Coffee with a Founder Podcast: Alex Toporek, Rebuild

04- Aug-2026

In this episode of Coffee With a Founder, BAM CEO Beck Bamberger sits down with Alex Toporek, co-founder and CEO of Rebuild, an AI-powered platform helping restoration contractors create faster, more accurate insurance estimates.

Alex shares how a challenge inside his father’s restoration business inspired Rebuild—and how the platform reduced estimate turnaround time from 14 days to 14 hours while increasing estimate values by as much as 8%.

He also explains how he validated the market at an industry trade show, transitioned from venture studio and VC work to becoming a founder, and discovered greater fulfillment in building something personally meaningful.

Together, they explore New York City’s technology community, creating a flexible in-person office culture, hiring deliberately, and why founders should pursue problems they genuinely believe in solving.

show notes:

00:00 - Helping Dad with Insurance Claims

04:55 - Identifying key market demands

08:55 - Shifting focus to business building

12:35 - Settling in New York City

14:41 - Positive office culture and flexibility

17:47 - Deliberate team building process

Read More About The Episode:

00:00 — Helping Dad Improve Insurance Claims
Alex Toporek introduces Rebuild, an AI-powered platform that helps restoration contractors create estimates following floods, fires, and other disasters. Inspired by challenges in his father’s business, Rebuild reduced estimate turnaround time from 14 days to 14 hours while increasing estimate values by as much as 8%.

04:55 — Identifying Key Market Demands
After observing his father’s workflow, Alex recognized that estimating was a major bottleneck. He tested the idea at an industry trade show, where enthusiastic responses from approximately 20 potential customers confirmed a strong demand for a better solution.

08:55 — Shifting Focus to Business Building
Alex reflects on transitioning from venture studio and VC work to becoming a startup founder. After advising companies without direct operating experience, he found greater fulfillment in building a product, team, and mission that felt personally meaningful.

12:35 — Settling in New York City
Building Rebuild changed Alex’s perspective on New York City. He discusses the city’s close-knit yet diverse technology community and how it offers founders a collaborative environment that feels distinct from San Francisco’s startup ecosystem.

14:41 — Creating a Positive and Flexible Office Culture
Rebuild has developed an in-person culture without enforcing a rigid office policy. Working alongside other technology companies in Gutter Capital’s SoHo office gives the team access to an organic community where founders can exchange ideas, seek advice, and support one another.

17:47 — Building a Team Deliberately
Alex describes team building as one of the most rewarding parts of becoming a founder. Every hiring decision is made intentionally, creating a mission-driven team that believes in improving restoration outcomes and enjoys solving problems together.