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.