What I Learned This Past Week 2.28.23
Time to evolve this newsletter
I’m sharing with whoever’s interested in what I learn as I try to remain clear-eyed about the opportunities for real estate and web3/AI.
Did I miss important news or a great article this week? In the likely event I did, please shoot me an email (mark@hurstx.com) and let me know!
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This Week’s Musings
I’m adding a new section to this week’s newsletter which I hope to make a regular monthly feature. Looking to deepen my understanding of the people and businesses driving real estate web3.
Founder Spotlight - February 2023
This week’s spotlight founder is BHR’s co-founder Zach Gorman. I’m especially thankful for Zach’s willingness to test out this new format with me.
Describe BHR in 10 words.
Protocol enabling access to all data about any residential property.What is BHR’s mission or vision?
Organizing the world’s real estate data and making it universally accessible.Name an innovative web3 or real estate company everyone should know about.
I love what the team at Homebase is building. Out of all the players working on fractionalized ownership, they’re incredibly thoughtful in their approach and have done the hard regulatory/compliance work to ensure durability.What is a problem you believe web3 should solve?
Medical records/healthcareWhat is your favorite real estate blog, newsletter, or podcast?
I like Zain Jaffer’s podcast, “The Proptech VC”Who is a podcast guest you would like to appear on Proptech Espresso?
Lauren Self of Roots Homes
Zach and his co-founder James Rogers will be appearing on an episode of the Proptech Espresso podcast which is dropping this Wednesday 3/1.
Informative Articles I Read
The machines are home: Will AI transform residential real estate tech? (TheRealDeal) - Solid, solid perspective on the hype around AI and the reality of AI success with real estate.
Republic Cancels $75 Million Metaverse Fund Following Crypto Collapse and SEC Guidance (BestStocks) - Surprised this has taken so long to happen. At this point, way too many headwinds for this fund to have any chance of success.
Author who coined the term 'metaverse' says AI-generated content is 'hollow and uninteresting' because people aren't 'communing with the creators' (Business Insider) - This is based on an FT article which I don’t have access to, but I’m a Neal Stephenson so I’ll take whatever I can get. I’m interested to see if the AI we are building and experiencing will impact the storylines of any of his future writing.
Podcasts/Events/Webinars/etc. That I Listened To
Meta Agent Live Class (Propy) - On March 8 learn how to navigate the virtual world of property ownership and develop the skills needed to find and sell virtual properties, attract more clients, and grow your business.
Did I mention Zach Gorman and James Rogers from BHR are appearing on the Proptech Espresso podcast this week? Certainly an episode not to be missed.
Innovative Companies I Discovered
Waltoe - AI assistant for real estate agents providing automated social postings, branded video content, local market updates, and lead generation.
LOANtuitive - Provide Jarvis, an AI assistant to help commercial brokers search for lenders, build a loan package, and create executive summaries.
People You Need To Follow On LinkedIn
Nathan Wosnack - Founder & CEO of Ubitquity
Web3/AI Announcements From Proptech Companies
Ubitquity introduces non-fungible title platform (TheTitleReport) - Cheering Ubitquity on because title is an obvious web3 use case. So much resistance from entrenched title companies that I don’t see them supporting this innovation.
Random But Important Things I Stumbled On
Collectible "cards" on blockchains (Axios) - I was a huge baseball card collector growing up so was really intrigued by Top Shots when I first learned about it. Part of the fun about collecting sports cards was always the simplicity of being able to exchange them. Top Shots killed this core part of the collecting experience, preventing it from gaining a wider fanbase.
Peloton’s Robin Arzón Is Building a Web3 Community Around Working Out (CoinDesk) - As a long time Peloton rider, I’m always interested to read about how the brand and its instructors are branching out. While this one isn’t my cup of tea, I can see if resonating with a particular crowd.