Tech Nest: The Proptech Podcast

10 Episodes
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By: Nate Smoyer

Tech Nest is the proptech podcast where we discover all the latest in proptech by interviewing the innovators and leaders from startup that are challenging the way we buy, sell, and invest in real estate. When you listen to Tech Nest, you'll get in-depth interviews and discussions each week, focused on uncovering trends in proptech and how startups are transforming the real estate landscape. Don't miss an episode, subscribe today!

VC Investment into Defensible Proptech Companies with Gavin Myers, Partner at Prudence VC
#197
03/08/2024

This week's featured guest is Gavin Myers, Managing Partner at Prudence, an early-stage venture capital firm focused on investing in technology companies in the real estate sector. We dig into Gavin's background and transition to proptech, as well as Prudence's investment strategy of backing differentiated and defensible companies. Gavin shares the importance of understanding the sector and the people involved, as well as the challenges of finding talent in proptech—a topic I'm passionate about (collectively, we as an industry need to do more to attract high-caliber talent).

Gavin also provides insights into Prudence's new fund and th...


Mid-Term Workforce Housing with Yeves Perez, Co-founder and CEO of Workbnb
#196
02/28/2024

Yves Perez, CEO of WorkBnB, discusses the significance of workforce housing and the challenges faced by workers in the construction industry. He highlights the importance of mental health and the need for comfortable accommodations for workers who have to travel for their jobs. Perez explains the practical differences of workforce housing compared to traditional options like Airbnb and hotels and shares how companies can work with WorkBnB and the about the potential impact of tech advances on the real estate industry, with a shift in the approach to corporate housing. 

Perez even gets into the power of b...


Modern Mobile Access for Multifamily with Brandon Peterson, CEO at Geokey
#195
02/20/2024

Brandon Peterson, the founder and CEO of GeoKey, discusses the benefits of mobile access control and property management solutions. He shares his background as a serial entrepreneur and the inspiration behind starting GeoKey. Brandon explains the importance of partnerships and integrations in the proptech industry and how GeoKey is leveraging AI to streamline operations and enhance the customer experience. He also discusses market trends, and the future of building access and security.

About Brandon and Geokey
Geokey is a mobile access solution for property owners and tenants to control the security of their assets without requiring...


Real Estate Data as a Media Company with Clayton Collins, Founder and CEO of HW Media
#194
02/08/2024

In this episode we have Clayton Collins, the Founder and CEO of HW Media. Clayton discusses the growth and vision of HW Media, the challenges of building a media powerhouse, predictions for the real estate market in 2024, and their upcoming annual event, The Gathering. Clayton shares insights on interest rates, inventory, and consumer psychology in the housing industry. He also highlights the importance of research and data in providing a full picture for housing professionals. The conversation concludes with a discussion on HW Media's plans for the future.

More about Clayton and HW Media
HW Media...


Advances in Tenant Screening Processes with Tim Ray, Founder and CEO at VeriFast
#193
01/30/2024

Tim Ray, CEO of VeriFast, discusses the importance of identity verification in the real estate industry and the challenges of tenant fraud. He explains how VeriFast's single-source verification platform helps verify individuals' identities and financial details, providing a more secure and flexible screening process for renters—especially for those with a non-traditional income. Tim also highlights the company's integrations with property management systems and the need for trust and transparency in data sharing. He predicts that credit checks will become less relevant in rental applications and that document processing using PDFs will fade away as technology advances.

Mo...


The Future of Inner City Transportation with Catrine Machi, Co-founder of Swyft Cities
#192
01/24/2024

Catrine Machi, co-founder of Swyft Cities, discusses the company's vision to transform urban real estate by improving mobility. Swyft Cities is developing an aerial transportation system that uses pods traveling along a cableway. The system offers a network of stations that provide efficient and direct routes for users. Machi emphasizes the importance of solving specific problems for cities and the need for a layered approach to transportation options. She also discusses the challenges of policy-making, procurement, and the readiness level of emerging technologies. Machi believes that the future of real estate will involve more options for transportation and a...


Decarbonization in Commercial Real Estate with Owen Glubiak, VP of Client Strategy at Cortex Sustainability Intelligence
#191
01/15/2024

Owen Glubiak, VP of Client Strategy for Cortex Sustainability Intelligence, discusses decarbonization in commercial real estate. They discuss the challenges and pressures faced by the industry, the role of AI in optimizing building performance, and the importance of tenant comfort. They also touch on the future of Cortex and the trends in decarbonization policies in cities like Boston, New York, California, Chicago, Denver, and Austin. The conversation explores two major trends in the sustainability and decarbonization space. The first trend is building electrification coupled with grid advances, which is seen as a key strategy to achieve decarbonization goals. The...


Breaking Down Walls to Build More ADUs in Canada with Sarah Cipkar, Founder and CEO of Resimate
#190
01/09/2024

Sarah Cipkar, shares her experience building her own backyard ADU and how that started her journey to founding Resimate. Resimate is an online tool that allows homeowners to determine if their backyard is suitable for a detached ADU based on zoning bylaws. Sarah also discusses the different construction methods for ADUs, the challenges in the prefab and modular construction industry, and the importance of awareness and education in the ADU market. She shares her vision for the future of Resimate and the ADU market in Canadian cities.

More about Sarah and Resimate
Resimate is a tool...


Residential Sale Leasebacks for Homeowners with Jarred Kessler, CEO of EasyKnock
#189
01/04/2024

In this episode of Tech Nest, Jarred Kessler, CEO of EasyKnock, discusses innovative solutions in the residential real estate sector. He shares insights into Easy Knock's unique approach to helping homeowners access their equity without traditional loans. The conversation highlights the 'Sell and Stay' program, where homeowners can sell their property yet remain as renters, tackling the modern challenges of home equity and market dynamics. Discover how EasyKnock working to bring alternative financing to the consumers. 

More about Jarred and EasyKnock
A pioneer in the real estate industry, EasyKnock is ushering in a new chapter into t...


Modern Revenue Management and AI Tech for Multifamily with Donald Davidoff, CEO & Co-Founder at REBA
#188
12/19/2023

Donald Davidoff, the CEO and Co-founder of REBA, discusses the limitations of using spreadsheets in the multifamily industry and the need for new tools. He highlights the challenges of trusting data and the frustration around collating and analyzing data in Excel. Donald introduces REBA Rent, a new product that aims to simplify the rental process and improve transparency. He also addresses the hesitancy of multifamily owners and managers to adopt new solutions and the importance of empathy and observation in understanding user pain points. Donald shares his predictions for the future of REBA and the industry, emphasizing the changing...