L138 : Revamping Design Workflows: How Rayon is Setting New Standards with cofounder Bastien Dolla

AEC Tech Journeys with Mayur Mistry

In this engaging interview, Bastien Dolla, co-founder of Rayon, shares his remarkable journey from a French public servant to a tech entrepreneur revolutionizing the AEC industry. Bastian elaborates on his process of creating Rayon, highlighting the significant improvements in UI/UX that the platform offers to users. Delving into his background, he discusses transitioning from his initial startup, which focused on co-housing, to founding Rayon with a clear mission to digitize and simplify architectural workflows by leveraging modern tools and AI. The conversation covers technical challenges and solutions, including the use of Rust and WebAssembly for performance, and establishing a robust real-time multiplayer system for collaborative editing. Bastian discusses the importance of prioritizing features based on user feedback and maintaining a General approach to tool design to cater to a wide range of users from interior designers to real estate developers. By integrating practical AI functionalities, Rayon aims to enhance productivity without overwhelming complexity. This interview provides valuable insights for aspiring tech entrepreneurs and professionals interested in innovative solutions in the AEC sector. 00:00 - Introduction to Bastian, co-founder of Rayon 00:17 - Discussion about Bastian's career journey 01:00 - Bastian's architectural influences and experiences 01:59 - Bastian's transition back to technology and entrepreneurship in 2015 03:02 - Meeting and collaboration with cofounder 05:01 - Insights from the exhibit and the decision to build Rayon 05:53 - Building the core features and the first prototype 09:59 - Development inspiration from Figma's approach 12:02 - Learning from previous startup experiences 13:19 - Emphasis on building products people actually need 18:58 - Hiring philosophy and finding technical talent 20:47 - Balancing compensation and attracting talent with challenging problems 22:26 - Challenges with losing user data and ensuring reliability 23:39 - Technical journey, learning Rust, and building the renderer 25:22 - The importance of naivety in tackling ambitious projects 27:28 - Planning product features and the trade-offs with using libraries 30:15 - Advice for learning computer graphics and working in architecture tech 32:26 - Challenges in product development and feature prioritization 34:50 - Engineering challenges, particularly in multiplayer real-time tools and rendering in the browser 38:02 - Importance of focusing on short-term roadmaps and adapting based on user feedback 42:27 - Detailed text stack and technical specifics of Rayon 52:49 - AI's role in architecture and its applicability in creative and generative tasks 55:33 - Being a generalist in tool development to cater to diverse user needs 56:34 - Rapid-fire questions and Bastian's personal preferences #BastienDolla #rayonsoftware #designcollaborationtool