Weekly Radar

A collection of 146 posts

Weekly Radar

Weekly Radar #378: AI-led venture firm, historian + analyst payday, Proptech Index increase of 5.36%

In this Weekly Radar, we cover: * The Acquired podcast is generating roughly $2.5M per episode. That's what happens when you get millions of people to give something multiple hours of continuous attention (3-5 hour episodes). * AI-super connector Boardy decided to start a venture fund. * The

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Weekly Radar

Weekly Radar #377: Proptech Earnings, airport for aerial economy, dilution percentages, Proptech Index down 2.96%

In this Weekly Radar, we cover: * Archer Aviation announced an agreement to acquire control of Hawthorne Airport in LA for $126 million in cash. * Carta data shows what dilution founders should expect based on stage. * If only a fraction of the population works and money no longer matters...how will

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Weekly Radar

Weekly Radar #376: ventue codex, Sonder's breaking moment, Houston dinner during NXT, Proptech Index up 1.29%

In this Weekly Radar, we cover: * The Marriot deal a year ago was thought to be Sonder's savior. Not all great things last. * Venture Codex is a new tool to research companies and their funding history, and figure out what potential investors are doing. * The GEM Proptech Index

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Weekly Radar #375: private residence dinners Sammamish & Scottsdale, gold savings with Robinhood, Proptech Index down 1.04%

In this Weekly Radar, we cover: * Two more private residence dinners are planned, in Sammamish (Nov 20th) and Scottsdale (Dec 1st). * Robinhood Gold subscribers have access to mortgage rates at least 0.75% below the national average, along with a $500 credit toward closing costs on new home purchases or

Weekly Radar

Weekly Radar #374: earnings season & a proptech sonnet, supersonicing, Proptech Index down 4.39%

In this Weekly Radar, we cover: * Boom is building the first civil supersonic jet made in America. * A sonnet, written by ChatGPT, to celebrate the start of Q3 earnings season. * Talk to AI superconnector Boardy to be connected with GEM members. * The GEM Proptech Index decreased 4.39% from the

Weekly Radar

Weekly Radar #373: Next city of the future, talk to AI to get connected, Proptech Index up 5.46% WoW

In this Weekly Radar, we cover: * Will California Forever deliver on its utopian dream? * Talk to AI superconnector Boardy to be connected with GEM members. * The GEM Proptech Index increased 5.46% from the previous week. Geek Estate’s Proptech Getaway, an intimate (founders and C-suite) retreat for the

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Weekly Radar #371: fix Opendoor tweet, search inside OpenAI, keep thinking, stocks down 5.8% WoW

In this Weekly Radar, we cover: * A tweet by Keith Rabois on August 13th (2025) about how they are fixing Opendoor makes a couple of things very clear. * A new campaign from Anthropic/Claude encourages us to Keep Thinking. * New AI search developments by OpenAI/Zillow and Realtor.com still

Weekly Radar

Weekly Radar #370: Why are MLSs Building Consumer Portals?, Proptech Index Down 1.13%

In this Weekly Radar, we cover: * Value propositions or features on MLS consumer portals (such as onehome) are not better, or different, than existing portals. Different is the only way to gain attention with consumers. * The GEM Proptech Index decreased 1.13% from the previous week. Geek Estate’s Proptech

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Weekly Radar

Weekly Radar #369: Bombshell Of All Bombshells, Proptech Index Down 3.34%, Pulsing With OpenAI

In this Weekly Radar, we cover: * Compass’s $1.6B acquisition of Anywhere creates a 341,000-agent giant, driving consolidation, private listings, brand dilution, and portal challenges. * OpenAI’s rollout of ChatGPT Pulse sparks the idea of a specialized “real estate pulse” that could deliver AI-curated daily or

Weekly Radar

Weekly Radar #368: That's A Wrap, Blueprint 2025, Proptech Index Up 4.04%, Zirconium Peer Circle Update

In this Weekly Radar, we cover: * At Blueprint 2025, proptech startups and experts emphasized AI’s growing role in homebuilding and more alongside community events co-hosted by GEM, PTAG, and FIRE. * We shifted our Zirconium Peer Circles offering to a paid facilitation model with Heather Harmon leading, bringing more

Weekly Radar

Weekly Radar #367: $7 Billion In Value, The Opendoor Saga Continues, Legal Mumbo Jumbo, Proptech Index Up 1.57%

In this Weekly Radar, we cover: * Figure’s $7B IPO and rising share price is seen as a rare liquidity win for proptech investors and a validation of blockchain’s role in real estate finance. * Opendoor’s leadership shakeup, AI-driven reset, and founder return are viewed skeptically as PR

Weekly Radar

Weekly Radar #366: Don't Bury Your Startup Risks Lead, The Goat Of Company Updates, Proptech Index Up 1.87%

In this Weekly Radar, we cover: * Atticus LeBlanc’s consistent weekly updates on Padsplit demonstrate growth, deep operational knowledge, and transparent communication, making him a model for founders seeking to attract investors. * F4 Fund’s David Kaye argues that the best founders win bigger checks by candidly sharing risks and

Weekly Radar

Weekly Radar #365: How To Be Hunted By VCs, Turning The Paper Napkin Into A 747... Enter Advisory Circles, Proptech Index Down 2.91%

In this Weekly Radar, we cover: * As a startup, how do you shift from hunter to the hunted when it comes to fundraising? * Heather Harmon, who advises numerous real estate, mortgage, and construction tech startups, launched Peer Advisory Circles as group coaching program for early-stage proptech founders to avoid

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Weekly Radar #364: Violating Customer Trust, Equity To Bitcoin, Private Funding Report - Q2 2025, Proptech Index Up 4.95%

In this Weekly Radar, we cover: * Proptech Angel Group released high level Q2’25 stats with Series B rounds leading in dollars and Seed rounds leading in volume, while construction and residential dominated funding activity and hospitality/retail/STR sectors saw steep investor pullback. * Buildium faces backlash for selling renters

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Weekly Radar

Weekly Radar #363: Opendoor Upheaval, Drone Infrastructure FTW, Proptech Index Up 1.75%

In this Weekly Radar, we cover: * Hear from past participants on why you should walk the Camino with GEM in 2026. * Opendoor's CEO, Carrie Wheeler, exited with a paid advisory role amongst Opendoor’s strategy shift toward a standard lead-generation portal. * A new built world startup, Zipline,

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Weekly Radar #362: Pitching The Sharks, Proptech Index Down 1.67%, Piloting Mass Timber In Data Centers, Spacing Boxabl

In this Weekly Radar, we cover: * The feedback from Alex Montalenti’s pitch to Robert Herjavec and Kevin Harrington at the Domination Conference underscores that startups fail more from lack of focus than capital. * Meta is using mass timber in data centers with key partners to cut embodied carbon by

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Weekly Radar #361: Legalities For The Loss, Proptech Index Down 2.69%, Pricing Psychology

In this Weekly Radar, we cover: * CoStar sued Zillow and others over photo use, continuing a pattern of lawsuits seen as unproductive and anti-innovation. * DocSend’s journey to product-market fit involved embracing counterintuitive pricing strategies and product-led growth, lessons now central to GEM Aventurine’s accelerator philosophy.

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Weekly Radar

Weekly Radar #360: Proptech Index Up 3.63% + Proptech Getaway

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Weekly Radar

Weekly Radar #359: The Seasonal Product Release, Tedx Talks On Real Estate Wealth Creation, Proptech Index Up 2.38%

In this Weekly Radar, we cover: * Frank Rohde and Michael Barnes use TEDx talks to advocate for tackling barriers to homeownership and closing the wealth equity gap through innovative housing solutions. * Zillow’s summer product release reflects a strategic shift toward major, Airbnb-style product announcements to stand out in

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Weekly Radar

Weekly Radar #358: State of AI event, laughing at latest portal wars, company tracking with AI, slinking referrals

In this Weekly Radar, we cover: * Newspaper publisher Gannett formed a multi-year agreement with AddressUSA to power an online real estate portal across the USA TODAY Network including USA TODAY and over 200 local publications nationwide. Really? * A new Referral Disclosure form from Northwest MLS is a move toward

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Weekly Radar

Weekly Radar #357: Compass Goes Legal (again), Opendoor pivots to lead gen, metaprop pitches, Proptech Index Up 2.19%

In this Weekly Radar, we cover: * Compass is up to its not fun legal antics once again, suing Zillow "over new rules that ban privately marketed listings from the platform. * Opendoor launched a Key Connections program to connects partner real estate agents with high-intent sellers...the agent disruptor

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Weekly Radar

Weekly Radar #356: Flowing In An Interview, Proptech Index Down 1.08%

In this Weekly Radar, we cover: * Flow faces skepticism for its vague community vision, but may thrive abroad where tenant screening is less restricted. * The GEM Proptech Index decreased 1.08% from the previous week. As always, links surrounded by the ❇️ emoji indicate exclusive GEM Diamond content. If you would

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Weekly Radar #355: Building In An AI World, Flying Motorbike Debuts, Proptech Index Down 0.49%

In this Weekly Radar, we cover: * Stackpoint Ventures argues AI should enhance workflows across roles. * Volonaut revealed a jet-powered Airbike, pushing personal air mobility toward a high-speed, lightweight future. * The GEM Proptech Index decreased 0.49% from the previous week. As always, links surrounded by the ❇️ emoji indicate

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Weekly Radar #354: 52,000 Residences Strong, At the Buyer Demand Table, Regulation For Landlords = Adoption For Rental Tech, Proptech Index Increased 4.54%

In this Weekly Radar, we cover: * Compass’ Buyer Demand Tool is neither novel nor innovative compared to longstanding tools from the likes of RealScout and Percy. * New landlord regulations in California are accelerating adoption of compliance and screening tech like Rely, RentSpree, Rental Beast, and Verifast. * Alfred’s merger with

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Weekly Radar

Weekly Radar #353: Wandering to $50M, Challenges Abound in Fractions, New Jersey's Blockchain Bet, Proptech Index Up 0.68%

In this Weekly Radar, we cover: * Success as a startup founder boils down to consistently embracing the unglamorous, persistent work of sales, regardless of company stage. * Wander's shift to an asset-light short-term rental model is smart, but building a branded rental brand faces steep, steep executional