Brandon Wright is the Co-founder and CEO of Tongo, the company he co-founded to help Real Estate agents address cash flow challenges by providing financial tools such as a commission line of credit and a payroll solution to help stabilize their incomes and automate savings. With a deep understanding of the challenges faced by agents and commission-based earners, Brandon has led Tongo in creating innovative solutions that provide liquidity and flexibility, empowering users to manage cash flow effectively. He began his career at Smith Barney in Seattle, Washington, working under renowned contrarian value investor Jamie Dimon, current CEO of JPMorgan Chase. He then ventured into entrepreneurship, starting a coffee shop in Seattle. Brandon then pursued an MBA at Cornell and joined private equity firm Vista Equity Partners, where he implemented best practices across their software portfolio. Leveraging his experience, he co-founded a company that used AI to build decision engines for lenders, ultimately transitioning into developing a buy now, pay later solution for e-commerce called Catapult.

(01:09) - Brandon's Journey in Financial Services

(06:28) - The Birth of Tongo

(07:48) - Challenges in the Real Estate Market

(11:09) - Tongo's Financial Solutions for Agents
(16:26) - Feature: Pacaso - Luxury vacation home ownership, elevated. Join Pacaso’s growth and become an investor of a venture-backed company at Pacaso.com/invest

(18:12) - Success Stories & Future Plans

(21:32) - Lowering risk with data availability & efficient distribution
(27:27) - Impact of NAR Lawsuit on Real Estate agents & investors
(35:07) - Feature: Blueprint - The Future of Real Estate 2025

(35:54) - NYC Housing Market & FARE Act
(40:43) - Collaboration Superpower: Jamie Dimon (Wiki)

💚 Learn more:
➡️ Visit Tongo's site
➡️ Brandon Wright on LinkedIn

💚 Feature:
➡️ Pacaso - Luxury vacation home ownership, elevated. Join Pacaso’s growth and become an investor of a venture-backed company at Pacaso.com/invest

➡️ Blueprint - The Future of Real Estate - Register for 2025: The Premier Event for Industry Executives, Real Estate & Construction Tech Startups and VCs, at The Venetian, Las Vegas on September 16th-18th, 2025.

💚 Connect with Tangent:
➡️ Edward Cohen on LinkedIn
➡️ Jeff Berman on LinkedIn
➡️ Zach Aarons on LinkedIn
➡️ Tangent on LinkedIn

Disclaimer: Tangent podcast is for entertainment and informational purposes only, you should not construe any such information or other material as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advise. Nothing contained on our program constitutes a solicitation, recommendation, endorsement, or offer by Tangent, Camber Creek, MetaProp, or any third party guest to buy or sell any securities, public or private, other financial instruments or funds.

Robert Cooper is the President and CEO of Embue. After two decades in high tech, Robert decided to follow his passion and use his experience to help solve the climate crisis and improve people's lives. He decided to focus on Multifamily after recognizing the huge opportunity to simultaneously reduce carbon emissions, improve residents' health and comfort, and make the buildings' staff’s work easier across all Multifamily classes. Previously, Robert co-founded Ithaca & NYC based startup IDS after grad school. IDS sold mission critical software used by NYSE, Swiss Exchange, semiconductor plants and telecom providers and was acquired by Stratus Computer for 24X revenue. He also co-founded energy management company Coincident. Robert holds a PhD in computer science from Cambridge University and a MA in sustainability from Harvard University, as well as two patents.

(01:27) - Robert's background & journey to Embue

(02:05) - Innovations in Multifamily

(04:59) - Opportunities from Berkadia's BeEngaged program

(07:58) - Energy Efficiency & Operational Improvements

(11:13) - Smart Building Multifamily Solutions & Technology

(17:20) - Feature | Berkadia's BeEngaged - Learn more: Ecosystem of founders, industry professionals, and capital providers dedicated to redefining the Commercial Real Estate space.

(30:15) - Future of Decarbonization & Climate Tech
(44:37) - Collaboration Superpower: Jigar Shah (Wiki)

💚 Learn more:
➡️ Visit Embue's site
➡️ Robert Cooper on LinkedIn
➡️ Bryce Nyberg on LinkedIn

💚 Feature:
➡️ Berkadia's BeEngaged - Learn more: Ecosystem of founders, industry professionals, and capital providers dedicated to redefining the commercial real estate space.

💚 Connect with Tangent:
➡️ Edward Cohen on LinkedIn
➡️ Jeff Berman on LinkedIn
➡️ Zach Aarons on LinkedIn
➡️ Tangent on LinkedIn

Disclaimer: Tangent podcast is for entertainment and informational purposes only, you should not construe any such information or other material as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advise. Nothing contained on our program constitutes a solicitation, recommendation, endorsement, or offer by Tangent, Camber Creek, MetaProp, or any third party guest to buy or sell any securities, public or private, other financial instruments or funds.

Caren Maio is the CEO and co-founder of 100, a Proptech company tackling rental fraud for Multifamily owners and operators. A staggering 93% of operators have experienced fraud in the last 12 months, and Caren and the 100 team are on a mission to stop it. Prior to this role, she led Moved, and co-founded and led Funnel (previously Nestio), a leasing and marketing platform for Multifamily properties, where she served as CEO and President for 11 years. Under her leadership, Funnel was recognized as one of Entrepreneur Magazine's "Best Entrepreneurial Companies in America." Caren's expertise has earned her features in publications like The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, and Forbes. Caren is also a member of the Forbes Real Estate Council and, before her entrepreneurial ventures, she held sales and marketing positions at The Wall Street Journal and Nike.

(02:01) - Inman's Proptech Awards

(04:52) - Caren Maio's Journey to 100

(06:27) - Understanding Renter Fraud

(10:44) - Tech stack & Partnership with CLEAR
(14:41) - Feature: Pacaso - Luxury vacation home ownership, elevated. Join Pacaso’s growth and become an investor of a venture-backed company at Pacaso.com/invest

(17:22) - Business Model & Market Strategy

(21:53) - Unexpected Proptech Alliances

(22:52) - Proptech fundraising: challenges & advice for first-time founders
(34:04) - Feature: Blueprint - The Future of Real Estate 2025

(38:42) - Collaboration Superpower: Betty White

💚 Learn more:
➡️ Visit 100's site
➡️ Caren Maio on LinkedIn

💚 Feature:
➡️ Pacaso - Luxury vacation home ownership, elevated. Join Pacaso’s growth and become an investor of a venture-backed company at Pacaso.com/invest

➡️ Blueprint - The Future of Real Estate - Register for 2025: The Premier Event for Industry Executives, Real Estate & Construction Tech Startups and VCs, at The Venetian, Las Vegas on September 16th-18th, 2025.

💚 Connect with Tangent:
➡️ Edward Cohen on LinkedIn
➡️ Jeff Berman on LinkedIn
➡️ Zach Aarons on LinkedIn
➡️ Tangent on LinkedIn

Disclaimer: Tangent podcast is for entertainment and informational purposes only, you should not construe any such information or other material as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advise. Nothing contained on our program constitutes a solicitation, recommendation, endorsement, or offer by Tangent, Camber Creek, MetaProp, or any third party guest to buy or sell any securities, public or private, other financial instruments or funds.