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 about Andrew and BillionsBILLIONS is a real estate team operating system powered by the world's most powerful CRM platform, Salesforce.  Designed and carefully curated around the team model, BILLIONS brings predictable and repeatable processes to a team's operations while seamlessly yielding best-in-class data & analytics for real-time decision-making and oversight.         Andrew started a real estate team back in 2013 in Arlington, VA and built a high volume, high transaction business where we did both retail and investor-type transactions.  Out of our own needs, built an operating systems around our team model that is now being used by some of the top producing teams in the United States.  Connect with Andrew on LinkedInCheck out BillionsCheck out Team Leads Talk Podcast on Youtube

More about each guest in this special episode:Bo Lais, Founder and CEO at LulaBo 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. Connect with BoCheck out Lula  Heather Harmon, Founder, Investor, and AdvisorHeather 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 buyers to understand their buying power by providing a pre-approval in 60 seconds or less. She was previously the co-founder and COO of RedDoor, a digital-first mortgage brokerage acquired by Opendoor in 2021, and was responsible for growth and operations of the organization. Her focus areas included scale in process and operations in addition to product initiatives that leveraged integrations, data science, and industry knowledge. As a third-generation broker, Heather has been at the forefront of innovation and technology in the real estate industry since 1990.Today Heather provides expert guidance to startup and venture capital leaders in structuring successful implementation, investment, or M&A in proptech and fintech.  She is often an invited panelist interested in discussing the path for innovation to accelerate efficiencies for the quality of the consumer experience and for the sake of equity in the current crisis across housing and finance.Connect with HeatherCheck out Heather's websiteKevin Shtofman, Global Head of Innovation at CherreCherre is the leader in real estate data and insight. We connect decision makers to accurate property and market information, and help them make faster, smarter decisions. By providing a unique “single source of truth,” Cherre empowers customers to evaluate opportunities and trends faster and more accurately, while saving millions of dollars in manual data collection and analytics costs.Kevin is an industry leader when it comes to commercial real estate & technology. With over 20 years of experience in real estate, finance, & consulting, he’s carved out an expertise in solving complex challenges using data. Kevin oversees all global Partnerships at Cherre, managing relationships with 130 data, application, and channel Partners across 5 countries. The Cherre platform today boasts over $3 Trillion AUM on the platform.Follow Kevin on TwitterConnect with KevinCheck out Cherre

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 about Phil and Live Near FriendsLiveNearFriends reinvents residential real estate by focusing on the #1 amenity: people. We address many of today's biggest pain points: loneliness, isolation in raising families, and lack of rootedness in a WFH world. There’s a silver bullet for these problems, and it's living in proximity to people you love.Today's product aggregates latent demand for living near friends & family, identifies existing housing supply that is a good fit for groups, and greases the behavioral mechanics. It's been covered by Vox, Guardian, Axios, Bigger Pockets and Business Insider. The vision is to become the marketplace where all "proximate housing" is marketed, developed, financed, and sold. Phil is the CEO/founder of Live Near Friends, the social real estate platform that helps people live within walking distance of friends & family.Previously, he helped start Culdesac (a developer building walkable, car-free neighborhoods, $200m+ raised).Phil started a housing cluster called Radish where he lives near 19 friends and 5 of their kids spread across 10 homes.  He writes about this on Supernuclear, the #1 newsletter on living near friends (160K reach).Phil’s mission is to create forms of housing which makes us happy, healthy, and connected. And in doing so rebuild the social fabric of our neighborhoods.Follow Phil on TwitterConnect with Phil on LinkedInFollow Live Near Friends on TwitterCheck out Live Near Friends

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 PinchPINCH is reshaping the multifamily industry's approach to turnover and common area cleaning! We're disrupting the status quo by providing a platform for high-quality home cleaners to seamlessly transition into this space, and solving a number of challenges that existing cleaning teams are facing in the industry. With stringent vendor requirements in place, finding reliable resources has been a challenge—until now. PINCH is bridging the gap, offering a centralized solution for property management companies nationwide. By standardizing processes, pricing, and invoicing, we're driving significant cost reductions and operational efficiencies across the board. Plus, our network ensures swift onboarding of new cleaning teams, replacing them within hours or days, not months.Greg is a serial entrepreneur who spent his early career in the logistics industry.  In 2014, he sold his e-commerce and logistics business to FedEx, which is the first time in their history that they acquired a start-up technology company.  Greg is Partner and CMO for PINCH.  He heads up all strategic growth initiatives and helps to drive the direction of the business.Connect with Greg on LinkedInCheck out 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 trust and add value by responding quickly to maintenance requests, which can lead to better tenant satisfaction and easier lease renewals.Finally, we touch on the future of Pest Share and the impact of technology on real estate, exploring how deep integrations and custom solutions can boost operational efficiency.More about Landon and Pest SharePest Share is a fast-growing, 4-year-old proptech startup based in Boise, ID. Pest Share’s on-demand pest control technology saves tenants 70% on pest services and allows them to diagnose, request, and receive pest services right from their cell phones - without the involvement of a property manager. For property managers, this means a value-added pest control amenity that provides a better rental experience, operational efficiencies, a new revenue stream, and increased NOI.Landon Cooley is the CEO & Co-Founder of Pest Share. Landon has almost 20 years of experience in pest management and is 4th generation in his family to pursue a career within the industry. Landon has a strong belief that, “There is always a better way”. After years of encountering the same, unaddressed pest control paint points in the property management space, Landon and his Co-Founders decided to launch their most recent venture, Pest Share.Connect with Landon on LinkedInFollow Pest Share on LinkedInCheck out Pest Share

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 Jason and Parcl LabsAt Parcl Labs, our mission is to make housing data real-time, transparent, and accessible. We reveal previously hidden aspects of the housing market, including daily price movements and investor activities. All of this valuable information is available directly to you through our easy-to-use API.Jason is the Co-founder and Chief Data Officer of Parcl Labs. He brings experience from his time at Microsoft and Deloitte, where he worked on large-scale international data standardization and machine learning projects.Follow Jason on TwitterConnect with Jason on LinkedinFollow Parcl Labs on TwitterCheck out Parcl Labs

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.--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 Andrew Smallwood to cover the state of the proptech industry, where things could be headed, and how it’s all likely to affect you as a property manager. More about Andrew and Second NatureSecond Nature has created a new category with its resident experience platform for professional property managers. They work with 1,200 management companies and are the only 3-time NARPM (National Association of Residential Property Managers) national vendor of the year. Their industry-leading suite of resident rewards, credit building, ID protection, filter delivery, utility connection concierge, insurance, and more are helping professional property managers make resident experience their competitive advantage.Follow Andrew on TwitterConnect with Andrew on LinkedInFollow Second Nature on TwitterCheck out Second Nature

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 of a clear scorecard that showcases business value. We also touch on balancing in-person and remote work, owning core technology, and the crucial role of human interaction in real estate. Tune in for Ben's expert advice on navigating the proptech M&A landscape.More about Ben and Lerner AssociatesLerner Associates is a purely proptech focused M&A advisory firm working with founders/owners/leaders of real estate tech companies looking to sell their company or to raise growth capital. We also work buy-side.Ben is the Managing Director of Lerner Associates, a London-based boutique M&A Advisory practice, he set up in 2019. Lerner Associates focuses purely on PropTech transactions, global and cross-border, across the spectrum of investment management, corporate, commercial, residential, multifamily, agency, workplace, facilities management, construction and real estate data solutions.Ben has over 20 years of experience working in the real estate software space, both strategically and operationally as a seasoned proptech executive, and more latterly within corporate development, M&A and investment. From prior to selling his family business, Qube Global Software, to MRI Software, and throughout his time with MRI and beyond, Ben has been actively involved in M&A on deal sourcing, structuring, due diligence and general advisory.Follow Ben on TwitterConnect with Ben on LinkedInFollow Lerner Associates on TwitterCheck out Lerner Associates

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 on the industry. New Silver is not your standard lender. Listen in to hear more!More about Kirill and New SilverNew Silver is a fintech company with a mission to improve local communities by providing fast, convenient, and flexible capital to real estate investors. We use data and technology to underwrite and originate investment property loans with more efficiency and predictability. Our pricing engine provides instant online loan approval and a term sheet so that our many happy clients are ready to make an offer in as little as 5 minutes.Kirill Bensonoff is an advocate for pioneering fintech solutions, with a career spanning over 20 years across fintech, blockchain, and cloud computing. His entrepreneurial acumen has led to the successful bootstrapping of two high-growth technology companies, culminating in multi-million dollar exits. Kirill's journey exemplifies the synergy between deep industry expertise and entrepreneurial zeal, driving innovation in financial technology.As the co-founder and CEO of New Silver, a fintech company that excels in providing loans for fix-and-flip projects, Kirill has been instrumental in steering the company through challenging landscapes to establish it as a leader in its domain. Under his guidance, New Silver has made a mark by becoming the first Real-World Asset to be recognized and approved by MakerDAO, the leading stable-coin community project.Follow Kirill on TwitterConnect with Kirill on LinkedInFollow New Silver on TwitterCheck out New Silver

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 more informed and equitable leasing decisions. Findigs is a company that aims to streamline the leasing process by standardizing qualification and underwriting and using automation tools. They focus on removing bias and ensuring that the rules are applied consistently for everyone. The company recently raised a Series B round of funding, which is a significant achievement in the current startup funding environment. In terms of industry trends, Findigs believes that while technology plays a crucial role in real estate, face-to-face interactions and personal connections should not be eliminated. They also anticipate that regulations around tenant screening will continue to evolve, with a focus on fairness and consumer permission. Looking ahead, Findigs aims to grow their business and expand their services to make the rental process seamless and transparent for consumers.More about Steve and FindigsFindigs is the leading property technology company working to simplify rental screening and leasing decisions. Thanks to Findigs’ proprietary tech, it speeds up the rental decision process from an industry average of one week to an average of less than one day.Steve Carrol is the CEO and co-founder of Findigs, aiming to simplify the rental screening process, and sits on the National Rental Home Council. He has deep experience in the proptech VC space as well as being the co-founder and COO of Seated prior to co-founding Findigs.Connect with Steve on LinkedInCheck out Findigs