When construction industry veterans Aidan Hooper and Dale Alcock founded Buildlab in 2022, their first hire was not someone with a decade or two of building experience. In fact, the man they recruited to be general manager had never worked a trade.

Instead, he came from technology. Brett Cooper spent 13 years working for Foxtel, Telstra, Optus and AGL Energy overseeing customer service process and digital strategies, which is exactly what Hooper and Alcock needed for their new venture.