In 2019, we marked significant historical milestones in our journey to automate the real estate transaction. Besides that, Propy’s technology processed breakthrough transactions in San Francisco, Japan and later in many states of the US, we managed to additionally build an unspeakable solution for brokerages and get NAR’s and many industry leaders’ support. This wouldn’t have been possible without our Top Tech Pioneers involved with Propy. Their leadership and savvy expertise propelled our growth tremendously. We can’t thank them enough!
Here are the Tech Pioneers of 2019.
Michael Arrington
Founder, TechCrunch | Twitter
Michael Arrington, the founder of beloved Techcrunch and advisor to Propy, made history again in real estate and blockchain. He is an early investor not only in Uber and Airbnb, but also in real estate moguls like Redfin, Opendoor, and Propy. He, in fact, did the first real estate transaction on blockchain in the world in 2017. Why does it matter? A smart contract for the first time ever replaced an escrow function for high-value assets.
But this time we want to thank him for another historical transaction. In 2019 when he sold a $1,6 million house using Propy’s platform for online closing. The transaction went very smoothly with the support from an agent from Compass and Chicago Title. The price of the property was the same as when Michael acquired it via his venture fund CrunchFund in 2015. Michael had a funny comment: “I am probably the only person that loses money on real estate in Silicon Valley, luckily I am very good at investing in proptech startups”. He also added:
With Propy you sell or buy a house entirely online. Very easy and secure. I saw the need for traditional realtors for my transaction, but I want them to close deals quickly and online. This is what the millennials and Gen Z will demand.
– Michael Arrington
Michael, it was our privilege to serve you, and it would be our pleasure to continue serving you. Thank you for your continuous support!
Suzy Truax
Board of Directors, EXP Realty | Twitter
Suzy Truax, the board of directors at EXP Realty in 2019, is one of our distinguished instructors for our Crypto Certified Course for Agents and since recently our advisor. At Propy she helped with some key strategic relationships, participated in many of our events as a guest and a speaker. Her industry expertise not only in real estate but also in emerging technologies like blockchain has helped thousands of agents advance their skills and gain a competitive edge.
Propy is a game-changer for tech-driven brokerages. Nobody succeeded to execute what they have done with smart contracts.
– Suzy Truax
Thank you, Suzy, for leading and inspiring numerous savvy agents and brokers!
Dave Garland
Managing Partner, Second Century Ventures | Linkedin
The NAR believed in our vision to automate real estate transactions and enhance cybersecurity in the space by investing in Propy through its’ Reach program. This wouldn’t have happened without the expertise and advisory of Dave Garland from Second Century Ventures. Dave serves as a technology advisor to RE/Max and has been a real estate developer for many years just like Propy’s founder; now in a VC capacity he helps proptech companies grow exponentially. Dave mentored our founder, Natalia Karayaneva, alongside the mentors from the Reach program in 2019. Thank you for inspiring Propy to think even bigger! There’s an opportunity Propy to become a global marketplace and go even beyond real estate and become an Amazon for any high-value asset.
Thank you, Dave, for your trust and confidence. It is our pleasure to work with you!
Rick Teed
Founder, Compass | Linkedin
As the Founding Partner of Compass, Rick Teed has always been looking for the next big thing in real estate. He is a top agent in San Francisco and supervised numerous deals for tech entrepreneurs. In 2019 he made a historical transaction – one of the first ones in San Francisco – for Michael Arrington. He was inspired by Propy’s mission to automate real estate transactions.
Buyers spend only 15 min on the platform to close the deal online. And I save time by having a title company sending everything to my clients via the platform. Propy is the future for real estate!
– Rick Teed
Thank you, Rick, for entrusting and sharing the same vision as us!
Jennifer Berman
Partner, Berman & Pollinger | Linkedin
She is one of the most powerful women in real estate, with an inspiring story that motivates many. In 2019, she started the show “Listing Impossible”, which is becoming a hit on CNBC and Bravo. Also in 2019, we were very lucky that she accepted our invitation to help Propy. Genius marketing tactics, valuable connections that are transforming the trajectory of Propy is the result of this friendship. We have yet to announce many things together!
There are a couple of things you hear nonstop in early 2020 in real estate: iBuyers, The Listing Impossible, and Propy! Remember these days (or these words), the real estate industry won’t be the same.
– Jennifer Berman
Thank you, Jen, and we wish you 2020 to be unbelievable for you!
Hideaki Honma
CEO, Escrow Agent Japan | Website
Mr. Honma is one of the most influential real estate moguls in Japan and very well known in the proptech community in the US. He brought many innovations to Japan and he founded a company in real estate and brought it public. In 2019 Mr. Honma established a partnership with Propy, helped the company with brand recognition in Asia and localized the platform for Japanese investors.
Propy is a true Silicon Valley innovator, building some very unique infrastructure for future real estate transactions. They have the strongest technological competitive advantage amongst any other proptech company.
– Mr. Honma
Thank you, Mr. Honma, for your trust and collaboration.
These are the true innovators that made a big change for Propy in 2019.
As Steve Jobs once said: “To turn really interesting ideas and fledgling technologies into a company that can continue to innovate for years, it requires a lot of discipline”.
Discipline and hours of hard work were dedicated by these pioneers, helped for the impressive record of achievement at Propy. And it means the world for us. All startups and innovators need their inspiring champions – early adopters, who pave the way towards a change. Thus we celebrate these pioneers’ efforts! In the next couple of weeks to find out who are the 2020 Propy Ambassadors!
