Tech Talks Is Success Just An Illusion of Luck, Or The Result Of Hardwork?
Oct 29, 2025
Shahad Choudhury, founder of Open Bricks, shares his journey transforming from a blockchain property portal to a tenant lifecycle platform with over 225,000 users. He discusses the challenges blockchain faced, revealing how partnerships drove their rapid growth without traditional marketing. Shahad emphasizes focusing on product simplicity and serving customers, while contemplating the balance of luck and hard work in entrepreneurship. He also touches on the differences in PropTech energy between the UK and US, and the importance of keeping technology human-centered.
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Pivot From Blockchain To Practical Product
- Shahad recalled pivoting from a blockchain property portal to a traditional portal with a tenant app when market interest in blockchain faded.
- That early decision refocused the product and avoided battling dominant portals like Rightmove.
Find Space Downstream In The User Journey
- OpenBricks found product-market fit by moving downstream in the tenant lifecycle instead of fighting listing giants.
- Focusing on onboarding, in-tenancy services and exit stages created a clear, defensible niche.
Grow By Partnering Not By Marketing
- Use partnerships and integrations to acquire users instead of spending on marketing or social.
- Leverage referral placement inside reference and deposit services to drive organic signups at scale.