Tech Nest: The Proptech Podcast

I never intended to publish over 200 podcast episodes. I truly thought I'd do 30 or 40—at most—and then move on to something else. However, the constant support I received across the entire industry motivated me to keep going. I love this industry and intend on going nowhere anytime soon. But the time has come to set the podcast aside and focus more energy into something else. I want to continue sharing my work so that others can benefit, but I'm also interested in saying yes to other opportunities such as advising and consulting.

I plan on publishing occa...

In this special episode, you'll get to listen in on conversations I had while attending Blueprint Conference, 2024. 

Here's the list of guests in this Part 4 of my Blueprint Conversations series.

Brad Pilgrim, Co-founder and CEO, Parity

Vikas Gupta, CEO, Azibo

Matt Ellis, CEO, Measurabl

In this special episode, you'll get to listen in on conversations I had while attending Blueprint Conference, 2024. 

Here's the list of guests in this Part 3 of my Blueprint Conversations series.

In this conversation I'm joined by Zumper Co-founder and CEO, Anthemos Georgiades. We discuss the evolving landscape of the rental market, highlighting the record supply of rental units in 2024 and the implications for renters and property management companies. I was excited to discuss the latest partnership between Zumper and Airbnb, exploring how this collaboration reflects the convergence of long-term and short-term rental markets. Anthemos has been in the trenches of this industry for quite a few years, stays in the data, and have some interesting outlooks for the industry to come. Do not miss this important episode! 

In this conversation, I talk with Nicholas Johnson, Founder and CEO of Orange Charger, about the challenges and opportunities in the EV charging industry, particularly for multifamily homes. He describes the importance of user experience, connectivity, and the role of software in managing energy consumption. We also get into the evolving landscape of property management as it relates to EV charging infrastructure and the future of energy management solutions.

More about Nicholas and Orange Charger
Orange Charger is an Energy Management Solution for multifamily homes. Orange's right-sized charging solutions are reliable, affordable, scalable, and purpose-built...

Peter Gudmundsson, CEO of BeHome 247, discusses the challenges and opportunities in the short-term rental and vacation rental industry. He emphasizes the importance of delivering a consistently excellent guest experience and the need for brand consistency. Gudmundsson also addresses the impact of local zoning regulations on the industry and the role of technology in improving operations and guest satisfaction. He highlights the value of a unified operations platform that integrates various systems and provides real-time visibility for property managers. BeHome 247 provides a unified operations platform for the short-term rental and residential property management industries. The platform integrates various functions such...

In this special episode, you'll get to listen in on conversations I had while attending Blueprint Conference, 2024. 

Here's the list of guests in this Part 2 of my Blueprint Conversations series.

In this episode, Dana Dunford, Co-founder and CEO of Hemlane, joins the show to discuss the evolving landscape of property management for self-managing real estate investors. Hemlane is a venture-backed platform that simplifies rental property management by offering tools for inspections, repairs, tenant coordination, and more, all in one place. Dana shares how Hemlane differentiates itself from traditional property management by blending human oversight with technology, catering to a market where 72% of landlords self-manage their properties. 

We also explore how she achieved early traction at Hemlane by leveraging her personal network, testing creative messaging, and focusing on p...

In this epsidoe, I talk with Jason Griffith, Co-founder and Co-CEO of Synco, to explore how they simplify communication for property management teams. With the overload of emails and messages, Synco offers a real-time messaging platform to streamline collaboration and organize conversations. It lets users control inbox notifications and easily include external parties like contractors. Synco offers include real-time translation for seamless multilingual communication and integration with property management software. Synco is also focused on leveraging AI to enhance team collaboration and efficiency, aiming to lead the way in transforming property management communication. This conversation goes deeper than just p...

Gene Eidelman, Co-founder of Azure, discusses how they are using 3D printing technology to create and build prefab homes. They use recycled polymers and fiberglass instead of traditional materials, making their homes faster to build and more affordable. We also get into the national housing shortage, affordability crisis, and reducing environmental impacts. Gene explains their construction process, which involves 3D printing modules and finishing them in the factory. He also discusses the challenges of distribution and the acceptance of prefab homes by lenders and insurance companies. Gene emphasizes the need for more sustainable construction practices and the potential for...

In this episode, I chat with Andrew Becker, CEO and Co-founder of Billions, a real estate operations platform built for high-volume teams. We explore how Billions automates data tracking and enhances team efficiency, especially in today’s challenging market. Andrew shares his journey from the Air Force to building a successful real estate team and dives into why modular tech and AI are game-changers for the industry. We also discuss his podcast, "Team Lead Talks," where he interviews top real estate leaders (I've got a soft-spot in my heart for leaders with podcasts). Listen in! 

More abo...

More about each guest in this special episode:

Bo Lais, Founder and CEO at Lula
Bo Lais is a serial entrepreneur and current CEO/Founder of Lula, a proptech company focused on reinventing maintenance for property managers and investors.

Rental property maintenance technology and software powered by a network of vetted contractors. 

Heather Harmon, Founder, Investor, and Advisor
Heather Harmon was prior the Head of Opendoor Finance where she led department operations and partnerships. She led the launch of Opendoor’s financing app, which enables home buye...

In this episode, Phil Levin, Founder and CEO of Live Near Friends, shares insights on the importance of proximity in shaping our lives and the potential for multiplayer mode housing. He discusses the benefits of living near friends and family, how transportation influences city design, and the rise of cul-de-sac communities. Phil also touches on the role of ADUs in fostering closer-knit neighborhoods, the loneliness epidemic, and the health impacts of community living. The conversation highlights how proximity to happy friends can boost happiness by 40%, and explores the future of urban planning with self-driving cars.

More...

Greg Sack, partner and CMO of Pinch, discusses how Pinch is reshaping the multifamily industry's approach to turnover and common area cleaning. Pinch offers centralized solutions for property management companies, bridging the gap and providing efficient cleaning services. The conversation covers topics such as the challenges of finding cleaners, the need for a B2B avenue in the cleaning industry, the role of technology in scaling the business, and the potential for consolidation in the industry. Greg also shares his predictions for the future of Pinch and the real estate industry.

More about Greg and Pinch<...

In this episode, I chat with Landon Cooley, CEO and Co-founder of Pest Share, about the crucial yet often overlooked role of pest control in property management. Landon highlights the challenges of dealing with specialty pests like bed bugs and cockroaches, which can cause major issues in multi-family settings. 

Pest Share offers a solution by providing tenants with direct, on-demand access to pest control services, bypassing the need for property manager involvement. This not only improves the resident experience but also helps property managers focus on more pressing tasks. We also discuss how property managers can build t...

In this episode, I chat with Jason Lewis, co-founder of Parcel Labs, about the evolving landscape of real estate data. We dive into the power of real-time housing data, how it's becoming more transparent, and the impact it's having on the market. Jason shares insights on how Parcel Labs is leading the charge by providing unparalleled access to housing information, making it easier for developers and operators to make informed decisions. If you're curious about the future of real estate data and how it can be your best tool, this episode is a must-listen!

More about...

This episode is a bit different. I recorded this as an episode for the Triple Win Podcast with Andrew Smallwood, VP of Revenue at Second Nature. So today, I'll be playing the role of guest and Andrew is host. Enjoy this fun discussion on where proptech is headed.
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From the Triple Win Podcast:

Few things have changed the property management industry more in the last five years than a growing proptech industry, but that industry continues to go through changes of its own. 

Nate Smoyer, host of the Tech Nest Podcast, joins A...

Join me as I chat with Ben Lerner, Managing Director of Lerner Associates, about M&A in the proptech industry. Ben shares his unique insights from his background in tech and real estate, focusing on the importance of licenses and the evolving dynamics of user licensing. We discuss the differences between M&A and venture capital markets, highlighting the active M&A scene despite tougher capital raising.

Ben advises founders to prioritize metrics, build relationships with potential acquirers, and remain open to opportunities. He emphasizes customer retention and profitability as key for potential buyers and the importance...

Kirill Bensonoff, CEO and Co-founder of New Silver, a fintech company that provides loans for fix and flip projects, joins Tech Nest to discuss the current state of the real estate market, the challenges faced by investors, and how New Silver differentiates itself from other lenders. Kirill explains how their technology, including a pricing engine, streamlines the loan process and offers convenience to borrowers. He also discusses their unique approach to sourcing capital, including their partnership with MakerDAO, a decentralized autonomous organization. Kirill shares his predictions for the future of the real estate market and the impact of AI...

Steve Carroll, CEO and co-founder of Fine Diggs, discusses the issue of rental fraud and its impact on the rental application process. He highlights that 25% of all evictions are attributable to rental application fraud and explains how fraudsters use stolen or fraudulent information to lease properties and wait out the eviction process. Carroll emphasizes the need for comprehensive identity verification and a more holistic approach to underwriting that considers factors like income and behavior. He also discusses the importance of fairness in the rental process and how Fine Diggs is working to provide tools for property managers to make...

Lindsay Liu, Co-founder and CEO of Super, discusses the challenges property managers face with busy work and inefficient communication. Property managers spend a significant amount of time on tasks like email and phone calls, which can be automated and streamlined. Super aims to centralize communications and automate tasks for property managers, allowing them to focus on more important work. The use of AI in property management can boost productivity and provide scalable assistance to property managers. However, it's important for companies to prioritize data security and privacy and be aware of potential biases in AI algorithms. Embracing technology and...

In this episode of Tech Nest, I explore commercial real estate auctions with Stephen Jacobs, President of Ten-X. Stephen shares his journey leading Ten-X (which is a really cool story, BTW) and debunks myths about auctions, explaining their strategic advantages beyond just distressed properties.

Learn how Ten-X leverages data and technology to streamline the auction process, ensuring faster and more certain sales. Stephen also discusses the evolving role of brokers and current market trends, providing valuable insights into the future of commercial real estate transactions. Hint: brokers are still very much relevant in today's transactions. 

L...

Here's a fun one for y'all. Frank Rohde, Founder and CEO of Ownify, a company working to revolutionize homeownership through fractional ownership joins the show. 

Frank shares insights into Ownify's innovative model that helps first-time homebuyers with good income and credit but limited savings gradually build equity in their homes. You'll hear about Frank's diverse background, including his roles at FICO and Nomis, and how these experiences helped shape Ownify. He explains the dual nature of Ownify's operations, balancing PropCo and OpCo dynamics to benefit both consumers and investors.

We get practical, outlining steps for u...

In this episode we dig into the side of real estate that seems to be the big, sleeping topic: insurance. 

Valkyrie Holmes, Founder and CEO of Faura, discusses the impact of natural disasters on insurance, the challenges faced by insurance companies, and the innovative solutions offered by Faura. The conversation covers risk assessment, loss control solutions, the impact of climate change, and the future of insurance tech.

More about Valkyrie and Faura
Faura provides loss control solutions for insurance companies with high-risk books of business. We specialize in risk assessments in disaster zones o...

We've got a solid interview for y'all this week. Raunaq Singh, Founder and CEO of Roam, comes on the show to discuss their platform for purchasing homes using assumable low-rate mortgages. 

Raunaq digs into the history of assumable mortgages, the potential size of the market, and the challenges and opportunities for buyers and sellers. Raunaq also explains how Roam is working with agents, and is addressing misconceptions about assumable mortgages. We discuss the potential impact on real estate transactions as a whole nationwide—but also how much education is necessary to drive that impact. We also get int...

Have we all been ignoring opportunities to uncover inventory? Amanda Orson, Founder and CEO of Galleon, reveals the hidden potential in the real estate marketplace by exposing inventory not visible on the MLS. She shares insights on industry challenges and opportunities, and how technological advances are revolutionizing real estate transactions.

Amanda discusses why the traditional 3% buyer's agent fee may soon be obsolete and the need for a pragmatic industry outlook. That's not to say buyer's agents can't or won't be paid in the future—just that it's time to re-evaluate how we're doing things. She addresses the de...

I'm super excited for this episode's guest, Lior Abramovich, co-founder and CEO of Blanket. Blanket is a property retention platform, designed to help property managers reduce churn and better inform owners. 

Discover how Blanket launched to immediate acclaim and rapidly assembled a team driven by a shared mission. Lior outlines the dual aspects of their service: an owner investment dashboard that offers real-time metrics, educational tools, and AI-driven insights, alongside a marketplace exclusive to property managers. This marketplace not only facilitates property sales, enabling managers to maintain management and earn commissions but also acts as a potent t...

He's back! Nima Wedlake, Managing Director at ThomVest Ventures, about the current state of Proptech and the themes he is tracking for 2024. We focused on an essay Nima penned, covering several topics including control point software, AI's impact on construction productivity, and the rise of home services businesses. 

Nima discusses the challenges and opportunities in scaling tech-enabled service businesses and the potential of AI in the construction industry. The conversation also touches on the impact of COVID-19 on real estate tech investments and the future of venture capital in the space. We also explore the role of r...

This episode is focused on tech providing the means to execute the basics, at a high level, for real estate agents, teams, and brokerages. Vijay Gopalswamy, founder and CEO of Traxy, a deal-tracking tool for real estate professionals, shares his story of why he started Trackxi due to a void in the market for a great transaction coordinating platform. Vijay got into real estate as an agent, so he's very familiar with the pain of transaction coordination and that led him to create a solution.

Vijay discusses the challenges agents face and how Trackxi aims to simplify...

More about BrainBox AI and Jean-Simon
Founded in 2017, BrainBox AI was created to address two critical issues currently facing the built environment: carbon emissions and energy consumption. As innovators in the decarbonization movement, BrainBox AI’s game-changing HVAC technology leverages AI to make buildings smarter, greener, and more efficient. Through strategic global relationships, BrainBox AI elevates real estate clients across various sectors from office buildings and hotels to commercial retail, grocery stores, airports, and more.

BrainBox AI’s tech results in up to 25% reduction in total energy costs, up to 40% decrease in carbon footprint, and up t...

Mike Simonsen, President of Altos Research, joins Tech Nest today to discuss real estate data and some of the myths around mortgage rate lock-ins.

Altos Research offers local and national real estate data to financial institutions, real estate pros, and investors. Simonsen reveals that the lock-in effect started in 2014, not 2022, due to falling mortgage rates making homeowners hesitant to sell. He highlights the importance of viewing data from various angles and explains how Altos Research tracks the active market, focusing on pricing, inventory, and trends.

Altos Research just recently announced a new product feature, adding...

Chet Kittleson, Co-founder and CEO of Far Homes, shares how the company is simplifying international home buying. Born from the pandemic's remote work trend, Far Homes helps people buy and sell homes abroad, starting with Mexico. They offer a thorough real estate search platform, connect buyers with local agents, and focus on high-demand markets like Cancun and the Riviera Maya. 

Far Homes aims to be the go-to for global cross-border purchase financing, with tools like the Financing Finder making the process easier. One thing Chet points out is that despite all the possibilities with technology, agents remain a...

This week's engaging interview is with Stephen "Capz" Capezza, President of Side. Stephen shares his journey in real estate and provides a deep dive into Side's unique brokerage-as-a-service model. Side is a true pioneer in the real estate brokerage space as the only brokerage-as-a-service platform. The success of this platform can be seen based on the industry recognition many of their agents have achieved, including lists from Real Trends.

Stephen shares his experience and what he's witnessed throughout his decade-plus tenure, leading real estate technology teams, the trends that have come and gone, and what's needed now...

In this conversation, I talk with Ned Murphy, the General Manager at Level M, about the state of the multifamily industry and the role of smart buildings. 

We discuss the impact of new construction on the market, the competitive dynamics and concessions in the industry, and the challenges of hardware and software integration. Ned shares more about Level M as a next-generation platform, aimed at helping existing properties adopt smart technology. 

One blocker to adopting smart building technology has been around measuring the ROI of both software and hardware. Ned digs into some of the mi...

In this episode of Tech Nest, we have a returning guest, David Sullivan, on the show. David was previously CEO of a company called Till, which was acquired by Best Egg. David's been working to bring flexible rent solutions to the renters market, and through the acquisition by Best Egg, is now better positioned to do so. 

We get into the challenges of disrupting the property management industry and the complexity of embedding point solutions, such as flex rent, in multifamily. The effects of the pandemic on the rental market and the shift towards renter-centric solutions has c...

This is the type of conversation I should have had on the show a long time ago. Industry veteran, brand-builder, and all-around great guy, Brian Boero joins the show today. Brian is Co-founder at the branding and strategy agency, 1000WATT. They focus exclusively on working with brands in the real estate vertical including brokerages, lenders, and technology companies.

One of the first topics I was eager to get Brian to dig into was on the importance of brand and storytelling within the real estate industry. You'll hear insights shared aimed at the broker / agent, but also applicable...

This week's interview features Vincent Hodder, Co-founder and CEO of Local Logic. Local Logic is a location intelligence platform that focuses on digitizing the built world and providing predictive analytics for addresses in the US and Canada. They have a massive data set of 100 billion unique data points, which allows them to understand and quantify cities at a hyperlocal level.

You'll hear us discuss the need for data-driven insights to help consumers, agents, and investors (all in their own, unique ways) make better decisions in real estate. Local Logic provides innovative data solutions for the real estate...

This week's guest is Everett Lynn, Founder and CEO of Amenify, a plug and play platform for amenity services in the multifamily space. We  discuss Amenify's recent growth trajectory (hint: they've been on fire!). 

Everett shares his insights on different types of fundraising and the challenges of disruption in the real estate industry—a topic that is frequently discussed, but Everett offers some unique takes for founders. You'll hear Everett emphasize the importance of finding a balance between value and efficiency in proptech solutions and the need for understanding the ecosystem in which these solutions operate. We also...

It's my second time interviewing Joseph Woodbury, co-founder and CEO of Neighbor.com. In case you missed, Joseph previously joined Tyler Cauble and I for a live stream on Tyler's CRE YouTube channel. This time for Tech Nest, we switched up the topics.

We get into how his company is disrupting the self-storage industry by leveraging the peer-to-peer model. Neighbor allows individuals and businesses to monetize unused space by renting it out for storage. They have operations in all 50 states, providing storage solutions at a micro level that traditional storage facilities cannot justify.

The company...

I promise you, discussing security deposits isn't as boring as it may seem. This week, I'm joined by Conor Brennan, Co-founder of Rentable, a security deposit management platform for residential real estate. He shares about the pain points of security deposits, including the legal challenges and outdated processes. We dig into the importance of integrations and Rentable's focus on cash deposits.

Conor shares how Rentable offers flexible payment options for deposits and highlights the ideal customers for their platform. You'll hear Conor explain further more about the inefficiencies of traditional security deposit processes and the time and...