Ben Borton is a Co-Founder of PodPlay Technologies, where he oversees go-to-market strategy and leads the Sales and Marketing teams. He also serves as Chief Strategy Officer and was the first external investor in PodPlay's parent company, PingPod Inc. Before joining PodPlay, Ben held several leadership roles in the finance and technology sectors, including as Head of Digital Fund Services at Figure Technologies, Partner at Mountaineer Partners, and Partner at MM Capital. Throughout his career, Ben has been a founder or partner in multiple investment management firms and an active technology angel investor.

(01:00) - Ben Borton & Podplay Technologies

(06:06) - PingPod, the autonomous sports venue

(09:50) - Real Estate opportunities with Podplay

(14:26) - Feature: Pacaso - Luxury vacation home ownership, elevated. Join Pacaso’s growth and become an investor of a venture-backed company at Pacaso.com/invest

(16:13) - Enhancing building & company culture with sports

(18:24) - Revenue sharing model with landlords

(19:40) - Podplay vs. Topgolf

(25:54) - Autonomous operating model

(28:28) - The rise & trends shaping third places

(34:48) - Feature: Blueprint - The Future of Real Estate 2025

(35:35) - Office-to-retail conversion opportunity

(41:17) - Inspiration from ServiceTitan's IPO

(47:16) - Collaboration Superpower: Charles Dickens (Wiki) & David Foster (ITTF)

💚 Learn more:
➡️ Visit PodPlay Technologies site
➡️ Ben Borton on LinkedIn

💚 Feature:
➡️ Pacaso - Join Pacaso’s growth - Become an investor of a venture-backed company at Pacaso.com/invest. Luxury vacation home ownership, elevated.

➡️ Blueprint - The Future of Real Estate - Register for 2025: The Premier Event for Industry Executives, Real Estate & Construction Tech Startups and VCs, at The Venetian, Las Vegas on September 16th-18th, 2025.

💚 Connect with Tangent:
➡️ Edward Cohen on LinkedIn
➡️ Jeff Berman on LinkedIn
➡️ Zach Aarons on LinkedIn
➡️ Tangent on LinkedIn

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.

Ross Piermarini is the co-founder of symmetRE, a Chicago-based proptech firm specializing in automating data aggregation and reporting for commercial real estate investors. Prior to founding symmetRE, Ross worked in the Leveraged Finance group at BMO Capital Markets, focusing on real estate clients. His firsthand experience with the challenges of manual data aggregation and reporting in the real estate sector motivated him to develop solutions that streamline these processes. Under Ross's leadership, symmetRE has launched an AI-enabled platform designed to eliminate the time-consuming aspects of data collection and analysis, allowing real estate professionals to concentrate on optimizing asset performance. Ross also shared his insights into the integration of AI in commercial real estate, and he discusses the necessity of adopting advanced technologies to enhance efficiency and decision-making in the sector.

(01:13) - Ross's & symmetrRE's origin

(04:42) - Challenges in Real Estate data management

(08:06) - symmetry's solutions & client success

(13:54) - Feature | Berkadia's BeEngaged - Connect with the team: Ecosystem of founders, industry professionals, and capital providers dedicated to redefining the Commercial Real Estate space.
(15:24) - Partnership with Berkadia's BeEngaged

(17:45) - symmetry's long-term vision

(22:48) - Marketing vs. product delivery in Proptech
(26:07) - Feature | Blueprint - The Future of Real Estate 2025

(26:55) - The Role of AI in Real Estate

(29:20) - Collaboration Superpower: Marc Benioff (Salesforce CEO)

💚 Learn more:
➡️ Visit symmetRE's site
➡️ Ross Piermarini on LinkedIn

💚 Feature:
➡️ Berkadia's BeEngaged - Connect with the team: Ecosystem of founders, industry professionals, and capital providers dedicated to redefining the commercial real estate space.

➡️ Blueprint - The Future of Real Estate - Register for 2025: The Premier Event for Industry Executives, Real Estate & Construction Tech Startups and VCs, at The Venetian, Las Vegas on September 16th-18th, 2025.

💚 Connect with Tangent:
➡️ Edward Cohen on LinkedIn
➡️ Jeff Berman on LinkedIn
➡️ Zach Aarons on LinkedIn
➡️ Tangent on LinkedIn

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.

Austin is CEO of Pacaso and co-founded the company with Spencer Rascoff (co-founder and former CEO of Zillow) to make the dream of second home ownership a reality for more people after experiencing the profound effect it had on his own life. Pacaso is Austin’s second startup. In 2009, he founded dotloop in his hometown of Cincinnati, a company that created software to seamlessly manage real estate transactions. Zillow acquired dotloop in 2015, and Austin continued to run dotloop as a Zillow executive until 2018. Austin started selling real estate at the age of 18 and worked in residential and commercial real estate for a decade.

(01:38) - Housing market update

(05:26) - Rise of fractional investing & ownership
(9:06) - Feature: Pacaso - Luxury vacation home ownership, elevated. Join Pacaso’s growth and become an investor of a venture-backed company at Pacaso.com/invest

(13:52) - Pacaso's Reg-A offering

(16:16) - Pacaso vs. timeshares vs. shares of Hotel companies

(21:38) - Property management & owner benefits

(26:27) - Community impact & housing affordability

(29:39) - Pacaso's Business Model
(35:22) - Feature: Blueprint - The Future of Real Estate 2025

(36:12) - Reg A investments, transparency & compliance

(53:41) - Collaboration Superpower: Steve Jobs

💚 Learn more:
➡️ Visit Pacaso's site
➡️ Austin Allison on LinkedIn

💚 Feature:
➡️ Pacaso - Luxury vacation home ownership, elevated. Join Pacaso’s growth and become an investor of a venture-backed company at Pacaso.com/invest

➡️ Blueprint - The Future of Real Estate - Register for 2025: The Premier Event for Industry Executives, Real Estate & Construction Tech Startups and VCs, at The Venetian, Las Vegas on September 16th-18th, 2025.

💚 Connect with Tangent:
➡️ Edward Cohen on LinkedIn
➡️ Jeff Berman on LinkedIn
➡️ Zach Aarons on LinkedIn
➡️ Tangent on LinkedIn

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.

Brandon Wright is the Co-founder and CEO of Tongo, the company he co-founded to help Real Estate agents address cash flow challenges by providing financial tools such as a commission line of credit and a payroll solution to help stabilize their incomes and automate savings. With a deep understanding of the challenges faced by agents and commission-based earners, Brandon has led Tongo in creating innovative solutions that provide liquidity and flexibility, empowering users to manage cash flow effectively. He began his career at Smith Barney in Seattle, Washington, working under renowned contrarian value investor Jamie Dimon, current CEO of JPMorgan Chase. He then ventured into entrepreneurship, starting a coffee shop in Seattle. Brandon then pursued an MBA at Cornell and joined private equity firm Vista Equity Partners, where he implemented best practices across their software portfolio. Leveraging his experience, he co-founded a company that used AI to build decision engines for lenders, ultimately transitioning into developing a buy now, pay later solution for e-commerce called Catapult.

(01:09) - Brandon's Journey in Financial Services

(06:28) - The Birth of Tongo

(07:48) - Challenges in the Real Estate Market

(11:09) - Tongo's Financial Solutions for Agents
(16:26) - Feature: Pacaso - Luxury vacation home ownership, elevated. Join Pacaso’s growth and become an investor of a venture-backed company at Pacaso.com/invest

(18:12) - Success Stories & Future Plans

(21:32) - Lowering risk with data availability & efficient distribution
(27:27) - Impact of NAR Lawsuit on Real Estate agents & investors
(35:07) - Feature: Blueprint - The Future of Real Estate 2025

(35:54) - NYC Housing Market & FARE Act
(40:43) - Collaboration Superpower: Jamie Dimon (Wiki)

💚 Learn more:
➡️ Visit Tongo's site
➡️ Brandon Wright on LinkedIn

💚 Feature:
➡️ Pacaso - Luxury vacation home ownership, elevated. Join Pacaso’s growth and become an investor of a venture-backed company at Pacaso.com/invest

➡️ Blueprint - The Future of Real Estate - Register for 2025: The Premier Event for Industry Executives, Real Estate & Construction Tech Startups and VCs, at The Venetian, Las Vegas on September 16th-18th, 2025.

💚 Connect with Tangent:
➡️ Edward Cohen on LinkedIn
➡️ Jeff Berman on LinkedIn
➡️ Zach Aarons on LinkedIn
➡️ Tangent on LinkedIn

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 Cooper is the President and CEO of Embue. After two decades in high tech, Robert decided to follow his passion and use his experience to help solve the climate crisis and improve people's lives. He decided to focus on Multifamily after recognizing the huge opportunity to simultaneously reduce carbon emissions, improve residents' health and comfort, and make the buildings' staff’s work easier across all Multifamily classes. Previously, Robert co-founded Ithaca & NYC based startup IDS after grad school. IDS sold mission critical software used by NYSE, Swiss Exchange, semiconductor plants and telecom providers and was acquired by Stratus Computer for 24X revenue. He also co-founded energy management company Coincident. Robert holds a PhD in computer science from Cambridge University and a MA in sustainability from Harvard University, as well as two patents.

(01:27) - Robert's background & journey to Embue

(02:05) - Innovations in Multifamily

(04:59) - Opportunities from Berkadia's BeEngaged program

(07:58) - Energy Efficiency & Operational Improvements

(11:13) - Smart Building Multifamily Solutions & Technology

(17:20) - Feature | Berkadia's BeEngaged - Learn more: Ecosystem of founders, industry professionals, and capital providers dedicated to redefining the Commercial Real Estate space.

(30:15) - Future of Decarbonization & Climate Tech
(34:03) - Feature: Blueprint - The Future of Real Estate 2025

(44:37) - Collaboration Superpower: Jigar Shah (Wiki)

💚 Learn more:
➡️ Visit Embue's site
➡️ Robert Cooper on LinkedIn
➡️ Bryce Nyberg on LinkedIn

💚 Feature:
➡️ Berkadia's BeEngaged - Learn more: Ecosystem of founders, industry professionals, and capital providers dedicated to redefining the commercial real estate space.

➡️ Blueprint - The Future of Real Estate - Register for 2025: The Premier Event for Industry Executives, Real Estate & Construction Tech Startups and VCs, at The Venetian, Las Vegas on September 16th-18th, 2025.

💚 Connect with Tangent:
➡️ Edward Cohen on LinkedIn
➡️ Jeff Berman on LinkedIn
➡️ Zach Aarons on LinkedIn
➡️ Tangent on LinkedIn

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.

Caren Maio is the CEO and co-founder of 100, a Proptech company tackling rental fraud for Multifamily owners and operators. A staggering 93% of operators have experienced fraud in the last 12 months, and Caren and the 100 team are on a mission to stop it. Prior to this role, she led Moved, and co-founded and led Funnel (previously Nestio), a leasing and marketing platform for Multifamily properties, where she served as CEO and President for 11 years. Under her leadership, Funnel was recognized as one of Entrepreneur Magazine's "Best Entrepreneurial Companies in America." Caren's expertise has earned her features in publications like The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, and Forbes. Caren is also a member of the Forbes Real Estate Council and, before her entrepreneurial ventures, she held sales and marketing positions at The Wall Street Journal and Nike.

(02:01) - Inman's Proptech Awards

(04:52) - Caren Maio's Journey to 100

(06:27) - Understanding Renter Fraud

(10:44) - Tech stack & Partnership with CLEAR
(14:41) - Feature: Pacaso - Luxury vacation home ownership, elevated. Join Pacaso’s growth and become an investor of a venture-backed company at Pacaso.com/invest

(17:22) - Business Model & Market Strategy

(21:53) - Unexpected Proptech Alliances

(22:52) - Proptech fundraising: challenges & advice for first-time founders
(34:04) - Feature: Blueprint - The Future of Real Estate 2025

(38:42) - Collaboration Superpower: Betty White

💚 Learn more:
➡️ Visit 100's site
➡️ Caren Maio on LinkedIn

💚 Feature:
➡️ Pacaso - Luxury vacation home ownership, elevated. Join Pacaso’s growth and become an investor of a venture-backed company at Pacaso.com/invest

➡️ Blueprint - The Future of Real Estate - Register for 2025: The Premier Event for Industry Executives, Real Estate & Construction Tech Startups and VCs, at The Venetian, Las Vegas on September 16th-18th, 2025.

💚 Connect with Tangent:
➡️ Edward Cohen on LinkedIn
➡️ Jeff Berman on LinkedIn
➡️ Zach Aarons on LinkedIn
➡️ Tangent on LinkedIn

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.

Dan Wenhold is an early stage investor in built world technology and Partner at Fifth Wall, where he co-leads the Real Estate Technology Investment team. Dan has led investments in innovative CRE tech companies like Fractional, Cottage and Neighbor.com. Prior to joining Fifth Wall, Dan was the first employee and Director of Retail at The Black Tux and a growth equity investor at Battery Ventures.

(01:46) - Dan's Journey to Fifth Wall
(03:19) - Evaluating PropTech Startups
(05:26) - The Role of AI & Interoperability in PropTech
(07:19) - Challenges and Opportunities in PropTech Investment
(17:31) - Feature: Pacaso - Luxury vacation home ownership, elevated. Be part of Pacaso’s growth as an early shareholder at Pacaso.com/invest
(20:15) - Impact of Trump & Republican Administration on Proptech
(30:00) - Spotlight on Neighbor.com & Self Storage
(33:55) - Spotlight on Cottage
(37:19) - Collaboration Superpower: Michael Jordan (Wiki) & Ion Țiriac (Wiki)

💚 Learn more:
➡️ Visit Fifth Wall's site
➡️ Dan Wenhold on LinkedIn

💚 Feature:
➡️ Pacaso - Luxury vacation home ownership, elevated. Be part of Pacaso’s growth as an early shareholder at Pacaso.com/invest

💚 Connect with Tangent:
➡️ Edward Cohen on LinkedIn
➡️ Jeff Berman on LinkedIn
➡️ Zach Aarons on LinkedIn
➡️ Tangent on LinkedIn

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.

Taylor Hou is the CEO and Chief Happiness Officer at APM Help, a company serving over 300,000 single family homes nationwide dedicated to professionalizing the single family property management industry by bringing clarity and efficiency for accounting and operations. A serial entrepreneur and tech investor, Taylor is passionate about applying lean startup principles to create process efficiencies in tech and startups. With a focus on streamlining products and services for an optimal user experience, Taylor thrives on improving systems and building better processes to make them more effective and impactful.

(00:56) - Taylor Hou's Background and Journey

(02:43) - Evolution of Property Management

(04:34) - Challenges in Property Management Roll-ups
(13:45) - Feature: Blueprint - The Future of Real Estate 2025

(14:35) - Institutional SFR's Impact on Housing

(18:46) - APM Help's business

(28:36) - Current Success & Future Innovations

(31:25) - Embedded Banking Opportunity

(34:23) - Unlocking Liquidity in Rental Housing

(42:34) The Future of Property Management Tech

(47:45) - Collaboration Superpower: Masayoshi Son (CEO of SoftBank, Wiki)

💚 Learn more:
➡️ Visit APM Help's site
➡️ Taylor Hou on LinkedIn

💚 Feature:
➡️ Blueprint - The Future of Real Estate - Register for 2025: The Premier Event for Industry Executives, Real Estate & Construction Tech Startups and VCs, at The Venetian, Las Vegas on September 16th-18th, 2025.

💚 Connect with Tangent:
➡️ Edward Cohen on LinkedIn
➡️ Jeff Berman on LinkedIn
➡️ Zach Aarons on LinkedIn
➡️ Tangent on LinkedIn

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.