Tangent 💚 Proptech Edward Cohen, Jeff Berman & Zach Aarons

Salman Ahmad is the CEO and Co-founder of a16z-backed Mosaic, a construction technology company that builds software that makes homebuilding more scalable and efficient. Mosaic was founded in 2017 by Salman and Sep Kamvar, whom were two computer scientists working together at MIT and Stanford developing machine learning algorithms applied in the real world. Together, they developed a bold vision for the home building industry: construction as code. Mosaic uses their software themselves to manage construction on behalf of homebuilders, enabling them to build more homes. Salman has 20 technical publications and patents in the areas of software systems, programming languages, machine learning, human-computer interaction, and sensor hardware. He also worked with Microsoft developing virtualized datacenter solutions. 
(3:33) - Mosaic's & Salman's origin story(8:35) - Feature: Blueprint Vegas 2024 - Tangent listeners get a $300 discount at BlueprintVegas.com/Tangent(9:30) - Housing construction pain points(12:40) - Construction productivity issues(15:12) - Mosaic's business model (23:26) - Aligning Contech with VC timelines & incentives(30:37) - Mosaic's biggest challenges(35:26) - Macro & micro factors of construction labor shortage (43:19) - Collaboration Superpower: Christopher Alexander (Co-author of A Pattern Language)
💚 Learn more:➡️ Mosaic's site➡️ Salman Ahmad on LinkedIn
💚 Feature:➡️ Blueprint Vegas 2024 - Tangent listeners get a $300 discount at BlueprintVegas.com/Tangent
💚 Connect with Tangent:➡️ Edward Cohen on LinkedIn➡️ Edward Cohen on X➡️ Jeff Berman on LinkedIn➡️ Jeff Berman on X➡️ Zach Aarons on LinkedIn➡️ Tangent on LinkedIn➡️ Tangent on X
Disclaimer: Tangent podcast is for entertainment and informational purposes only, you should not construe any such information or other material as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advise. Nothing contained on our program constitutes a solicitation, recommendation, endorsement, or offer by Tangent, Camber Creek, MetaProp, or any third party guest to buy or sell any securities, public or private, other financial instruments or funds.

Eoin Matthews is the Co-founder at Point, a home equity investment company making home equity wealth accessible to homeowners without creating a monthly debt obligation. Homeowners get upfront funds from Point in return for a portion of your home’s future appreciation. Point recently announced an oversubscribed $141M securitization, which marked it's second rated securitization and third overall, with its collaboration with Atalaya Capital Management. Eoin previously served as the VP of Business Development at Rakuten and has an extensive background in education.
(2:20) - Point's & Eoin's origin story(5:43) - Potential HEI benefits for investors(9:20) - Point's securitizations strategy(11:42) - Capital stack evolution(14:17) - M&A activity in Housing tech companies(17:00) - Feature: Blueprint Vegas 2024(17:54) - State of the Housing Market(24:07) - Affordability of owning vs. renting a home(29:47) - Underwriting Proptech in the current rate environment(32:28) - Collaboration Superpower: Steve Wozniak (Apple Co-founder)
💚 Learn more:➡️ Point's site➡️ Eoin Matthews on LinkedIn
💚 Feature:➡️ Blueprint Vegas 2024 - Tangent listeners get a $300 discount at BlueprintVegas.com/Tangent
💚 Connect with Tangent:➡️ Edward Cohen on LinkedIn➡️ Edward Cohen on X➡️ Jeff Berman on LinkedIn➡️ Jeff Berman on X➡️ Zach Aarons on LinkedIn➡️ Tangent on LinkedIn➡️ Tangent on X
Disclaimer: Tangent podcast is for entertainment and informational purposes only, you should not construe any such information or other material as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advise. Nothing contained on our program constitutes a solicitation, recommendation, endorsement, or offer by Tangent, Camber Creek, MetaProp, or any third party guest to buy or sell any securities, public or private, other financial instruments or funds.

Lisa Rockefeller is the Chief Revenue Officer at Cortex Sustainability Intelligence, the decarbonization platform built for commercial real estate, where she's driving the go-to market strategy. Cortex's advanced AI helps CRE teams amplify operational effectiveness, make informed decisions about capital investments, and tactically address regulation risks. Lisa has spent over 15 years in the regulated and unregulated Climate Tech space, including at EnerNOC's, a leading provider of cloud-based energy intelligence software, and at Palmetto Solar.
(0:25) - Lisa's origin story(1:18) - Quantifying the real estate decarbonization problem(5:40) - Defining sustainability goals for CRE players(10:25) - Cortex's data stack(13:23) - Types of asset classes & building sizes working with Cortex(20:11) - Feature: Blueprint Vegas - The Future of Real Estate Is Here. Tangent listeners get a $300 discount at BlueprintVegas.com/Tangent(21:02) - Driving Cortex's adoption & estimating ROI(23:33) - Has Real Estate done enough to cut carbon emissions? (32:04) - Collaboration Superpower: Neil deGrasse Tyson (Wiki)
💚 Learn more:➡️ Cortex Sustainability Intelligence's site➡️ Lisa Rockefeller on LinkedIn
💚 Feature:➡️ Blueprint Vegas 2024 - Tangent listeners get a $300 discount at BlueprintVegas.com/Tangent💚 Connect with Tangent:➡️ Edward Cohen on LinkedIn➡️ Edward Cohen on X➡️ Jeff Berman on LinkedIn➡️ Jeff Berman on X➡️ Zach Aarons on LinkedIn➡️ Tangent on LinkedIn➡️ Tangent on X
Disclaimer: Tangent podcast is for entertainment and informational purposes only, you should not construe any such information or other material as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advise. Nothing contained on our program constitutes a solicitation, recommendation, endorsement, or offer by Tangent, Camber Creek, MetaProp, or any third party guest to buy or sell any securities, public or private, other financial instruments or funds.

Alon is the Founder and General Partner of RE Angels, a real estate technology angel fund solely composed of real estate experts with deep and diverse industry expertise focused on early stage startups. Alon also owns and manages several multifamily portfolios throughout the southeast (FL, NC & VA). Alon was the co-founder and managing partner of DTI Holdings, a vertically-integrated private equity real estate fund, which was established in early 2017 and successfully divested in 2021 - achieving 20% IRR. Previously, as a senior investment manager at MIO Partners, McKinsey & Company’s Investment Office. Prior to MIO Partners, Alon worked as a strategic consultant for McKinsey & Company, managing private equity client engagements.
(0:32) - RE Angels & Alon's origin story(2:27) - Is Real Estate slow to adopt tech(4:49) - Early-stage Proptech VC criteria(10:02) - Proptech VC challenges(13:25) - RE Angels investment criteria(17:49) - Feature: Housing Trust Silicon Valley(19:00) - RE Angels Real Estate Tech framework(25:00) - Driving behavioral change through innovation(30:24) - Feature: Blueprint Vegas - The Future of Real Estate Is Here. Tangent listeners get a $300 discount at BlueprintVegas.com/Tangent(31:16) - RE Angels PortCo's: Paraspot.AI (AI-powered inspections for real estate) & Waltz (Enabling foreign investors to invest in US Real Estate) (39:08) - Collaboration Superpower: Warren Buffett
💚 Learn more:➡️ RE Angels' site➡️ Alon Gorbonos on LinkedIn
💚 Feature:➡️ Blueprint Vegas 2024 - Tangent listeners get a $300 discount at BlueprintVegas.com/Tangent ➡️ Housing Trust Silicon Valley's site - Housing finance & public-private partnerships to create more equitable & affordable communities.
💚 Connect with Tangent:➡️ Edward Cohen on LinkedIn➡️ Edward Cohen on X➡️ Jeff Berman on LinkedIn➡️ Jeff Berman on X➡️ Zach Aarons on LinkedIn➡️ Tangent on LinkedIn➡️ Tangent on X
Disclaimer: Tangent podcast is for entertainment and informational purposes only, you should not construe any such information or other material as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advise. Nothing contained on our program constitutes a solicitation, recommendation, endorsement, or offer by Tangent, Camber Creek, MetaProp, or any third party guest to buy or sell any securities, public or private, other financial instruments or funds.

Christelle Rohaut is the Founder and CEO of Codi (backed by a16z), where she's building the walk-to-work revolution. Codi offers turnkey, private office spaces with the most flexible terms on the market. In a matter of days, any company can find a space for their team, with full and part-time options, outsourced office management, and flexible leases. Codi has also created a Relief Fund to help businesses impacted by WeWork's struggles. Christelle is an Urban Planner who aspires to achieve positive social and natural impacts for happier livelihoods. She seeks to innovatively rethink urban systems to help cities be a happier place for all.
(2:11) - State of Office market(13:58) - Feature: Housing Trust Silicon Valley(15:10) - What's wrong with traditional Coworking(21:43) - Types of buildings partnering with Codi(23:56) - Codi's WeWon't marketing campaign(29:34) - Collaboration Superpower: Brian Chesky (Airbnb CEO & Co-founder) & Conchita Martinez (Spanish tennis champion & coach)
💚 Learn more:➡️ Codi's site➡️ Christelle Rohaut on LinkedIn
💚 Feature:➡️ Housing Trust Silicon Valley's site - Housing finance & public-private partnerships to create more equitable & affordable communities.
💚 Connect with Tangent:➡️ Edward Cohen on LinkedIn➡️ Edward Cohen on X➡️ Jeff Berman on LinkedIn➡️ Jeff Berman on X➡️ Zach Aarons on LinkedIn➡️ Tangent on LinkedIn➡️ Tangent on X
Disclaimer: Tangent podcast is for entertainment and informational purposes only, you should not construe any such information or other material as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advise. Nothing contained on our program constitutes a solicitation, recommendation, endorsement, or offer by Tangent, Camber Creek, MetaProp, or any third party guest to buy or sell any securities, public or private, other financial instruments or funds.

Robert McDonald is the Managing Partner at Cherry Lawn Capital, on a mission to provide businesses with the real estate capital necessary to scale and the operational capital needed for a successful next venture round. Robert joins Edward, Jeff and Zach to also discuss lessons and takeaways from the previous Proptech boom cycle, and how should founders and investors think about structuring, financing and scaling tech-enabled and data-driven Real Estate business in the post-ZIRP era. (1:19) - State of Proptech VC(9:56) - Proptech finance incentives (14:24) - Feature: Housing Trust Silicon Valley(15:36) - Cherry Lawn Capital's & Robert McDonald's origin story(20:04) - Cherry Lawn solution(31:38) - 'The Great Transition' for Proptech valuations(36:01) - Collaboration Superpower: David F. Swensen's wiki & Paul Annacone's wiki
💚 Learn more:➡️ Cherry Lawn Capital's site➡️ Robert McDonald on LinkedIn
💚 Feature:➡️ Housing Trust Silicon Valley's site - Housing finance & public-private partnerships to create more equitable & affordable communities.
💚 Connect with Tangent:➡️ Edward Cohen on LinkedIn➡️ Edward Cohen on X➡️ Jeff Berman on LinkedIn➡️ Jeff Berman on X➡️ Zach Aarons on LinkedIn➡️ Tangent on LinkedIn➡️ Tangent on X
Disclaimer: Tangent podcast is for entertainment and informational purposes only, you should not construe any such information or other material as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advise. Nothing contained on our program constitutes a solicitation, recommendation, endorsement, or offer by Tangent, Camber Creek, MetaProp, or any third party guest to buy or sell any securities, public or private, other financial instruments or funds.