Tech Nest: The Proptech Podcast

More about Fatima and SugarFatima Dicko is the founder & CEO of Sugar, a platform that helps apartment residents feel more at home.  Before Sugar, Fatima spent 5 years at P&G as a senior engineer on a product team developing products 3-10 years away from market. Fatima came to the U.S. from Mali at a young age and grew up in New York City, receiving her B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Columbia University and MBA from Stanford Business School.  Fatima is a frequent mentor and volunteer for organizations such as Built By Girls, Black Girls Code and MLT. She was named as '18 Inspiring Women to Watch' by Inc and listed on the 2021 Forbes 'Next 1000' list. She has also been featured in TechCrunch, Business Insider, Crunchbase, Black Enterprise and CNBC.Sugar allows residents to pay rent, unlock doors, socialize with neighbors and easily communicate with management - all inside a single app. By elevating the residential experience at their properties, Sugar helps managers attract new residents, increase lease renewal rates and introduce additional revenue streams.Follow Fatima on TwitterConnect with Fatima on LinkedInFollow Sugar on TwitterCheck out Sugar

15 Aug 202254min

More about Steve and Plant PrefabSteve Glenn, CEO, founded Plant Prefab in 2016 as an offshoot of the award-winning residential design studio, LivingHomes, which he founded in 2006. Previously, Glenn worked with the Clinton HIV/AIDS Initiative (CHAI) and managed the development of a $220 million program in Mozambique. He was also the founder and CEO of PeopleLink, a leading provider of enterprise community solutions; founding partner of idealab, a business incubation firm that raised and invested $1 billion in a number of successful companies; co-director of the Virtual Reality Studio at Walt Disney Imagineering; and co-founder of Clearview Software, which was sold to Apple Computer in 1988. He holds a BA with honors from Brown University, studied Urban Planning at Harvard Graduate School of Design, and was a Coro Fellow. Plant Prefab is the first Certified B Corporation™ building technology company dedicated to sustainable design, materials, and operations. The company’s patented Plant Building System™ utilizes advanced digital modeling and fully customizable Plant Panels™ and Plant Modules™ to help architects, developers, general contractors, and individuals design and build multifamily and custom single-family homes 20 to 50 percent faster than site-based methods. The system provides better quality control, design flexibility, and time, cost, and material efficiency than traditional methods of offsite or on-site construction. Plant Prefab has two factories in California (Rialto, Ontario) and a design studio and show home in Santa Monica. With a mission to build a better world by design, Plant Prefab was the first housing prefabricator to announce a net zero goal and has achieved carbon neutrality in their operations since 2020. Plant Prefab is backed by leading investors including Amazon, Asahi Kasei, Gerdau Paris Ventures, Obvious Ventures, and others.Follow Steve on TwitterConnect with Steve on LinkedInFollow Plant Prefab on TwitterCheck out Plant Prefab

9 Aug 202250min

More about Lydia and RentCheckMy name is Lydia Winkler and I co-founded RentCheck in 2019. RentCheck is a direct result of a personal problem I faced: when I was a law student, I had to sue my former landlord over a security deposit that was wrongly withheld. I was successful, but realized my problem could be eliminated through the use of technology, and RentCheck was born.We’re RentCheck, a venture-backed, New Orleans, LA startup on a mission to make renting fair and transparent.We’ve built software that serves Renters, Landlords, and Property Managers by providing an easy to use experience for documenting rental properties and by becoming the trusted third-party for security deposit administration. We are an early stage company looking to transform the $100 billion residential real estate industry. Follow Lydia on TwitterConnect with Lydia on LinkedInFollow RentCheck on TwitterCheck out RentCheck

2 Aug 202245min

More about Michael and RentSpreeMichael Lucarelli is the CEO and Co-Founder of RentSpree, an award-winning rental software company. Lucarelli founded RentSpree in 2016 to reimagine how people rent homes. His mission is to pioneer a new rental process that allows all renters, landlords, and agents to interact seamlessly. Lucarelli is the recipient of Forbes 30 under 30, Los Angeles Business Journal 20 in their 20s, ASPIRE Alumni Entrepreneur of the Year, and Resident Malibu Award. Additionally, Lucarelli is an M.B.A. graduate of Pepperdine University.​​Founded in 2016, RentSpree is an award-winning rental software known in all 50 states for its easy-to-use tenant screening process, renter management, partnership program and rental screening API. In just six years, RentSpree has grown its database by partnering with over 250 of the most trusted names in real estate and over one million agents, owners and renters across the country.RentSpree helps real estate agents handle the influx in applications by providing them with professional tools to help save time, reduce liability, and grow their business with quality tenants.Connect with Michael on LinkedInFollow RentSpree on TwitterCheck out RentSpree

26 Juli 202250min

More about Datadoor and Tyler OklandDatadoor is a data analytics startup that collects robust iBuyer data in real time.Tyler Okland is a Stanford trained physician who currently works as a Fellow in Facial Plastics and Reconstructive Surgery at Vanderbilt Hospital. He writes a newsletter called The Operator, covering technology and business strategy. Tyler co-founded Datadoor, a proptech analytics startup with Sebastian Szturo in May, 2022.Follow Tyler on TwitterFollow Datadoor on TwitterCheck out Datadoor

19 Juli 202250min

More about Occupier and Matt GiffuneThe way organizations interact, leverage, and use real estate has changed, especially throughout COVID-19, but the way in which teams manage their real estate tasks has not. With an increasing demand for real time data, quick insights, and collaboration tools, the use of email and spreadsheets to get things done just doesn’t cut it. Teams need a smarter way to rapidly gather, organize, and share critical information within their real estate portfolio.Tenants are faced with unique real estate challenges and we set out to build digital solutions that automate and streamline the management of your lease portfolio and transaction. Occupier's lease management software connects brokers, real estate teams, and lease accounting professionals so that they can make rapid, strategic real estate decisions, and proactively adapt to the changing needs of their business.Occupier recently completed a $10.5 million series A fundraise, co-led by Stage 2 Capital and OMERS Ventures with participation from seed stage investors, Alate Partners, MetaProp, and Second Century Ventures.Matt Giffune has been in the commercial real estate industry for over 15 years and his experience spans many facets. Prior to co-founding Occupier, Matt was the Vice President at JLL representing tenants and landlords of office, industrial and laboratory space and then moved onto becoming the National Director of Strategic Sales at VTS.Follow Matt on TwitterConnect with Matt on LinkedInFollow Occupier on TwitterCheck out Occupier

19 Juli 202257min

More about Marcela and AlfredMarcela Sapone is the co-founder and CEO of Alfred, the most advanced residential technology and management platform in the U.S., specializing in a single-stop solution to maximize asset value. Alfred’s footprint expands to over 300,000 residents in single-family and multi-family rentals, in 52 markets in the U.S. and Canada. Sapone has been named to Crain’s 40 under 40, Top 30 under 30 by Forbes and among Fast Company’s Most Creative People in Business, and winner of Connect CRE's Women in Real Estate Award in 2021. Her experiences living abroad and studying Urban Development in Buenos Aires, Shanghai, Beijing, and Bangalore as a young adult greatly influenced her work. Named one of Goldman Sachs’s “most intriguing entrepreneurs,” Sapone earned her B.A. & B.S. from Boston University as a full tuition Trustee Scholar and holds an MBA with distinction from Harvard Business School, where she created the Alfred business model from her Boston apartment. Prior to founding Alfred, Sapone began her career at McKinsey & Company, worked at a mid market Private Equity firm, American Securities, and at Bridgewater.Alfred is the largest and most advanced residential management platform. Since its inception, Alfred has focused on providing a resident-first experience. With an unparalleled knowledge of what residents want and technology that boosts income and efficiency for owners and operators, Alfred provides a single stop that elevates the rental ecosystem for all involved. Named by Fast Company as one of the Top 50 Most Innovative Companies, Alfred's AOS technology drives lower operating costs and higher returns for property owners and operators. Alfred's portfolio now extends to more than 300,000 residents in 52 cities across the U.S. and Canada. Follow Marcela on TwitterFollow Alfred on TwitterConnect with Marcela on LinkedInCheck out Alfred

12 Juli 202252min

More about James and CatalyzeJames brings twenty-five years of entrepreneurial, technology and finance expertise to energy analytics with degrees from MIT’s Sloan School of Management, UCLA, University of Texas at Austin’s Plan II Liberal Arts Honors Program. Previously, James spent 17 years exclusively building software companies as Managing Director of Converge Venture Partners, a Boston-based seed investment fund, and its predecessor, CommonAngels, an angel group comprised of leaders in the technology community. He previously worked at Cambridge Energy Research Associates and for the US Department of Energy, at the latter managing a team of 30 senior scientists and engineers at the US National Laboratories. Catalyze is a leading clean energy transition company specializing in commercial and industrial partnerships. By taking on the cost and risk of building, financing, owning and operating clean energy assets and infrastructure — including solar, battery energy storage, and electric vehicle charging — Catalyze makes it easy and profitable for its commercial real estate partners to reach their ESG goals and deploy clean energy solutions across national portfolios.Follow James on TwitterConnect with James on LinkedInFollow Catalyze on TwitterCheck out Catalyze

5 Juli 20221h 9min