom C# toolpaths for carving EPS foam. Fabricated the NGV Floe Pavilion.
- 2016—2018
Master of Architecture (Distinction)
RMIT University
Nominated for Best Master's Student Project consecutively. Specialised in computational design and fabrication.
Skills ecosystem
AI & Cloud Architecture
- Semantic search & document intelligence (Elastic ELSER)
- Document ingestion, OCR, metadata extraction
- RAG pipelines & agentic workflows (LLM orchestration)
- Full-stack TypeScript (Next.js, Node) · Python backends
- Azure · AWS · Docker · CI/CD
Spatial & Computational
- Three.js · WebGL · WebXR
- Rhino · Grasshopper · C# APIs
- Generative design & robotic toolpaths
- BIM automation (Revit / Dynamo)
- LCA & Embodied Carbon analytics
Product & UX
- 0→1 product: roadmap, build, ship
- Product ownership across cross-functional teams
- UX strategy, UI design, interface design
- User research: interviews, surveys, personas
- Prototyping (Figma, Framer)
Data & Analytics
- Power BI dashboards & data visualisation
- Spatial data systems & 3D visualisation
- Business intelligence & reporting
- Environmental sensing analytics (IoT)
- Product analytics (PostHog, Clarity, GA)
Operations & Transformation
- Digital transformation & change management
- Systems selection & workflow integration
- Hiring & distributed team management
- Financial modeling · P&L · pricing
- GTM strategy & full-funnel marketing
Speaking & teaching
Talks, panels, and universities.
Available for conference keynotes, panels, podcast appearances, and university guest lectures on AI, computational design, and spatial technology.
- Sydney Build Expo (2020): Digital workflows in architecture
- Global XR Conference (2021): XR in design and education
- Strategic Partnership Lead: Unity × Hayball
- Para Guru Conference (2018): Parametric design in practice
Industry collaborations
Research and R&D.
Bridging academic research and commercial application across embodied carbon, advanced manufacturing, and spatial analytics.
- Embodied Carbon Research (UNSW × Bollinger Grohmann)
- XR for Advanced Manufacturing (HoloLens, Fologram PoC)
- Workplace Sensor Analytics IoT (UTS × Steelcase)
- Robotic Foam Carving & Fabrication (RMIT)
- 3D Concrete Printing Technologies (Swinburne)
References available on request. If you want to speak to someone who has been through an engagement before committing, I can arrange that.
Common questions
Questions about Ven Iyer.
Who is Ven Iyer?
Ven Iyer is an AI systems consultant, spatial product founder, and computational design practitioner based in Melbourne, Australia, after several years building enterprise AI systems in Europe. Across his career he has worked as a product owner, UX and user researcher, data and visual-analytics lead, systems architect, digital-transformation and change-management lead, computational and algorithmic designer, and company operator (CEO, CPO, and COO functions at Imersian). He co-founded Imersian, an AI-powered 3D visualisation platform for furniture retailers, built the Bollinger Grohmann Knowledge Hub (an enterprise document-intelligence and semantic search platform deployed across 19 offices in 9 countries, reaching 62% firm-wide adoption in six months), built data-visualisation and spatial-analytics dashboards for university campuses, and led an internal digital transformation across a 200-person architecture practice. He also builds and trades on LYT (logyour.trade), his own trading operating system. Twelve years of shipped work across AI, spatial technology, data, product, and operations.
What does vencolab do?
vencolab is the Melbourne-based AI consulting practice of Ven Iyer. It offers productised AI and automation engagements for Australian architecture, engineering, and construction firms and knowledge-intensive professional-services firms, as well as spatial technology founders. Engagements are fixed-scope and fixed-fee, with a working system at the end. Core offerings include diagnostics, production pilots, systems builds (document intelligence, agentic workflows, computational tools), and fractional product leadership for pre-Series A startups.
Work with me
A small number of engagements at a time. Tell me what is broken.
Productised engagements for AEC and professional-services firms across Australia. Fixed scope, fixed fee, working system at the end.