Episode 047: Ash Zandieh

Introduction: Today we have with us Ash Zandieh, the CREtech and PropTech visionary and guru, who seemingly made it his mission to channel the song by hip-hop heartthrob Drake, namely that of "Started from the Bottom" as to the acquisition of his real estate knowledge base. Ash continues that mission in a myriad of ways, including that of helping the commercial real estate tech sector grow into a thriving ecosystem by helping startups grow their businesses by connecting them to the funding sector.   Episode Notes: At 2:30, Ash Zandieh discusses his strength in "narrowing the margin of vulnerability" not just for himself, but for others as well. At 4:08, Ash notes that a great deal of entrepreneurs today are coming from the real estate scene. At 5:56, Zandieh states that the notion of technology changing people is a little foreign to him. At 7:16, he talks about innovation, "borrowed money," and defines PropTech for the layperson. At 11:06, Ash touches upon Airbnb and the impact CompStak had on him while he was a broker. At 14:33, Zandieh provides his thoughts on venture capital in New York and non-New York based start-ups solving a "New York problem." At 16:59, he dishes on "the old school model of profitability and scale" when launching a business. At 18:44, Ash dives into PropTech unicorns and borrowing power in today's market. At 21:56, Zandieh makes note of his dislike for the word "disruption," and tell us why he believes that AI will not kill off the broker. At 24:56, he points out that he is in the knowledge business and that "attention is the only asset that matters." At 28:12, Ash discusses the commodities of time and knowledge. At 29:52, Zandieh advises on auditing your skillset and "contextualizing tech." At 33:20, he informs that AI technology is moving at a faster speed compared to that of government. At 36:38, Ash dives into his love for sharing knowledge, in addition to playing a role in the growth of other entrepreneurs. At 40:27, Zandieh talks about utilizing both old school and tech methods. At 43:04, he speaks on WeWork and the built world sector. At 46:04, Ash touches upon agility, as well as being comfortable with discomfort. At 48:08, Zandieh stresses in believing in oneself and its ability to execute. At 50:50, Ash Zandieh closes the podcast with a message on the affect fatherhood has had on him.