by David Hirschman

As the pandemic recedes, it's clear that the proptech sector is largely emerging stronger, more resilient, and with more interest from investors than ever before. In fact, according to Crunchbase, VC-backed real estate tech companies raised a record $10.6B in the first six months of 2021, up from $8.3B in the same period in 2020. Meanwhile, companies in the real estate tech ecosystem are increasingly going public, with major IPOs like Procore and Compass, and SPAC tie-ups for companies like Offerpad, SmartRent, Hippo, Doma, and more.

Against this backdrop and given the surging interest in the sector, Blueprint is launching its inaugural real estate technology conference at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas on October 4-6. This event, which aims to be the CES-of-real-estate, will bring together the very best and brightest entrepreneurs, VCs, and forward-leaning industry players for learning and networking, to catalyze this dynamic sector.

Content at the event will focus on key issues in real estate and technology, including the future of offices; tech-enabled tools to transform brokerages; fintech and insurtech to streamline the single-family transaction; proptech's role in environmental sustainability; tech tools that promote affordability and much, much more. Speakers include the CEOs of Hippo, Doma, Blend, VTS Side, Douglas Elliman, Industrious, Openspace, Mighty Buildings as well as industry leaders from Fifth Wall, Metaprop, Tishman Speyer, SCV Reach, Skanska, Quadreal, Lincoln Property Group, JLL, and Brookfield.

To check out the speakers and the agenda, click here.

Ahead of the event, we asked one of our speakers, Openpath CEO James Segil, whose company was recently acquired by Motorola, to weigh in on some of the big trends he is seeing, and what emerging technologies he thinks will likely transform the built world in the coming years.

He told us that he sees a real opportunity for edge computing to open up new possibilities in proptech: "If you need a reader at every access controlled door - why not make that reader a platform instead of a brick?" he wrote. "Bringing edge compute capabilities to the door, with an open architecture that allows developers to build apps and install them on that platform, ensures your built world is future-proofed."

Looking ahead, Segil also said he hopes legacy real estate companies will get better at moving quickly to adopt new tech and connect systems and departments that were once siloed. He told us: "Technology is something that proptech leaders need to be thinking about in terms of what systems can work together, integrate and give you a more comprehensive view - taking the features of one technology and another technology. Invest in technology that is adaptable and scalable to whatever the world brings."

A key part of Blueprint's philosophy is to bring together all of the different kinds of tech in the real estate value chain, bringing together common threads for companies operating in different asset classes and functions. Like Segil, we believe that now is the time for legacy companies to see the writing on the wall and invest in the future before they get left behind.

If you also believe now is the time for the built world to embrace technology, join Segil and hundreds of other leaders from across the proptech ecosystem at the inaugural Blueprint in Las Vegas on October 4-6. You'll see first-hand the power of having so many of the right people in the same room, and we hope to foster a spirit of collaboration and partnership as we all push the industry to new heights. Click here for tickets and to learn more.