Tech Nest: The Proptech Podcast Nate Smoyer

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 industry, helping consumers and agents make informed decisions based on location-specific insights. 
Real estate is a hyper-local game. Dig in on how better access to data and enhanced tools can make a difference for consumers, agents, and investors. 

More about Vincent-Charles and Local LogicLocal Logic is a location intelligence platform that digitizes the built world for consumers, investors, developers, and governments – delivering unrivaled clarity and actionable insights capable of creating more sustainable, equitable cities. With more than 100 billion unique data points – the largest unique location data set in the U.S. and Canada – the platform creates a digital twin of cities, quantifying the built world and offering predictive, precise analytics to inform the present and future of over 250 million individual addresses.
Vincent-Charles started his journey as a young boy, aspiring to be a real estate developer. While in school, he recognized a significant issue in the industry, particularly in urban planning. The lack of actionable data on how the built environment impacts the supply and demand of real estate led to investments being based solely on a “gut check.” Seeing the ramifications this had on community developments, he seized this opportunity and co-founded Local Logic with his fellow classmate, Gabriel Damant Sirois. Local Logic is now empowering customers to achieve their real estate goals by providing them with high-quality, unique, and actionable insights to understand how the built world impacts the risk and return of their real estate decisions of all scales and at all levels of sophistication.
Follow Vincent-Charles on TwitterConnect with Vincent Charles on LinkedInFollow Local Logic on TwitterCheck out Local Logic

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 get into various aspects of proptech and the challenges faced by companies in the industry such as the difficulties of scaling in-person services, and the efficiencies (and difficulties) of a three-sided marketplace. 
We cover a lot of ground in this episode. Download and listen in!
More about Everett and AmenifyAmenify powers lifestyle services for 1.3+ million homes across 500+ cities, with tracked, trained, and compliant Service Pros. Amenify drives retention and ancillary income for multifamily operators while helping the local community with trust and efficiency gains. Their integrated Service Pros include teams for cleaning, handyman, restaurant delivery, grocery delivery, and more, each with real-time support. The company has raised $20 million to date to invest in technology for the three stakeholders of their technology platform, including: Multifamily Operators, Service Providers, and Residents.
Connect with Everett on LinkedInCheck out Amenify

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 has experienced challenges in acquiring residential customers but has evolved its user acquisition strategies over time. We also get into the demand and supply dynamics of the storage industry and the opportunity for property owners to achieve full property monetization through storage solutions.
One topic I personally get excited to discuss that Joseph touches on is the network effects and the challenges of expanding to new markets. There’s all that and more in this one. Tune in!

More about Joseph and Neighbor.comNeighbor is revolutionizing proptech by unlocking the hidden value in existing properties. Our platform empowers individuals and businesses to convert underutilized spaces like garages, parking lots, and even vacant land into lucrative storage and parking solutions.
This not only increases income for property owners but also creates a more efficient and sustainable use of space in our communities. Neighbor is a prime example of how proptech is innovating the real estate landscape by optimizing existing infrastructure and resources.
Joseph Woodbury is the Co-Founder and CEO of Neighbor.com. He has successfully disrupted the $500 Billion self-storage industry by raising more than $65 million from top investors like Andreessen Horowitz, Airbnb, Uber, StockX, and DoorDash. Under his leadership, Neighbor has expanded to all 50 states, providing more storage options than any other company in the industry. Joseph brings his expertise in real estate to help property owners optimize their assets.
Follow Joseph on TwitterConnect with Joseph on LinkedInFollow Neighbor.com on TwitterCheck out Neighbor.com

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 cost savings that can be achieved through improved technology. He highlights the importance of educating property managers on these benefits and addressing pain points such as returned checks and new legislation. We also get into Rentable's go-to-market strategy of targeting the mid-market for adoption and the key value props of using Rentable.
More about Conor and RentableRentable is the leading security deposit management company in America. Rentable is utilized by hundreds of property managers across the country to streamline and modernize the process of handling security deposits. In addition, Rentable provides renters with flexible payment options that allow them to spread their deposit out over time. 
Conor Co-founded Rentable alongside Alex Kamisher. The two worked together at Boston based fintech company, Toast. After experiencing the difficult and archaic process of paying and receiving their security deposits in their Boston apartments, the two realized that a solution was needed to address this issue. 
Connect with Conor on LinkedInCheck out Rentable

This week, I'm fortunate to be joined by fellow South Dakotan, Ray Hespen. Ray is CEO and co-founder of Property Meld, a maintenance automation software company. based in Rapid City, South Dakota.
Let's start with some performance metrics from Property Meld's 2023:
$723,997,461 in repairs completed8,467,099 maintenance phone calls eliminated378,082 maintenance issues prevented4.40 average resident satisfaction across all customers4,786,554 maintenance tasks automatedDuring our conversation, we discuss some of these metrics and how great communication can play such a critical role in maintenance automation. Ray breaks down the challenges of maintenance coordination and why property management needs to improve despite these challenges. Ray and the team at Property Meld take a holistic approach to tackling challenges in property maintenance, gathering data, and providing automations. You'll hear about that and more.
Lastly, you'll hear me plugging Property Meld's conference, Maintenance Summit in here as well. If you're in property management, either in the field or tech side, then a trip to South Dakota this year in September has got to get on your schedule.
More about Ray and Property MeldProperty Meld is a web-based property maintenance software dedicated to simplifying maintenance coordination. We provide unmatched visibility into crucial maintenance metrics, empowering property management companies to make data-driven decisions. Our robust solution connects property managers, residents, vendors, and property owners in one location. Automated workflows, AI-fueled thoughtful responses, centralized scheduling, and best-in-class communication drive positive, predictable, and profitable maintenance.
Ray Hespen is the CEO and co-founder of Property Meld, a maintenance automation software company. Ray and his co-founder, David Kingman, started Property Meld in 2014 to bring intelligent maintenance to the property management world.
Follow Property Meld on TwitterFollow Property Meld on LinkedInCheck out Property MeldCome to South Dakota for the annual Maintenance Summit, hosted by Property Meld - https://pmusersummit.com 

In this episode, I interview Zach Gorman, co-founder and COO of RealReports, an AI-powered real estate data platform that consolidates multiple data sources and provides agents with comprehensive reports. The platform offers agents the ability to generate new business, win deals, and conduct research and diligence more efficiently.
We discuss the challenges of fragmented and inaccessible data in the residential real estate industry. He shares his non-traditional path to real estate and the inspiration behind RealReports. We explore the value of technology in solving problems and creating efficiencies. We also get into more about the branding and marketing of RealReports, including RealReports' rebrand. 
Of course we couldn't finish the discussion without getting into broader trends of AI in real estate.
More about RealReportsReal estate data is fragmented, expensive, and time-consuming to access. This costs companies billions of dollars and makes rapid innovation in the industry nearly impossible. We are building an infinitely flexible data marketplace to serve as the infrastructural backbone for the entire real estate ecosystem.
Our flagship product is called a RealReport — an AI-powered "Carfax for homes," powered by data from 30+ best-in-class providers and Aiden, an AI copilot, which can answer any property question instantly. RealReports provide comprehensive property information for every home in the United States and empower real estate professionals to win more deals, generate leads, and build trust with their clients. 
Follow Zach on TwitterConnect with Zach on LinkedInFollow RealReports on TwitterCheck out RealReports