Building the Next Generation of Commercial Real Estate with Matthew Schneider of e-States
I had the pleasure of interviewing Matthew Schneider, the CEO at e-States PropTech Inc, and a thought leader within Generation Z. He has previously worked as an entrepreneur in various roles, from authoring and publishing a novel as a teenager to leading small-cap and derivative trades in the stock market. Matthew is a self-taught expert in the FinTech vertical, possessing expertise in project management, leadership, startups, asset securitization, and tokenization. Additionally, from his time as an entrepreneur and CEO, he possesses skills in communications, marketing, finance, and business law. His personal philosophies emphasize an ambitious work ethic, decentralized command, loyalty, and positive impact.
What motivated you to launch your startup?
Coming from a middle-class background, our team had a different perspective when getting involved in commercial real estate. The entry barriers were steep, the industry was cluttered and confusing, and the existing solutions simply did not add value. We saw an opportunity to positively transform the industry by building a product that was genuinely innovative and cool. While the industry may be attractive for its profits, it’s powered by people, so that’s where we turned our attention.
What excites you about what you’re building?
Not only is what we’re doing relatively unprecedented, but our approach is also very unique. I’ve yet to meet a person who doesn’t find something about us interesting. It’s awesome to see the excitement and inspiration that we instill in others when we tell our story and mission. Customers, investors, and spectators of e-States are continually impressed with us, and that makes it very rewarding to build and deliver.
What has been your biggest challenge in growing your startup?
Perspective. The way we view our product and the messaging around it influences everything, from software development to sales and raising capital. We stumbled into some obstacles while building our first iteration because we were unsure of the big picture and what we truly wanted to accomplish with the product. Convincing other people with incomplete messaging was very difficult as well. We’ve had plenty of time to refine our approach and have built a strong and growing community as a result.
What are your future plans for your startup?
There are several avenues we’ll eventually explore: we want to get even more creative with the technology, expand our strength in the realm of finance, and deliver ethically-driven results.
As a technology company, our platform utilizes smart-tech like blockchain and AI, which lays the groundwork for plenty of opportunities for innovation. Concepts like the metaverse or generative AI are perfect for empowering commercial real estate and giving these otherwise playful inventions a productive, real-world environment.
As active participants in commercial real estate, equity financing for projects is just one means of many to fund a development. We’d love to branch out and introduce new, democratized finance solutions for property owners and investors, as well as explore different methods like lending and collateral pools.
Finally, we’re in a unique position to influence the next generation of buildings, and we’d like to use that power to drastically improve our cities and neighborhoods. Encouraging eco-friendly developments, reducing waste, redeveloping assets and promoting affordable housing, helping communities build wealth, adding homes and jobs, and simply making things look nicer are all deep passions for us. There’s no better industry than commercial real estate if you want to build a brighter future.
If you had to share “words of wisdom” with a founder about to start their own startup, what would they be?
Find every way to prepare yourself beforehand because you’re about to embark on a very grueling set of trials. Educate yourself and your team, find experts, mentors, and advisors, get yourself squared away physically, mentally, and financially, and only pursue this arduous journey if you’re ready to burn the ships. It may be intimidating, but this challenge will attract the right person.
How can our readers follow you on social media?
Visit our Website or find our company on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. You can reach out to me via LinkedIn or Instagram as well!
This was very insightful. Thank you so much for joining us!
