What I Learned This Past Week - 3.28.23
The moment of reckoning
This Week’s Musings
Things are coming fast and furious from the regulators this week, with Binance and Coinbase in the crosshairs. When this inquiry (and likely legal battle) finally settles, let’s hope we have the clarity the web3 industry has been looking for to unlock the pent-up innovation which has been sidelined.
On a different note, I was chatting with Homebase’s CEO Domingo Valadez before recording a podcast episode (look for this to drop in May) and the topic of the speed of change around AI came up. His belief was that in the near future (due to the incredible velocity of AI innovation) blockchain will be even more important to establish identity and verify truth/reality. The Pope agrees!
Founder Spotlight - March 2023
This week’s spotlight founder is Robinland’s co-founder & CEO, Scarlet Chen.
Describe Robinland in 10 words.
A bridge between web3 liquidity and real estate borrowing needs.What is Robinland’s mission or vision?
Using blockchain technology and tokenization, Robinland enables real estate developers to access cheap & fast liquidity from crypto, and Investors to access fixed passive income via real estate debt tokens.Name an innovative web3 or real estate company everyone should know about.
BalconyDAOWhat is a problem you believe web3 should solve?
For small organizations such as Homeowners Associations, blockchain technology can dramatically improve its organizational efficiency and management transparency. For example, homeowners should pay HOA dues on chain, vote to manage treasury and expenditure using a governance token, etc.What is your favorite real estate blog, newsletter, or podcast?
Tykes CommunityWho is a podcast guest you would like to appear on Proptech Espresso?
Founder of Tykes Community, Ryan Pineda
Scarlet will be appearing on an episode of the Proptech Espresso podcast which is dropping this Wednesday 3/29.
Informative Articles I Read
Who’s still buying real estate in the metaverse? (FastCompany) - I’m highly skeptical that the initial bidding price of $12.9M for Meta Residence One is going to be met.
How AI will change the way real estate information is consumed and shared (RealTrends) - This article for me really highlights the challenges facing real estate agents. With technology empowering the homebuyer more and more, where are the future value add positions for real estate agents to establish themselves?
Variant Founder Fellowship (Variant Fund) - Not real estate specific, but as an admirer of what Li Jin is building, if you are an early-stage web3 company make sure to check this out and see if it makes sense for you to participate.
Podcasts/Events/Webinars/etc. That I Listened To
Scarlet Chen of Robinland on Proptech Espresso? That’s right! Episode drops Wed 3/29. I learned so much from this conversation and can’t wait to share it with everyone.
Innovative Companies I Discovered
NerveFlux - A multi-chain ecosystem that allows everyone to invest in real estate properties without converting their cryptocurrencies to fiat.
Altra.House - Real estate tokenization platform.
LandOnEarth - AI-driven consumer property search service.
Togal.AI - An AI-powered platform that streamlines the planning process for construction projects
People You Need To Follow On LinkedIn
Thomas Ma - Founder & CEO of Real Messenger.
Web3/AI Announcements From Proptech Companies
MyeListing launches ASAP platform to transact Texas-based residential and commercial real estate with cryptocurrencies.
BHR launches Aiden - A self learning real estate AI from the amazing team at BHR!
Random But (un)Important Things I Stumbled On
The Coming Wave of Cram Downs (The Information) - Having flashbacks to the mid-2010s when I worked through the unpleasantness of a cram down round. Learned a lot, do not want to have to go through another.
Disney reportedly gives metaverse division the axe (Fox Business) - Is this another nail in the metaverse coffin?