Leaders, Innovators and Big Ideas - the Rainforest podcast

Thank you for listening to the Leaders, Innovators and Big Ideas podcast, supported by Rainforest Alberta.The podcast that highlights those people who are contributing to and/or supporting the innovation ecosystem in Alberta.

Christopher Drobot is a passionate cheerleader for the potential of the Edmonton region. Although not directly an entrepreneur himself, his extensive experience in business operations and now mortgage lending help focus his excitement on the ideas that can see the city grow. He is involved in the push to bring a world-class aquarium to the city, is completing an MBA, and – together with his wife – homeschools his two children. The parallels between entrepreneurialism and homeschooling have been many, and he sees an overarching lesson in both: you have to create the world you wish to see.

Dan Belostosky Dan has made his mark in a number of industries – notably, having been a co-founder of Belonett Media (once the largest independent billboard network in Alberta), a Venture Partner with Panache Ventures, a Founder of boutique investment firm Otto Capital (which focuses on tech and real estate startups), to his current role as Founder of HonestDoor (which as a business meant to introduce radical transparency to the real estate industry is in many ways a mix of all of the above)

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Show Summary

Dan tells us the "why" of Honestdoor, on how his own experiences in the industry led him to realize there's a large problem of missing data in the real estate world, and that consumers would be better-served by having easy and free access to that data without needing an intermediary to step in (such as a real estate agent, an appraiser, etc.). He goes through the process of building a business - how the challenges you end up facing are often not the ones you ever expect - and how growing in a smaller market like Alberta presents both benefits and challenges.

Show Quote:

"Ultimately I found a lot of holes in the real estate industry, and I thought that the first thing that we would try to disrupt would be data and access to data - and it seems like it’s worked and people have really responded through our site."

"There will still be a place for Realtors, but what we see is about making the process more efficient"

"What we’re proud of is the HonestDoor Price and where right now that’s changing monthly, we think it should be updated even more frequently and in real time as new translations and data come in. We think that’s what people want to know"

Credits...

This Episode Sponsored By: SAIT School for Advanced Digital Technology

Episode Music: Tony Del Degan

Creator & Producer: Al Del Degan

System Engineering Sponsor: Kris Chase - Chase Telecom Inc.