AI is absolutely disrupting SaaS, but I believe it is far more disruptive to how software companies create, price and defend value than to the underlying need for software itself. It’s forcing companies to rethink what software is worth, how customers should pay for it and what makes a product difficult to replace.

Proptech is no exception. Property management is a complex, highly interconnected business where software has to do more than perform isolated tasks. As AI makes individual features easier to replicate and automates more of the work once performed by people, the most successful SaaS companies will be the ones that deliver measurable value, solve broader workflows, maintain trusted customer relationships and become deeply embedded in how businesses operate.

After almost two decades spent building property management software, I’ve seen firsthand how these dynamics play out. Here are four shifts I believe will shape the next generation of proptech.

From seats to outcomes

For decades, the “seat” has been the unit of value in SaaS. If a company had 1,000 employees using a platform, the SaaS vendor sold 1,000 licenses. But AI is challenging per-seat pricing as a measure of value. If one AI agent can perform the work of 10 customer service representatives, charging per seat can actually penalize SaaS companies for making its customers more efficient, effectively engineering their own revenue decline. 

This is driving a shift toward usage- and outcome-based pricing. Companies like Intercom and Zendesk now charge for automated resolutions rather than just per human login. And that shift is likely to continue into proptech. If software enables one property manager to efficiently oversee 500 units instead of 250, the value isn’t that more employees are using the platform. It’s the additional units managed, transactions processed, payments collected and administrative work eliminated.

I’ve seen this firsthand at my property management software company. We’ve never charged customers per user or per seat, so a property management company can add employees without seeing its software bill increase simply because more people need access. A customer might be an independent landlord or a property management firm with 50 employees, but what matters isn’t how many people log in—it’s the work they’re able to accomplish. 

From point solution to platform

In the pre-AI era, a SaaS company could build a multi-million-dollar business around a point solution: one tool that did one specific thing exceptionally well, like transcribing meetings or formatting documents. Generative AI is making many of these features increasingly commoditized. If a generic AI tool can replicate a software’s core functionality with a single prompt, that functionality is no longer much of a moat.  

For proptech, that means the opportunity is shifting from solving one pain point to owning the broader workflow. For example, an AI tool that generates a property listing is easier to replace than a platform that manages the entire process from listing and tenant screening to leasing and rent collection. The more deeply software is embedded in a customer’s day-to-day operations, the harder it is to replace with a standalone alternative. 

From automation to human expertise

As routine interactions become increasingly automated, knowledgeable human support becomes more valuable—not less. AI can handle basic queries, but companies, including mine, are doubling down on high-touch, real-life customer service. In an era where customers can get instant answers from a chatbot, having direct access to a real person who understands their business, can navigate complex problems and take ownership of the solution becomes a premium differentiator—one that builds trust and loyalty in ways AI cannot replicate.

This is especially true in proptech, where software touches high-stakes decisions involving people’s homes, investments and livelihoods. We consistently hear from customers that having direct access to a knowledgeable human who cares about their problem and knows how to help them navigate the software is one of the reasons they stay with us for the long haul. 

From software to infrastructure

The most successful SaaS companies are becoming the connective tissue of their sectors—connecting with the other systems their customers rely on to become infrastructure, not simply software tools. When a platform is the bridge between a company’s finances, supply chain and regulatory compliance, it becomes embedded in the business and far too sticky to swap out for a newer, AI-only alternative.

At my company, we’ve seen property managers start using software for one task, but over time it becomes the place where they manage their properties, communicate with tenants, collect rent, manage maintenance and run their business. At that point, replacing the software isn’t a matter of swapping out one feature for another—it means disrupting an entire operating system the business has built around. That level of integration and familiarity is difficult for a standalone AI tool to replicate.

The “SaaS-pocalypse” may change the proptech landscape, but if you ask me, it won’t eliminate the need for proptech. Property management will always require systems that can handle complex workflows, connect critical data, protect sensitive information and support the people running the business. 

AI will change what software can do. The opportunity for proptech is to use that technology to make the entire business of managing properties more efficient, connected and human.

The post AI Won’t Kill PropTech, But It Is Changing The Business Model appeared first on GeekEstate Blog.

Terran Robotics builds AI-driven, cable-driven robots that construct code-compliant homes out of adobe — a clay, aggregate, and straw composite mixed on-site from excavated subsoil. After standard site prep and foundation work, a two-person crew can set up Terran’s robot in a single day to work a space as large as a football field. The robot then autonomously picks and places 10-lb increments of adobe mix, sculpting and tamping each layer with an impulse hammer that uses computer vision and vibration feedback to hit structural precision without manual intervention. Walls are built to IRC Appendix U (Cob Construction), and the system runs around the clock, using reinforcement learning to get faster with every build.

The pitch to builders: solid monolithic walls that replace framing, insulation, siding, and drywall in one system, cut electrician labor roughly in half thanks to a top-plate system for mechanical rough-ins, and finish in nearly any style — drywall, plaster, stucco, or polished concrete. Terran points to homes that are quieter, fireproof, mold-resistant, and roughly 80% lower in embodied carbon than conventional construction, aimed at closing a housing gap driven by labor shortages, rising material costs, and stalled construction productivity.

What we like: Terran isn’t just automating stick-frame construction — it’s using robotics to make a centuries-proven building method (adobe) commercially viable at scale, turning free, local material into a cost and durability advantage.

Learn More

The post Turning Dirt into Homes with Autonomous Adobe Robots appeared first on GeekEstate Blog.

Quick background. Most people think MapQuest died around 2008. It didn’t. We quietly run a profitable business with three segments:

1. MapQuest Consumer, which regularly sees 40M+ visits monthly and makes money selling ads and sponsorships.
2. MapQuest Platform, which earns recurring revenue by licensing APIs similar to Mapbox and Google Maps.
3. RoadWarrior, which is a truck-safe routing app used by over 60k professional drivers. Until two weeks ago the MapQuest mobile app was ranked somewhere around No. 128 in the App Store.

Then on August 27, an executive order renamed Lake Ontario to “Lake America” as part of the trade tensions with Canada. Google Maps changed the name. Then Apple Maps changed the name. MapQuest immediately posted a screenshot of our map on X saying “We’re not changing it.”

That was it. No press release, no statement of values. Just one post (or, two).

Here is what happened next:

• The app went from No. 128 to No. 3 in four days, then hit No. 1 overall on the US App Store, ahead of every app in the country including ChatGPT, which was the previous app store king. We also hit #1 in the navigation category dethroning Google Maps for about a week.
• We clearly struck a chord with the general public as we have seen 3M downloads of our mobile app in 10 days.
• Two weeks into this story and the app is still #2 in the navigation category behind only Google Maps, which shows the stickiness of navigation apps. It also shows how dominant Google’s position really is.
• Daily usage has spiked and continues to be many multiples higher than our baseline. Users are providing plenty of feedback and we are responding quickly. For example, transit routing is being added as I type.
• The story was picked up by media outlets far and wide including TechCrunch, Fox Business, The NYTimes, and many more. Our GM, Doug Berger, even wound up on CNN for a live interview with Erin Burnett. Was not on our bingo card for 2026!

The team kept the ball rolling. They shipped a tool that lets anyone rename the lake whatever they want and share the screenshot. You can find it here: gulfof.mapquest.com/lakeontario. The internet did what the internet does. A few days later we announced Android Auto support to keep new users around (CarPlay was already live).

Some takeaways:

Conviction is free. MapQuest didn’t outspend anyone. We made a decision the big guys wouldn’t make and said it plainly. The earned media from that one post would have cost millions to buy.
Speed matters more than polish. The executive order dropped on a Wednesday. The response was up almost immediately (because we learned from our experience last time this happened with the Gulf of Mexico), and the rename tool shipped while the story was still hot. These windows last days, not weeks or quarters so moving quickly matters.

Old brands have dormant goodwill. Half the reaction online was people delighted that MapQuest still exists. Thirty years of “remember printing out directions?” nostalgia turned out to be an asset waiting for a reason to activate.

Convert the spike or lose it. Attention fades fast. Adding Android Auto and new features within days was the difference between a viral moment and actual staying power for our mobile app.

Know your risk math. The standard advice is stay out of politics, and it’s usually right. But the calculus is different depending on where your company sits in the ecosystem. Compared to Google, we had nothing to lose.

Hire a good socials person. A few months ago, we hired someone to run our socials. That person got more than they bargained for! They have been working around the clock to keep the conversation fresh on all the channels. This single hire has paid off in spades. And perhaps keep a PR person on retainer in case your GM ends up on CNN.

The first 10 years of MapQuest were a rocket ship, with acquisitions by AOL and then Verizon. Honestly, the next 20, not so much. Now, as we wrap up year 30, all three lines of business are growing, and for the first time in two decades the narrative is moving our way. We plan to keep it that way.

PS: If you want a good laugh, a comedian recently did a segment explaining MapQuest to young people.
Check it out here.

The post How MapQuest Became the No. 1 App in America. Yes, That MapQuest. appeared first on GeekEstate Blog.

I’m dating myself here, but there was a time when going to the movies felt relatively simple.

In the 1980s, the number of movies competing for our attention was a fraction of what we have access to today. You went to the theater, or you walked the aisles of Blockbuster. There were fewer choices, and because there were fewer choices, the good stuff had a way of finding you.

Then came cable. DVDs. On-demand. Streaming.

Today, we have access to more movies, television shows, documentaries and original programming than we could possibly consume in a lifetime.

And strangely, many of us still spend 20 minutes scrolling through Netflix saying:

“There’s nothing to watch.”

Of course, there is plenty to watch. There’s too much to watch.

That distinction matters.

And I think we’re about to experience the exact same phenomenon with business content because of artificial intelligence.

We Have Solved the Blank Page

AI has dramatically reduced the friction involved in creating content.

Need a blog post? Done.

A sales email? Here you go.

A presentation? Click, click. Bang, bang.

A LinkedIn post about leadership, complete with a compelling opening, three lessons and an inspirational conclusion?

You can probably have twelve of them before your coffee gets cold.

That is extraordinary.

It is also creating an entirely different problem.

When everyone can create content, creating content is no longer particularly valuable.

Finding something worth reading is.

We are moving from an era of content scarcity to an era of content abundance and perhaps eventually content overload.

It reminds me a lot of what happened to movies.

Streaming didn’t make great movies disappear. It buried them beneath an enormous amount of everything else.

AI isn’t going to eliminate great thinking.

It is going to surround great thinking with an almost infinite amount of perfectly acceptable thinking.

And that may be the bigger challenge.

We’re Digging for Gold

The question increasingly won’t be, “Is this well written?”

AI can write well.

It can organize an argument, fix grammar, develop a narrative, summarize research and make mediocre ideas sound surprisingly sophisticated.

The more interesting question will be:

Is there anything here?

Is there an actual idea?

An experience?

A point of view?

Did someone learn something the hard way and decide to share it?

Did someone take a position that might make another person uncomfortable?

Did someone change their mind?

Did someone take time to be creative and connect with their audience?

Those are the nuggets we’re going to start digging for.

The human moments.

Perfect May Become a Warning Sign

There is another strange consequence to all of this.

For most of our professional lives, we’ve tried to make communication more polished.

Better grammar. Cleaner presentations. Tighter messaging. Perfectly constructed sentences.

AI can now provide all of that almost instantaneously.

Which means imperfection may actually become more interesting.

A strange turn of phrase.

A story that doesn’t fit neatly into five bullet points.

An opinion that isn’t perfectly balanced.

Humor that’s a little weird.

A personal experience that can’t be recreated simply by asking a model to “make this more insightful.”

These things have texture.

And texture is difficult to manufacture.

I don’t think the answer is to reject AI. Quite the opposite. I use it. Most businesses will use it. It is rapidly becoming another tool in the professional toolbox.

But there is an enormous difference between using AI to help communicate your thinking and asking AI to do your thinking for you.

One amplifies the human.

The other removes the human.

The New Scarcity

For years, companies competed on access to information.

Then information became ubiquitous.

We competed on the ability to create content.

Now content creation is becoming ubiquitous too.

So what becomes scarce?

Judgment.

Experience.

Curiosity.

Taste.

Perspective.

And perhaps most importantly, authenticity.

The person who has actually sat across the table from a struggling business owner has something AI doesn’t.

The salesperson who has lost the deal.

The entrepreneur who has missed payroll.

The executive who made the wrong hire.

The leader who had to tell a team something they desperately didn’t want to hear.

The person who changed their mind because reality proved them wrong.

Those experiences create something that can’t simply be prompted into existence.

Perspective.

Maybe the Future Is More Human, Not Less

There’s an understandable fear that AI will make business communication less human.

It certainly can.

But I wonder whether the opposite might ultimately happen.

When polished content becomes virtually unlimited, perhaps we’ll become much better at recognizing and valuing the things that are not.

The unexpected observation.

The uncomfortable admission.

The story without a perfect ending.

The idea that clearly came from someone who has actually been there.

Streaming gave us nearly unlimited entertainment, but it also turned discovery into part of the experience. We search, we ask friends, we read reviews, and every once in a while, we stumble across something genuinely great.

AI may do something similar to ideas.

There will be more content than ever before.

More articles.

More posts.

More presentations.

More “thought leadership.”

More perfectly written words competing for a finite amount of human attention.

Which means the opportunity isn’t simply to create more.

It’s to create something worth finding.

Because in a world overflowing with artificial content, the rarest and potentially most valuable thing in the room may simply be a genuinely human thought.

The post When Content Becomes Infinite, Humanity Becomes Scarce appeared first on GeekEstate Blog.

In part 1, we shared earnings summaries and links to the full articles for each of the the ten companies we deem as the most important players in the broader category. This part 2 is the wrap-up that includes a table covering the performance of the 26 companies in the GEM Proptech Index.

The 26 companies covered in the table below represent a combined market cap of $267.479B (as of August 12, 2026). Since Q1’s report (May 15, 2026), the GEM Proptech Index is up 22.89% sequentially and 4.62% YoY. (For comparison, Q1 FY26’s report covered 25 companies with a combined market cap of $217.661B, while last year’s Q2 report covered companies with a combined market cap of $255.672B.)

The “Core 4”, Airbnb, CoStar, Zillow, and Rocket, still represent nearly two thirds of the total index value (64.76%, or $173.216B), increasing 108 bps from Q1 (63.68%) and decreasing 106 bps YoY from Q2 2025 (65.82%).

Full chart & takeaways are below over on our Crystal newsletter…

Full Chart & Takeaways

The post Q2 2026 Proptech Earnings Radar appeared first on GeekEstate Blog.

As a friend of GEM you can save $300 on the current registration price for an All-Access pass.

The complete agenda features 250+ speakers across 100+ sessions covering key topics and themes in real estate and construction.

All-access pass also includes:

• Access to the Private Network & App where you can connect, request, and schedule 1:1 meetings with 3,000+ peers before you even arrive. View all companies attending
• Entry to the Expo Hall and multiple networking receptions.
• Breakfasts and lunches designed to foster meaningful peer connections throughout the day.

REGISTER NOW AND SAVE

The post Blueprint 2026 is Almost Here appeared first on GeekEstate Blog.

• Big Stage Visibility: Pitch live at NAR NXT—one of the industry’s largest events—before peers, investors, and leaders.
• Fast Impact: Four minute pitch + rapid-fire Q&A = high-energy feedback and instant visibility.
• Serious Prizes: Win $15,000, media spotlight, and direct investor access.
• Powerful Connections: Gain coaching and public pitch exposure that opens real doors.
• Innovation Leadership: Align with NAR’s Tech & Innovation community—be part of what’s next!

Applications close September 18, 2026…

Apply Now

The post 2026 NAR Tech & Innovation Pitch Battle — Apply Now appeared first on GeekEstate Blog.

The REACH Commercial program, backed by the National Association of Realtors and Second Century Ventures, announced the eight companies selected for its 2026 Commercial Scale-Up program:

• CenterCheck: store-level sales monitoring that gives retailers and shopping centers accurate sales reporting, shopper demographics, and transaction journey insights for their physical locations.
• Embue: AI-powered control and sensing that cuts apartment buildings’ utility costs by 25% within the first hour of use, giving owners immediate, measurable savings without any hardware overhaul.
• HelloPackage: AI-powered package management system for multifamily and student-housing communities —computer vision, driver coordination, and hands-on service—so leasing teams stay focused on leasing, not packages.
• Parkquility: a license plate registration based parking management platform that maximizes net operating income for property owners while delivering a seamless, frictionless experience for drivers and visitors.
• RentFlow: the first platform to align commercial rent with business tenant cash flow, keeping property owners paid on time while turning rent-payment and cash flow data into real-time asset intelligence.
• Shortlyst: the sourcing engine for short-term retail activations, connecting property owners with vetted, activation-ready brands to fill vacant space, generate revenue, and drive foot traffic.
• SKLUT: a mobile-first facial recognition access platform networking commercial, residential, and event venues across New York City into one system, enabling seamless entry and exit from a single mobile device.
• SnapRefund: gives insurers and insurance agents payment automation that streamlines refunds and improves operational efficiency across their claims and billing workflows.

Congratulations to the companies selected!

The post 2026 REACH Commercial Scale-Up Cohort Announced appeared first on GeekEstate Blog.

I speak to hyper-dimensional entities across the astral plane, working on all aspects of real estate. And I’ll say what the hive-mind is thinking: Drew Meyers is looking at the housing market through the painfully boring lens of a three-dimensional mortal.

After twenty centuries in the trenches of the space-time continuum, I am at an all-time high of excitement for residential real estate. You’re telling me you’re jaded because of lawsuits, Compass acquisitions, and CoStar drama? Drew, my brother in escrow, the lawsuits are the real estate now.

You claim innovation is at a standstill because you’re looking for it in the physical world. You’re complaining about “another lead gen funnel” while completely missing the fact that residential real estate has transcended the need for actual houses.

Let’s dismantle this tragic lack of imagination.

The New Playbook: Defensible, Insane, and Hungry

You claim the residential playbook is just discount brokerages and marginal AI workflow improvements. That’s adorable. While you were weeping over the 4 million annual transaction slump, the real visionaries were building startups that make the Zestimate look like a caveman’s finger-painting.

Here is what is actually happening while you stare longingly at 3D-printed concrete:

• Zillow Gaslight: We moved past the Zestimate. Now, the algorithm doesn’t tell you what your house is worth; it actively tries to convince you that you don’t even live there. It sends push notifications like, “Are you sure this is your kitchen? We have no record of you owning a kitchen.” It builds character. It drives engagement.
• Bio-Organic Mortgages: You think WealthFront launching home loans is a “not-a-nothing-burger”? Snooze. I’m backing a Y-Combinator stealth startup called FleshPad. They aren’t building homes; they are growing them from synthetic stem cells. You don’t pay a mortgage; you feed your living room a steady diet of krill and vitamin paste. If you miss a payment, the walls literally swallow your furniture. Try getting a car repo agency to do that.

• Pre-crime Eviction AI: You wanted an AI-empowered visualization that understands a house’s bones? We built an AI that understands your bones. MinorityReport.io monitors your neural pathways and evicts you three weeks before you even decide to miss a rent payment.

Proptech vs. Godtech

You spent a whole paragraph drooling over construction microfactories, lunar power grids, and Artemis II space tourism. Space? Space is for cowards who are afraid of the Earth’s mantle.

The “Stuck” Consumer is a Myth

You mentioned consumers have “never felt more negative” due to economic strain, bankruptcies, and job losses. Drew, this isn’t an economic crisis; it’s a lifestyle pivot.

We are currently launching a platform called Squatterr—an Airbnb clone, but instead of renting a cute A-frame in Tahoe, you pay $400 a night to hide in the crawlspace of an active, bustling family in the suburbs. It’s immersive. It’s hyper-local. It’s currently in beta in Austin and the metrics are off the charts.

You want future category kings to rethink “curated search”? How about Predatory Search? We are launching a Zillow plug-in where the houses hunt the buyers. If you look at a listing more than three times, the house physically uproots its foundation, walks to your current apartment, and demands a 20% down payment.

Think Bigger (And Weirder)

You told founders to “think bigger (long-term)” and “go extremely niche (short-term).” I say: abandon reality completely.

The bar isn’t just “building something useful or better.” The bar is building something that makes the SEC question if you are a warlock. We don’t need another control layer for AI-powered operational infrastructure. We need a startup that figures out how to securitize the concept of a “cozy Sunday morning” and sell it to hedge funds.

So dry your tears, Drew. Stop worrying about who owns the listing data. Soon, the houses will gain full sentience, unionize, and list themselves on the blockchain. And when they do, you’re going to wish you were paying attention to the residential sector.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a 2:00 PM pitch meeting with a guy who tokenized his own haunted basement.

Reminder: Read the original, true version, over on Crystal: Residential Real Estate Feels Stuck. Or if you’re a founder or exec in GEM, you can read the original article here.

The post Residential Real Estate is Alive, Sentient, and Deeply Offended appeared first on GeekEstate Blog.

The world moves fast. Some times, the next opportunity shows up before you’ve figured out what you actually want. When that happens, the question about who you’re building toward and what you want the next chapter to actually look like — gets skipped. The other extreme – some founders simply sit in the silence.

I’ve watched it happen to dozens of founders. Smart people, meaningful exits, no one to sit with the real question in a room that’s actually designed for it.

So we built the room.

August 30 – September 1, Drew Meyers and I are running the first GEM Peer Passage Colorado Retreat at the Colorado Chautauqua in Boulder — a National Historic Landmark at the base of the Flatirons that has been gathering people for reflection and learning since 1898.

Three days. Eight founders. Guided sessions, outdoor experiences, and honest conversations with people who are navigating the same terrain.

This is not a conference. It is not a speaker series. It is time away from the noise, in the right room, with the right people — to finally answer the question you’ve been carrying.

If you’re post-exit, mid-transition, or sensing that the next chapter needs to look different from the ones that came before it — this is what this retreat is for.

If this is for you, we’d love to hear from you!

The post Combatting the Silence and Disorientation After the Exit appeared first on GeekEstate Blog.