Investor Dave Eisenberg on Founding, Funding and Growing Proptech Startups

.Welcome to the Thesis Driven Leader Series! Thesis Driven editor Brad Hargreaves speaks with Dave Eisenberg, Founding Partner at Zigg Capital. It’s a great conversation about the convergence of venture and real estate investing. And it’s a unique opportunity for investors and entrepreneurs to glean thoughtful - and actionable - insights about innovation, economics and growth in the proptech startup world.

Dave and Brad start by digging into a major topic in real estate tech:  decoupling investment in the operating company (“opco”) from investment in the real estate or assets (“propco”). Blending the investment structures has historically been disastrous for startups whose real estate holdings are a powerful and differentiating asset but simply can’t generate venture returns at venture speed. Through his VC fund Zigg and their partner real estate fund Watchung Capital, Dave and his colleagues are optimizing for serving a wide variety of proptech startups, including those that need both venture and real estate capital.

Listeners will also learn about how venture investors like Dave source deals and what they are looking for in future portfolio companies. Dave details how he and his colleagues evaluate deals and the founders behind them and why he values humility over bravado. He also provides some helpful hints to founders about what they should be looking for and expect in future investors.

Brad and Dave also discuss gaps in the real estate tech markets and areas that are ripe for innovation. Investors like Dave believe in proptech and its value to the economy and the future of how we live. So if you have an idea, it’s time to go for it.

To get our weekly newsletter with research and insights about the built world, head over to thesisdriven.com. Enjoy!